Thomas Paine was not one of the Founding Fathers that easily comes to mind for some people, especially if one is conservative and/or a Christian. As were many of the Founders, Paine was a Deist, which was reasonable prior to the work of Darwin and others regarding evolution. Ironically, Paine, like most traditional conservatives today, was not in favor of a powerful government. Below are a few samples of his quotes, with a link to many more:
