Since Hume had already made many of the same "moral attacks upon Christianity" that Paine popularized in The Age of Reason, scholars have concluded that Paine probably read Hume's works on religion or had at least heard about them through the Joseph Johnson circle.
Karena Hume pernah melakukan "serangan moral terhadap Kekristenan" yang sama dengan yang dipopulerkan Paine, para ahli menyimpulkan bahwa Paine mungkin membaca karya Hume atau paling tidak pernah mendengarnya di lingkar penerbit Joseph Johnson.