Religion

doi:10.1017/9781108617208.019

Chapter 17 - Religion

from Part III - Historical and Cultural Contexts

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 December 2019

Harold K. Bush

Edited by

John Bird

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John Bird: Affiliation:
Winthrop University

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Summary

Religion was a force throughout Twain’s lifetime, early on as the strict Calvinism inherited from his mother, and later as he rebelled against orthodoxy. His reading of Thomas Paine at an early age introduced him to religious skepticism, which challenged the beliefs he held as a child. Despite his skepticism, he was very close with a number of clergymen, most notably his family minister Joseph Twichell, who may be considered his closest adult friend. He vowed to reform and become a devout Christian in order to marry Olivia Langdon, but his “reform” ended after a year or so. In many of his works, he satirically exposes religious hypocrisy, and in his later unpublished writing, most notably Letters from the Earth (not published until 1962), he expresses doubt and scorn for conventional Christianity.

Keywords

Mark Twain Samuel Clemens religion free thinking Thomas Paine Robert Ingersoll Calvinism atheism

Type: Chapter
Information: Mark Twain in Context , pp. 171 - 181

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108617208.019 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2020

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