"It is not a God, just and good, but a devil, under the name of God, that the Bible describes"

This quote by Thomas Paine is a criticism of the Bible and its representation of God. Paine is recommending that the Bible does not portray a God who is just and good, but instead a devil who is masquerading as God. He is implying that the Bible is not an accurate representation of a humane deity, however rather a harmful one. Paine's quote is a challenge to the traditional view of God as a loving and merciful being. He is suggesting that the Bible is not a trustworthy source of information about God, and that it ought to not be trusted. Paine's quote is a pointer that we ought to be critical of the Bible and its representation of God, which we ought to not take its words as outright reality.