Mark Twain is widely considered to be one of the most influential authors of the 19th century. Influenced by a broad range of topics, Twain had a complex worldview that has been much debated. One element of his philosophy of life was his spiritual beliefs. Historians have suggested that Twain was likely a deist, and this article will explore the evidence for that claim.
Deism is the belief that there is a God but that this God is not actively involved in people’s lives; instead, God is seen as a watchmaker who constructed the universe and then left it alone. This kind of belief was popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and scholars are often quick to note that both Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were deists.
Twain certainly had a penchant for questioning religious authority and institutions, often lampooning Christianity and conventional piety in his work. In an 1877 speech at Cambridge, Twain famously declared: “Faith is believing what you know ain’t so.” Given his often critical stance towards religion, it is not difficult to see how Twain would have been drawn to the seemingly rational and evidence-based beliefs of deism.
Twain also wrote extensively about morality, often coming up with unorthodox solutions to ethical problems. He was a firm believer in humanism and advocated for more humane treatment of others, including for children and animals. This outlook is consistent with the deism espoused by folks like Jefferson and Franklin, who saw morality as a regulative principle inherent in the natural order of the universe.
These views were further evident in his cosmological writings, in which he suggests that the universe is composed of meaningful coincidences and a ‘Grand Plan’ orchestrated by some sort of higher power. For instance, in one essay Twain mused: “Sometimes I decidedly feel as if all these curious coincidences and this uncommon concatenation of events within the chains of causation could not possibly have resulted from any other than an all-wise Power”
Twain’s Self-Description
Beyond this, Twain himself described himself as a deist, writing in his autobiography: “I do not believe in the supernatural, no. On the other hand I do believe in the Supreme Power”. In other words, Twain believed in a force of some kind guiding the universe but did not accept notions of miracles or the supernatural. He further noted that, “Man is a marvelous curiosity… he thinks he is the Creator’s pet… he even believes the Creator loves him; has a passion for him; sits up nights to admire him; yes and watch over him and keep him out of trouble. He prays to him and thinks He listens”
Again, Twain’s description of his views on spirituality clearly point to a deist outlook, with a God who is ultimately hands-off and indifferent to people’s struggles and trials. From a deist perspective, Man must work with the natural laws of the universe and govern himself as best he can.
Twain’s Final Years
Beyond his writing and public statements, another clue that Twain was likely a deist is his behavior in his later years. Facing his own mortality, Twain departed from the church and sought solace in his work and his friends. For example, his wife’s biographer notes that Twain was comforted by the fact that this “spiritual exploration amounted to a kind of deism which outraced the confines of any particular sect.”
Furthermore, by the time of Twain’s death almost all of his writing was non-religious in nature, with the notable exception of fragments of “A Stricken Undeserving” which was written in 1889. In these fragments, Twain attempted to confront the ideas of God, immortality and the afterlife, a topic that surely must have been on his mind given his advancing age and ailing health.
In these small musings, Twain does not address these topics in strictly deist terms, but he does appear to approach them from a rational and scientific standpoint, as one might expect from a deist. He writes, for example: “If you step from death into immortality in one leaping stride, you abandon reason–which is the best part of yourself–while in life you hoarded it, and guarded it, and jealously denied it to frenzy and superstition.”
Conclusion
Ultimately, Mark Twain’s spiritual beliefs remain somewhat of a mystery, but it is clear from examining both his public statements and his later writings that he was likely a deist. In any case, there can be no denying the profound influence his writing has had upon modern culture, and his thoughts on morality, spirituality and the universe will continue to spark debate and discussion for many years to come.
