| − | Mark Twain was a practicing Presbyterian and a devotee of Saint [[Joan of Arc]]. Historians debate his personal religious beliefs, which if publicized could have hampered his successful career as a humorist. A series of personal tragedies in his life, namely the deaths of his son, wife, and two of his daughters, could have pushed him closer or further from [[God]]. Twain's favorite book was the biography he wrote admiring Saint [[Joan of Arc]], but Twain also wrote ''Letters from the Earth'' and ''The Mysterious Stranger'', both of which he was afraid to publish during his lifetime and which contained criticisms of [[Christianity]]. Some of his quotes on the subject are listed below. | + | Mark Twain was a practicing Presbyterian and a devotee of Saint [[Joan of Arc]]. Historians debate his personal religious beliefs, which if publicized could have hampered his successful career as a cynical humorist. A series of personal tragedies in his life, namely the deaths of his son, wife, and two of his daughters, could have pushed him closer to or further from [[God]]. Twain's favorite book was the biography he wrote admiring Saint [[Joan of Arc]], but Twain also wrote ''Letters from the Earth'' and ''The Mysterious Stranger'', both of which he was afraid to publish during his lifetime and which contained criticisms of [[Christianity]]. Some of his quotes on the subject are listed below. |
| | *"It ain't the parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand." | | *"It ain't the parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand." |