Einstein that is

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/20...religion/print

<h1>Childish superstition: Einstein's letter makes view of religion relatively clear</h1>
Scientist's reply to sell for up to £8,000, and stoke debate over his beliefs

• James Randerson, science correspondent
• The Guardian,
• Tuesday May 13 2008
• <a id="historylink-byline">Article history</a>

<h3>About this article</h3> <span><a>Close</a></span>
This article appeared in the Guardian on Tuesday May 13 2008 . It was last updated at 12:12 on May 13 2008.


Albert Einstein, pictured in 1953. Photograph: Ruth Orkin/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." So said Albert Einstein, and his famous aphorism has been the source of endless debate between believers and non-believers wanting to claim the greatest scientist of the 20th century as their own.

A little known letter written by him, however, may help to settle the argument - or at least provoke further controversy about his views.

Due to be auctioned this week in London after being in a private collection for more than 50 years, the document leaves no doubt that the theoretical physicist was no supporter of religious beliefs, which he regarded as "childish superstitions".

Einstein penned the letter on January 3 1954 to the philosopher Eric Gutkind who had sent him a copy of his book Choose Life: The Biblical Call to Revolt. The letter went on public sale a year later and has remained in private hands ever since.

In the letter, he states: "The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this."

Einstein, who was Jewish and who declined an offer to be the state of Israel's second president, also rejected the idea that the Jews are God's favoured people.

"For me the Jewish religion like all others is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions. And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other people. As far as my experience goes, they are no better than other human groups, although they are protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power. Otherwise I cannot see anything 'chosen' about them."

The letter will go on sale at Bloomsbury Auctions in Mayfair on Thursday and is expected to fetch up to £8,000. The handwritten piece, in German, is not listed in the source material of the most authoritative academic text on the subject, Max Jammer's book Einstein and Religion.

One of the country's leading experts on the scientist, John Brooke of Oxford University, admitted he had not heard of it.

Einstein is best known for his theories of relativity and for the famous E=mc2 equation that describes the equivalence of mass and energy, but his thoughts on religion have long attracted conjecture.

His parents were not religious but he attended a Catholic primary school and at the same time received private tuition in Judaism. This prompted what he later called, his "religious paradise of youth", during which he observed religious rules such as not eating pork. This did not last long though and by 12 he was questioning the truth of many biblical stories.

"The consequence was a positively fanatic [orgy of] freethinking coupled with the impression that youth is being deceived by the state through lies; it was a crushing impression," he later wrote.

In his later years he referred to a "cosmic religious feeling" that permeated and sustained his scientific work. In 1954, a year before his death, he spoke of wishing to "experience the universe as a single cosmic whole". He was also fond of using religious flourishes, in 1926 declaring that "He [God] does not throw dice" when referring to randomness thrown up by quantum theory.

His position on God has been widely misrepresented by people on both sides of the atheism/religion divide but he always resisted easy stereotyping on the subject.

"Like other great scientists he does not fit the boxes in which popular polemicists like to pigeonhole him," said Brooke. "It is clear for example that he had respect for the religious values enshrined within Judaic and Christian traditions ... but what he understood by religion was something far more subtle than what is usually meant by the word in popular discussion."

Despite his categorical rejection of conventional religion, Brooke said that Einstein became angry when his views were appropriated by evangelists for atheism. He was offended by their lack of humility and once wrote. "The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility."

As if there was really any doubt.

 

Originally Posted by cruizr

As if there was really any doubt.

actually there was, it has been highly debated for a long time

I hope Big Al Einstein is smart enough to create a little moisture to quench the fires that burn around him in HELL.

GL with that Genius!

loooooooooooooooolz

you seriously think people burn in a firely pit for eternity?

....sigh

I hope not teehee.

What makes Einstein any more qualified to speak on this than my mail man?

uh yea that is my point

...and the debate continues.

Basically what this post is trying to say is if you believe in religion you are an idiot and if you are an athiest you are a genius. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

It is not hard to find intellectuals on both sides of this debate as well as those with low IQs.

I have a neighbor who is an off-the-charts genius. He is one of the most religious people i know.

Trying to impose your religious/athiest beliefs on others is conceited and immature.

a few points:

didn't E=mc2 lead to the atom bomb which killed thousands? i could see god being a little pissed about that.

i like the idea of organized religion. it gives people hope that they can live after they die. it can even help them live a 'better' life. i just don't like when they try to force it down everyone else's throat that don't care to hear it.

i always thought of god as an answer to the unexplained and when you die, you die. you don't go to some magical place. which leads me to something that i never thought of. say you get married, your spouse dies, and you get married again years later. who are you with in "heaven?" sure, a guy might like two wives (gives me the shivers), but sharing a husband doesn't seem like heaven to the women. or what if you are madly in love with your wife. she gets terminal cancer and is in terrible pain. she wants to assisted suicide to end the pain. if she goes to hell for that and you go to heaven, she won't be there with you? that sounds like they both go to hell.

what makes more sense, when you die, your life is over or you die and your 'spirit' flies away to some magical perfect place? i know what sounds more appealing, but have you ever heard of occam's razor?

It is clear that Einstein did believe in A GOD

it is?

Yeah, I guess if Einstein says it, it must be true. You won. I concede. GG believers in God. I gotta get the word out to the 3000 people who attend my church. I guess there won't be any more celebrating and worshipping on Sunday. Bummer

"world leaders, presidents, rocket scientists who do believe in God are idiots"

- Yes

While I agree this doesn't prove anything(obviously), who do you think is more likely to have come to the correct logical conclusion? One of the most brilliant men in history or the people who beleive cuz they read it in a book?

I don't care what anyone chooses to beleive, but I do think it is interesting to hear the opinon of Einstein on an age old question such as this.

I normally refrain from entering religious (or anti-religious threads in OT) because they all serve no real purpose. And after this post, I will continue to not enter these threads.

But I don't believe in a God because of what I read in a book. If that were the case, I would believe in many different things since I like to read from time to time. I believe in a God because of things that I have personally seen/have had happen in my life. And maybe by posting in OT declaring my belief, I will be flamed, but I really don't care to be honest. People will never see me pushing my beliefs on others/trying to force others to believe the way I do. It isn't right of those who do, and it gives Christianity a bad name.

I have personally witnessed healings and seen various things happen in my life that couldn't be just coincidence. I have had situations in my life where the only thing that could have changed them were some divine power of some sort. THAT is why I believe in a God, not because I read it in a book.

Ya know, yes, Einstein may have been brilliant, but even the overly smart get things wrong. And you can believe whatever you will, as that is your right. And I will never try to force my beliefs on others. But this is my perspective.

So flame me if you will, because I know declaring a belief in God in OT is considered almost taboo. It's fine with me to be honest, because at least I'm standing up for my beliefs, as have those who are non-believers.

So continue with the relgious/anti-religious threads...that's your right. But as I don't see any purpose in them, I will once again refrain from even looking at them.