Prot: Albert Einstein died a Christian!
Sin: No, he did not.
Prot: No he did not? What kind of answer is that? Yes he did!
It is so often used by theists as a means to say, "See, even the most die hard non-Christian eventually saw the light!" Fortunately, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence -- So it makes it very easy for us who are in a perpetual state of suspended judgement to debunk such claims with solid evidence.
"The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend personal God and avoid dogma and theology. Covering both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things natural and spiritual as a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description. If there is any religion that could cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism." [-Albert Einstein]
Let us not become confused -- Einstein is not claiming Buddhism as his faith and conviction -- merely pointing out that Buddhism is most open to scientific advancement than the other positive religions.
"It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it." [-Albert Einstein, 1954, The Human Side, edited by Helen Dukas and Banesh Hoffman, Princeton University Press]
An obvious denial of both theism and moreover, Christianity.
"Scientific research is based on the idea that everything that takes place is determined by laws of nature, and therefore this holds for the action of people. For this reason, a research scientist will hardly be inclined to believe that events could be influenced by a prayer, i.e. by a wish addressed to a Supernatural Being."
[-Albert Einstein, 1936, The Human Side. Responding to a child who wrote and asked if scientists pray.]
Ibid.
"A man's ethical behaviour should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death."
[-Albert Einstein, "Religion and Science", New York Times Magazine, 9 November 1930]
I'm not going so far as to agree with him on this subject -- but once again we see Einstein denouncing the necessity of religion.
"I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures, or has a will of the kind that we experience in ourselves. Neither can I nor would I want to conceive of an individual that survives his physical death; let feeble souls, from fear or absurd egoism, cherish such thoughts. I am satisfied with the mystery of the eternity of life and with the awareness and a glimpse of the marvelous structure of the existing world, together with the devoted striving to comprehend a portion, be it ever so tiny, of the Reason that manifests itself in nature." [-Albert Einstein, The World as I See It]
Sound absolutely nothing like something a Christian would say.
"I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings."
[-Albert Einstein, responding to Rabbi Herbert Goldstein who had sent Einstein a cablegram bluntly demanding "Do you believe in God?" Quoted from Victor J. Stenger, Has Science Found God? 2001, chapter 3.]
Check the link for a quick overview of Spinoza, his idea of God, and his general philosophy.
"The idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I am unable to take seriously." [-Albert Einstein, Letter to Hoffman and Dukas, 1946]
Is there any more room for doubt in this matter?
6 comments:
Your Sinfulness,
The quotes seem representative and in context.
A "God" who explains both the physical and spiritual reality that we experience, as well as Reason which is manifested in nature and its immutable laws, sounds very much like the "God of Nature" proposed by the Scholastics and
Spinoza. We are not claiming that Spinoza and Aristotle are identical in their methods or conclusions, but that simply put, they both propose some notion of God as Prime Cause.
they are in some sense, "theists."
We think that your points are well taken, but that you sometimes fail to DISTINGUISH between the God of positive religion, and the God of the philosophers.
Having said that, Einstein's reported statement about the grounds of moral behavior is totally bogus. Most men, including Einstein and the rest of 19th and early 20th century thinkers were formed by some religious or theistic philosophic tradition, if only cultural.. The cultural reality of atheistic formation is basicaly a current affair and an experiment. Where did these habits of feeling and thought, "sympathy, compassion," (or coming to work on Sundays when you promise to) come from if not thousands of years of selection and structuring of human attitudes and behavior based firmly on theistic beliefs and habits of thought?
Even Nietzsche, your daimon, concedes this point.
Nicolas eymeric
Nicolas,
Yes, I agree with your primacy on this matter. I said in one of my commentary's that I did not agree with Einstein on that particular point, but quoted only as a relevant quote to the matter. Forgive me also for missing work today, chalk it up to my inability to will my sinuses not to wreak havoc upon my feeble head!
Our prayer group heard about your blog! I am soooo disgusted with your hateful statements about our Lord. I know for a fact,--I think it is in the Bible next to the part about the Rapture,-- that Einstein died saved! Praise the Lord! After he built the first Deli,---I think on Route 1--- and received soooooo many blessings in success and lots of money---(that is how you know the God loves you, silly!!!) he came to know that God reigns! Praise the Lord!
Some day, when you give up your pride and fancy words and arguments (all the work of Satan, SATAN!!!!) and pay attention to facts,---and they are ONLY in the Bible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!----YOU WILL COME TO HAVE THE SPIRIT and know the Truth, which you will know you have when you have the SPIRIT!!!
I have to go now. I feel some "tongues" coming on.
Terri (always spelled with an "i")
Terri(Arch-Heretic),
Greetings! It excites my senses to know that you have discovered my blog, and consequently, decided to comment on it. However, I have serious problems with your so called proofs and biblical claims.
In regards to your claims about Einstein:
It would appear that you are referring to the Einstein that owns Einsteins Bagels, creators of wonderful coffee -- rather than the Einstein who formulated the Theory of Relativity, amongst other things. That can be forgiven. What can not be forgiven, however, is your Biblical claim that Einstein was saved -- Please quote the particular passage in which I can verify this -- for, in all my readings of scripture, I have never read such a passage.
In regards to your claims about Gods blessings:
I find it very trivial of Protestants to believe that monetary gains are a sign of being "saved" or having the Holy Spirit. Is this not in direct contradiction of the words of Christ, who said, "Go forth, sell all that thou hast and follow me"?
In regards to your assertion of knowing the truth:
An excellent use of circular logic! I will know the truth when I have the holy spirit - and when I have the holy spirit I will know the truth! What a perfectly formulated fallacy!
In regards to your speaking of tongues:
Of what use is your speaking of tongues, exactly? Scripture states that tongues were necessary to preach to the gentiles and those who spoke a different language than the Apostles. It would appear to me that "tongues" is no longer necessary unless you were doing missionary work in a country that did not speak English, or any language that you may have learned and are fluent in.
-S
I am a friend of Terri's from the prayer group. I teach creation science at our Assembly. You got it all wrong! You wants Bible proofs? Well here they are. Remember in the Bible where Moses strikes the rock and water comes out? that was in a desert. It saved the Jews from dying. And then the Bible says the Jesus is the BREAD of Life. Now what is bread made of? Flour. And what do flour and water make? Bagels. And what do Jews and Bagels tell you smarty? Einstein's Deli!!!
As a expert in creation science, I ain't seen no fossils that convinced me of evolution. I saw one that looked like a dragon, and another that looked like a fairie demon, the real small ones. they be nasty critters!
You better get your life right with God! Do you like music?
Bubba
Bubba,
A friend of Terri's? I feel bad for the both of you.
You teach Creation Science, you say? Please, inform me, what is Creation Science exactly? Where were you educated? It is an accredited university or college?
Contrary to what the Bible says about the Jews escaping Egypt and living in the desert for 40 years -- there has been absolutely no archaeological evidence to support this "claim".
In regards to Jesus being the "bread of life" and bread being made of flour: Are you implying that Jesus Christ is made of flour?
In regards to your scriptural proofs: You epitomize everything I have been claiming about Protestants and their interpretations of scripture via Sola Scriptura. Thank you for that.
In regards to your claim there isn't fossil evidence to support evolution: Images of Fossils Here.
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