Einstein: "The Bible is Pretty Childish."

I just read the article: www6.comcast.net... about a letter that is being auctioned off in London about the religious views of Albert Einstein. I quote:

“In the note, written the year before his death, Einstein dismissed the idea of God as the product of human weakness and the Bible as ‘pretty childish.’”

“In it, Einstein said that ‘the word of God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.’”

The part I agreed with the most –

“In later life, he expressed a sense of wonder at the universe and its mysteries – what he called a ‘cosmic religious feeling’ – famously said: ‘Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.’”

My thoughts:

Here is where I believe that most people up to this age have not been able to distinguish between religion and spirituality. He apparently had a difficult time distinguishing the difference also. He did believe in a God, but had a difficult time with the concept and existence of religion.

He also said, “I do not believe in the God of theology who rewards good and punishes evil. My God created laws that take care of that. His universe is not ruled by wishful thinking, but by immutable laws.”

His thoughts go along the same lines as mine. Where there are choices there are consequences, and that science, or laws of nature, naturally take care of that.

Does God function with the understanding that he loves everyone? Are we to believe that? Does life indicate that this is true? Does history support that belief? Religions tend to teach this philosophy, but… is it accurate?

This is a question that I am sure crossed Einstein’s mind. All through the ages, religion was synonymous with spirituality. In recent years a lot of us have been able to distinguish the difference between the two. Often what creates the most difficulties with our understanding of God, and our belief in him is; the confusion that gets tied up with him, and religion.

I now think it would be a more accurate statement for him to say, "In later life, he expressed a sense of wonder at the universe and its mysteries - what he called a 'cosmic spiritual feeling. 'Science without spirituality is lame, spirituality without science is blind." People on ATS have asked me why I call myself a spiritual scientist (not Christian Science), this is why! God is a God of many things, one being; science. I cannot be spiritual without understanding that God is a God of; cause and effect.

Also, I think it creates much anger with those who don’t want to believe in a God or higher power, because of the religion connection.

On the Bible; the Bible was written for man, not for God! I have a thread on why I believe the Bible was written, and that I feel it was written as part of a great conspiracy. I wonder what Einstein would think, if he were still alive!
www.abovetopsecret.com...






[edit on 13-5-2008 by MatrixProphet]

Here is some more information regarding Einstein and his views:

Excerpt from jeffreymark.typepad.com...

Yet, when one reads other sources who delve into Einstein's religiosity they discover a byzantine journey that finally settled for simplicity. During his teen and formative years, Einstein researched his Jewish roots and adopted a a devout attitude. Later he rejected the Jewish faith and planted his feet firmly in a sort of Jeffersonian deism. Walter Isaacson of the Aspen Institute offers a window into Einstein's faith in his fairly recent book entitled Einstein: His Life and Universe In fact Isaacson contradicts this recent revelation if not in substance, at least atmospherically, declaring:

But throughout his life, Einstein was consistent in rejecting the charge that he was an atheist. "There are people who say there is no God," he told a friend. "But what makes me really angry is that they quote me for support of such views." And unlike Sigmund Freud or Bertrand Russell or George Bernard Shaw, Einstein never felt the urge to denigrate those who believed in God; instead, he tended to denigrate atheists. "What separates me from most so-called atheists is a feeling of utter humility toward the unattainable secrets of the harmony of the cosmos," he explained. In fact, Einstein tended to be more critical of debunkers, who seemed to lack humility or a sense of awe, than of the faithful. "The fanatical atheists," he wrote in a letter, "are like slaves who are still feeling the weight of their chains which they have thrown off after hard struggle. They are creatures who--in their grudge against traditional religion as the 'opium of the masses'-- cannot hear the music of the spheres."

Thus, given the fashionable penchant toward pseudo intellectual agnosticism and atheism one must view articles (God as "childish superstition" ) such as this latest from Breitbart with a skeptical and critical eye.

reply to post by MatrixProphet


I think he was a spiritualist and this post reinforces that thought.
Thank you very much.

Though I think it doesn't matter much what he thought. He was a great and intelligent man. But.............
That was his view. And we each have our own and I don't think in somethings the "experts" can tell us anything that really helps.
We must find our OWN way.

[edit on 15-5-2008 by WraothAscendant]

reply to post by WraothAscendant


Very true. I like the idea that here is a brilliant man that was humble enough to acknowledge God or a Higher Power in the universe. He is a good example of one who was not so arrogant as to assume "he" knew it all!

Since there are so many "experts" that try to influence us to not acknowledge God, it is refreshing to hear from one who has been looked up to by the other "experts" that was not codependent in his views.

Thanks!

Certainly the worshippers of Einsteininity who believed they could worship both he and God will be heartbroken. To my knowledge, Einstein never represented himself as a prophet, apostle, messiah or priest. I'm going to ask my plumber what the best gaming video card is for my computer. He may know...or he may not.

reply to post by WraothAscendant


i still think he was more of a spiritual atheist materialist, finding beautiful mystery in a scientific understanding of the world

...but, at the end of the day, the only way we could find out who's right on that issue would be to ask him. it's a shame that we can't anymore...

I thought that I had put this quote in earlier of Einstein:

"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.

A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute the truly religious attitude; in this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man." -Albert Einstein

Of course, I expressed above that Einstein probably did not know how to explain how he felt spiritually, without using the word; religion. These quotes were written many decades ago when the word "spiritual" was not a common replacement for the term; religion.

Here is another quote of Einstein that shows he was very aware of a spiritual quality and reality:

"I maintain that the cosmic religious feeling is the strongest and noblest motive for scientific research."