Einstein and a personal God

Yes, you really should have. Completely different meaning than "more intelligent".I don't know if your comments are all correct, though. For example, Einstein was disrespected by quite a few religious people. All those nasty comments in newspapers reflect that. Just like Dawkins is disrespected by some religious people now. So, I don't know if Einstein was "more or less respected" than Dawkins.

Einstein was not an athiest by any means whatsoever, rejecting this as unscientific. We can even say he was more than an agnostic, which he considered himself: because he did believe in a force of a superior mind behind the emergence of the universe ['Creator/Creationism'], an indescribable and unknowable force - which is aligned with what the Hebrew bible says on this matter ultimately, and listed in the second of the 10 commandments. When the man says God does not play dice - it means he believes in God!Some quotes of a non-atheist:

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Albert Einstein and Religion

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(The following quotes are taken from The Quotable Einstein, Princeton University Press unless otherwise noted)

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While Einstein was usually not enamored by the religious apologists of his day for his belief in a non-traditional God different from those described in various sacred scriptures, he also received enormous peer pressure from fellow scientists because of his unswerving belief in a Creator of the universe. In a now well-known dialogue of 1935, the Danish physicist Niels Bohr argued that recent developments in quantum mechanics demanded a "complete renunciation of the classical idea of causality and a radical revision of attitudes toward the problem of physical reality." In response to this, Einstein, asserting his eccentric belief in a beginning and a Beginner, stated, "I am convinced that He (God) does not play dice."

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"My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds. That deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God."

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(The following is from Einstein and Religion by Max Jammer, Princeton University Press)
"I'm not an atheist, and I don't think I can call myself a pantheist. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God. We see the universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws but only dimly understand these laws. Our limited minds grasp the mysterious force that moves the constellations."

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In his 1949 book The World as I See It, he wrote: "A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which are only accessible to our reason in their most elementary formsit 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."[25]

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According to biographer Walter Isaacson, Einstein was more inclined to denigrate disbelievers than the faithful.[16] "The fanatical atheists," Einstein said in correspondence, "are like slaves who are still feeling the weight of their chains which they have thrown off after hard struggle. They are creatures whoin their grudge against traditional religion as the 'opium of the masses'cannot hear the music of the spheres."[16][17] Although he did not believe in a personal God, he indicated that he would never seek to combat such belief because "such a belief seems to me preferable to the lack of any transcendental outlook."[18]

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In an interview published by Time magazine with George Sylvester Viereck, Einstein spoke of his feelings about Christianity.[16] Viereck was a German born Nazi sympathizer who was jailed in America during World War II for being a German propagandist. At the time of the interview Einstein had been under the impression that Viereck was Jewish. Viereck began by asking Einstein if he considered himself a German or a Jew, to which Einstein responded, "It's possible to be both." Viereck moved along in the interview to ask Einstein if Jews should try to assimilate, to which Einstein replied "We Jews have been too eager to sacrifice our idiosyncrasies in order to conform."[16] Einstein was then asked to what extent he was influenced by Christianity. "As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene."[16] Einstein was then asked if he accepted the historical existence of Jesus, to which he replied, "Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life."[16]

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He stressed however in a conversation with William Hermanns that, "I seriously doubt that Jesus himself said that he was God, for he was too much a Jew to violate that great commandment: Hear O Israel, the Eternal is our God and He is one!' and not two or three."[31] Einstein lamented, "Sometimes I think it would have been better if Jesus had never lived. No name was so abused for the sake of power!"[31]

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"But what makes me shudder is that the Catholic Church is silent. One doesn't need to be a prophet to say, 'The Catholic Church will pay for this silence...I do not say that the unspeakable crimes of the Church for 2,000 years had always the blessing of the Vatican, but it vaccinated its believers with the idea: We have the true God, and the Jews have crucified Him.' The Church sowed hate instead of love, though the ten commandments state: Thou shalt not kill" (August 1943).[47] "With a few exceptions, the Roman Catholic Church has stressed the value of dogma and ritual, conveying the idea theirs is the only way to reach heaven. I don't need to go to Church to hear if I'm good or bad; my heart tells me this" (August 1943).[48] "I don't like to implant in youth the Church's doctrine of a personal God, because that Church has behaved so inhumanly in the past 2,000 years... Consider the hate the Church manifested against the Jews and then against the Muslims, the Crusades with their crimes, the burning stakes of the inquisition, the tacit consent of Hitler's actions while the Jews and the Poles dug their own graves and were slaughtered. And Hitler is said to have been an altar boy!" (August 1943).[48]

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"Yes" Einstein replied vehemently, "It is indeed human, as proved by Cardinal Pacelli (the future Pope Pius XII), who was behind the Concordat with Hitler. Since when can one make a pact with Christ and Satan at the same time?" (August 1943).[48] "The Church has always sold itself to those in power, and agreed to any bargain in return for immunity." (August 1943)[49] "If I were allowed to give advice to the Churches," Einstein continued, "I would tell them to begin with a conversion among themselves, and to stop playing power politics. Consider what mass misery they have produced in Spain, South America and Russia." (September 1948). [48]

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In response to a Catholic convert who asked "Didn't you state that the Church was the only opponent of Communism?" Einstein replied, "I don't have to emphasise that the Church at last became a strong opponent of National Socialism, as well." Einstein's secretary Helen Dukas added, "Dr. Einstein didn't mean only the Catholic church, but all churches."[50] When the convert mentioned that family members had been gassed by the Nazis, Einstein replied that "he also felt guiltyadding that the whole Church, beginning with the Vatican, should feel guilt." (September 1948)[50]

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"About God, I cannot accept any concept based on the authority of the Church... As long as I can remember. I have resented mass indoctrination. I cannot prove to you there is no personal God, but if I were to speak of him, I would be a liar. I do not believe in the God of theology who rewards good and punishes evil. His universe is not ruled by wishful thinking, but by immutable laws" (1954)[51] William Miller of Life Magazine who was present at this meeting described Einstein as looking like a "living saint" and speaking with "angelic indifference."[52]

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"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

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"Despite his parents' secularism, or perhaps because of it, Einstein rather suddenly developed a passionate zeal for Judaism. "He was so fervent in his feelings that, on his own, he observed Jewish religious strictures in every detail," his sister recalled. He ate no pork, kept kosher and obeyed the strictures of the Sabbath. He even composed his own hymns, which he sang to himself as he walked home from school. Einstein would later come close to these sentiments. But at the time, his leap away from faith was a radical one. "Through the reading of popular scientific books, I soon reached the conviction that much in the stories of the Bible could not be true. The consequence was a positively fanatic orgy of free thinking coupled with the impression that youth is intentionally being deceived by the state through lies; it was a crushing impression."

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Read more: Page not found | TIME

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The professor of a university challenged his students with this question. "Did God create everything that exists?" A student answered bravely, "Yes, he did".

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Einstein on Science and Religion: "But, on the other hand, everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe - a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble. In this way the pursuit of science leads to a religious feeling of a special sort, which is indeed quite different from the religiosity of someone more naive." [As quoted in Dukas, Helen and Banesh Hoffman. (1979). Albert Einstein - The Human Side. Princeton University Press.]

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The professor then asked, "If God created everything, then he created evil. Since evil exists (as noticed by our own actions), so God is evil. The student couldn't respond to that statement causing the professor to conclude that he had "proved" that "belief in God" was a fairy tale, and therefore worthless.

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Another student raised his hand and asked the professor, "May I pose a question? " "Of course" answered the professor.

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The young student stood up and asked : "Professor does Cold exists?"

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The professor answered, "What kind of question is that? ...Of course the cold exists... haven't you ever been cold?"

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The young student answered, "In fact sir, Cold does not exist. According to the laws of Physics, what we consider cold, in fact is the absence of heat. Anything is able to be studied as long as it transmits energy (heat). Absolute Zero is the total absence of heat, but cold does not exist. What we have done is create a term to describe how we feel if we don't have body heat or we are not hot."

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"And, does Dark exist?", he continued. The professor answered "Of course". This time the student responded, "Again you're wrong, Sir. Darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in fact simply the absence of light. Light can be studied, darkness can not. Darkness cannot be broken down. A simple ray of light tears the darkness and illuminates the surface where the light beam finishes. Dark is a term that we humans have created to describe what happens when there's lack of light."

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Finally, the student asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?" The professor replied, "Of course it exists, as I mentioned at the beginning, we see violations, crimes and violence anywhere in the world, and those things are evil."

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The student responded, "Sir, Evil does not exist. Just as in the previous cases, Evil is a term which man has created to describe the result of the absence of God's presence in the hearts of man."

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After this, the professor bowed down his head, and didn't answer back.

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The young man's name was ALBERT EINSTEIN.

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After all this, Einstein still wrote No long word salad from your side is going to "unwrite" what Einstein wrote.And also, your last "story" certainly is not true. It is just an urban legend. How do we know this? The story started circulating in 1999, without the name Einstein mentioned in it. Suddenly, in 2004, the name Einstein was added.The source you provided, Time magazine, certainly does not tell this story.You'd better be more careful when using creationist sources. They never tell the truth.Edited by Pressie, : No reason given.Edited by Pressie, : Added sentenceEdited by Pressie, : No reason given.

Oh, is this so? Please provide a source for this. Until then, I don't believe you.

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Einstein writes:
The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses,

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That relates to the numerous contradicting religions only, not to the factor of a Creator - which he absolutely stood by. One does not have to be Einstein or a rocket scientist to know all religions cannot be right. Absolutely it is human weakness when beliefs are imposed on people, who are not allowed to question or examine the doctrines thrust on them; it does not translate to those religions being correct - is what he is telling us. Not what you are concluding in. Know the dif!

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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.

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Clearly, he is not and cannot be referring to the Hebrew bible here. Einstein fully accepted a finite universe, a premise introduced in Genesis. So is Einstein or Genesis childish!?

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No long word salad from your side is going to "unwrite" what Einstein wrote.
And also, your last "story" certainly is not true. It is just an urban legend. How do we know this? The story started circulating in 1999, without the name Einstein mentioned in it. Suddenly, in 2004, the name Einstein was added.
Yo'd better be more careful when using creationist sources. They never tell the truth.

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If that is a legend, so be it. The issue is whether it aligns with Einstein's other quotes, which you have clearly ignored. Who is doing the unwriting and who is not telling the truth here, when it is disregarded Einstein was not an etheist but one who fully believed in a Creator, al beit only one who does not reflect all religious beliefs, but most arguably it does align with pivotal verses [commandments] and premises unique to the Hebrew bible? Maybe you are confusing bogus scientists like Dawkins with honest ones like Einstein?

I did. There are a host of quotes I posted supporting Einstein as one who rejects atheism, declares himself as an agnostic - yet clarifies this with there must be a Creator.

Ignoring the question I asked, again, and as always. Where did Einstein say that atheism is unscientific? A specific reference, please. Without this, I won't believe you. Are you making it up as you go?

I am making up nothing; you are disregarding blatant quotes which fully oppose the 'fanatical atheist' [Einstein], and his 'unswerving belief in a Creator of the universe': no word salad.Einstein was NOT an atheist, and MORE than an agnostic. He fully upheld a universe creator but did not accept the various theologies. IOW, the science is with a Creator premise, while the theologies are in chaos.There is no science in atheism; it is less than voodism and magic, and the greatest antithesis of science that is possible.

Long word salads again. This won't change: It doesn't even help to try and word salad away what Einstein wrote by pretending to give another "interpretation" of what Einstein "really meant".He did refer to the Bible. The Christian Bible, called the "Bible", specifically.The Jewish holy books (called the "Jewish Bible" by Christians), are the Torah (the first 5 books of what is called the Old Testament by most Christians), the Tanach (the entire Old Testament for a lot of Christians) and the Talmud (oral Torah, although written copies are available).Einstein wrote "Bible", specifically. Childish legends. His words, not mine. Word salads won't let what Einstein wrote disappear.

Not answering again. Where, exactly, did Einstein state that atheism is "unscientific"? Were you telling porkies about what Einstein stated, perhaps?Edited by Pressie, : No reason given.

What does it mean that God does not play dice?What does it mean that John Doe does not cheat in cards?Does it mean God must exist but not one who plays dice?Does it mean John Doe does not cheat but that he does play cards?In every case and every quote, we find that Einstein fully rejects atheism and fully subscribes to a universe maker. He is an honest scientist; he is not Dawkins.My advice is that you follow the protocol subscribed in Genesis. First nominate your preamble whether the universe is finite or infinite. Thereafter, let all you say align with your preamble. Otherwise you are winking in the dark and hoping all others are blind also.

Again, another long word salad not to answer the question. Where did Einstein say that atheism is unscientific? I think you were telling porkies.

Of porkies and word salad: Einstein rejected atheists as offensive.

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Although Einstein emphatically rejected conventional religion, he was affronted when his views were appropriated by atheists, whose lack of humility he found offensive, and once wrote. "The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility."

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Einstein was an intensely spiritual man and wrote extensively on the subject, perceiving a universe suffused with spirituality, while rejecting organized religion. 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.

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Like other great scientists he does not fit the boxes in which popular polemicists like to pigeonhole him. 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.

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Einstein’s numerous and easily found pronouncements on the issues of God, faith and religion have revealed him to be the sort of peculiar hybrid not uncommon in scientific fields. No atheist, Einstein nevertheless characterized the notion of a personal and interactive God as a prideful one. The discoveries wrought through his curious mind reminded him, always, of all he did not know, and he wrote of the superior spirit and the harmony that connected and ran through everything with a genuine sense of wonder that could be described as a rather humble agnosticism.

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In the view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able to recognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what makes me really angry is that they quote me for support of such views. (The Expanded Quotable Einstein, Princeton University Press, 2000)
My religiosity consists in a humble admiration of the infinitely superior spirit that reveals itself in the little that we, with our weak and transitory understanding, can comprehend of reality. (The Human Side, Princeton University Press)

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http://www.barefootsworld.net/einsteinnote.html

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Again, where did Einstein say that atheism was "unscientific"? Were you telling porkies? Can't you answer the question? I think you were called for what you are. A porkie-teller of note.I hope you know that the words "offensive" and "unscientific" have vastly different meanings?

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I hope you know that the words "offensive" and "unscientific" have vastly different meanings?

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They can have different meanings; but not so in this context with Einstein. Here, it means he rejects that view; and yes, he is directing it as a scientific pointer no less. He is saying without any word salad that as a scientist he does not accept atheism.Respct the man and cease applying it to him - his request, not mine.