Letter up for auction reveals Einstein's views on 'childish' religion
> Do you agree with Einstein's views on religion and God?
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
LONDON — Albert Einstein: arch rationalist or scientist with a spiritual core?
A letter being auctioned in London this week adds more fuel to the long-simmering debate about the Nobel prize-winning physicist's religious views. 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."
Extras
The letter, handwritten in German, is being sold by Bloomsbury Auctions on Thursday and is expected to fetch between $12,000 and $16,000.
Einstein, who helped unravel the mysteries of the universe with his theory of relativity, expressed complex and arguably contradictory views on faith, perceiving a universe suffused with spirituality while rejecting organized religion.
The letter up for sale, written to philosopher Eric Gutkind in January 1954, suggests his views on religion did not mellow with age.
In it, Einstein said that "the word 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."
"For me," he added, "the Jewish religion like all other religions is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions."
Addressing the idea that the Jews are God's chosen people, Einstein wrote that "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 also 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."
Bloomsbury spokesman Richard Caton said the auction house was "100 percent certain" of the letter's authenticity. It is being offered at auction for the first time, by a private vendor.
John Brooke, emeritus professor of science and religion at Oxford University, said the letter lends weight to the notion that "Einstein was not a conventional theist" — although he was not an atheist, either.
"Like many great scientists of the past, he is rather quirky about religion, and not always consistent from one period to another," Brooke said.
Born to a Jewish family in Germany in 1879, Einstein said he went through a devout phase as a child before beginning to question conventional religion at the age of 12.
In later life, he expressed a sense of wonder at the universe and its mysteries — what he called a "cosmic religious feeling" — and famously said: "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."
But, 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."
Brooke said Einstein believed that "there is some kind of intelligence working its way through nature. But it is certainly not a conventional Christian or Judaic religious view."
Einstein's most famous legacy is the special theory of relativity, which makes the point that a large amount of energy could be released from a tiny amount of matter, as expressed in the equation E=MC2 (energy equals mass times the speed of light squared). The theory changed the face of physics, allowing scientists to make predictions about space and paving the way for nuclear power and the atomic bomb.
Einstein's musings on science, war, peace and God helped make him world famous, and his scientific legacy prompted Time magazine to name him its Person of the 20th Century.
Comments
By Ash
May 27, 2008 9:08 PM | Link to this
Gordon, what is your proof that “later on in his life Einstein realized his error”? I believe later on in his life he 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.”
Check your facts and your reading comprehensions skills before u post nonsense
By GodSed
May 19, 2008 6:40 PM | Link to this
The comments from the religious peanut gallery are funny. They are either an appeal to authority (God, my own experience) or ad hominem. See religious beliefs have no basis in fact and try as one might it always falls back on mystery, and god-of-the-gaps. Attack Einstein all you want for being a nerd but the smarter you are the more likely it is that you will realize what a crock of sh-t religion is.
By keeping it real
May 16, 2008 2:40 PM | Link to this
Hiding out??? come on Jerry…God and Jesus do not “hide out”. Jesus has been spotted in clouds, grilled cheese sandwiches, on the side of a mug of hot chocolate and numerous other places!!!
As for the cyclone…Myanmar is 85% Buddhist—oh God of infinite love just punished them for worshipping someone else.
And to update the story…this letter just sold for $400,000…apparently someone thought the “religion is childish” view was pretty valuable.
By Jerry
May 15, 2008 4:27 PM | Link to this
Another thing, if god is real, why play the game of hiding out? Why doesn’t he or she just contact people directly to just give the people that don’t believe peace of mind. Where else in the world would anyone believe in something so far-fetched and outrageously crazy? We are taught to not trust strangers, yet we’re supposed to take a 2nd mortgage out and bet on the fact that there’s a god? We’re supposed to put our life in “his hands”? How’d that work out for those poor people in Myannmar?
By Jerry
May 15, 2008 4:22 PM | Link to this
“keeping it real”… I agree with you whole-heartedly. If someone lives through a car crash, they say “God got me through it”, but when tens of thousands of people die in a typhoon, a hurrican, a cyclone, or an earthquake those same people say that “God has a reason”. Someone please tell me what the reason could possibly be to kill all those people!! What’s the lesson to be learned for society?
By Matt F
May 14, 2008 8:52 PM | Link to this
Faith is believing in something that is clearly for some not true. Einstein was of course right and right on. Believers will continue to believe because they are not rational. Religion as was stated earlier is truly the bane of humanity. But this is America so we must remember to respect each other regardless of religious beliefs. To those of you who are Supers, that’s fine, but trying to make laws and start wars based on your “primitive legends” most be stopped.
By Gordon
May 14, 2008 3:07 PM | Link to this
Later in life Einstein claimed that his introduction of the cosmological constant was his greatest blunder. It was initially added to his equations so as to avoid the implication that the universe had a definitive beginning point at time = zero which would have provided strong supporting evidence in favor of a creator of the universe. Later in life he realized his error.
I agree more with Einstein’s final beliefs which were in contradiction to his earlier statement about childish religion.
By keeping it real
May 14, 2008 11:26 AM | Link to this
ben, ben, ben…”believing” in something because of fear of the alternative is not true belief. God sees your skepticism and your “I am just looking out for my own best interests” mindset and will reward you justly.
By keeping it real
May 14, 2008 11:21 AM | Link to this
why not contribute further to my own “damnation” by asking why you religious people don’t realize that prayer is worthless and pointless? When someone dies (despite tons of prayers), they chalk it up to “well, it was God’s will”. So, if God is going to do what he/she wants anyway, why bother praying about anything?
God gets all the credit for everything good that happens, and shoulders no blame for anything negative—pretty sweet deal you got there, Santa in the sky.
By Ben
May 14, 2008 11:15 AM | Link to this
At very least you were smart enough to admit that there is indeed a God in your “God sucks” comment, so there is hope for you.
I’d rather go through life believing there is a God and find out there isn’t, than to go through life believing there isn’t a God and find out there is. The rewards are far greater and far less horrifying than the consequenches…You choose.
By Bob
May 14, 2008 11:09 AM | Link to this
I bet Einstein has changed his mind since he has now met Jesus Christ!!!
By carly
May 14, 2008 9:59 AM | Link to this
you know, it is interesting that the words “just believe” have caused so much conflict through the years. don’t you think that there might be something powerful in belief that would make it such an issue for you? It might be that you may actually find eternal life. Would that be worth it?
By Doco
May 14, 2008 9:55 AM | Link to this
It sounds like Einstein was confused about God, as we all are. Nobody knows or ever will in this life. So I do agree with him in that I don’t know. That being said, God (real or not) gives people hope and confidence in who they are and why they are here. That combined with the love thy neighbor message are good things and important to society.
By jehu
May 14, 2008 9:50 AM | Link to this
You know what is funny keep it real? That I used to be just like you in a less evolved state. you can’t live for yourself all your life. You are headed down a bad road to destruction. when you get there the only person that you will find laughing is the devil. He will be laughing at you and all the foolish time that you spent on forums like this adding to your own damnation. I feel bad for people like you, because you have missed the very thing that you were created for.
By Jay
May 14, 2008 9:42 AM | Link to this
Strawboss: This is true that the Catholic church did this to Galileo. They also persecuted Copernicus for his system of belief in a sun centered universe. The fact of the matter is that the Catholic church erred. God will reveal Himself and does not need man to prove him or disprove him. Obviously there were priests who were afraid of new knowledge, but I don’t really think that is the case in modern Christianity. God will be real no matter what science says. He created science laws.
By keeping it real
May 14, 2008 9:40 AM | Link to this
I was thinking the exact same thing Jerry—religious people are funny (not “ha ha” funny, or Down’s syndrome funny…but in a sad and delusional way)
By the Strawboss
May 14, 2008 9:34 AM | Link to this
I think it’s backwards to say that the pursuit of knowledge through science will lead you away from the truth. Science is the purest way to find truth, because there is no agenda. Galileo was persecuted by the church for saying the earth revolved around the sun. That just proves that people don’t really want truth, they want to preserve their own belief system, no matter how far fetched it may be.
By kathy
May 14, 2008 9:29 AM | Link to this
God has been real in my life. I have experienced God in my life and in my senses. I am not a robot that has to follow someone’s perception and question anyone who does not think for themselves. I also state that it is just as foolish to not give God a try. I have given the world a try and chosen God. If you give God a try you will find that He is the answer to all your questions and problems.
By Andy
May 14, 2008 9:27 AM | Link to this
What’s the over/under on number of posts before someone says, “Well, Einstein is dead, but Jesus is still alive!”. I give it 10.
By Jamie
May 14, 2008 9:24 AM | Link to this
Again, please do not confuse pedofile, money sucking, power hungry leeches with Christianity. Most of the ministers in todays society do not reflect the values of the Bible. They are just looking for a nice living and an easy paycheck. The truth is still the truth, so don’t let some loser preacher keep you from heaven. Unfortunately, you can’t use them as an excuse when you face God someday.
By Jerry
May 14, 2008 9:22 AM | Link to this
Why do people continue to reference Bible passages? Einstein, and many other free-thinking people of the world dispute whether the bible is even real itself, and even if it is, whether or not the words are relevant or credible, and Sylvia’s rebuttal to Einstein’s views are bible verses?!!
By billis
May 14, 2008 9:20 AM | Link to this
I don’t agree with him. I think that he had some great ideas in his life and added alot to the realm of physics. I do not believe that Albert is the all-knowing and his perception on the issue of God does not pursuade me at all, because I have a mind of my own and I don’t have to be led by the thoughts and value systems of others. God has been real in my life and I know this to be true, regardless of what Al might have thought at the time, I am sure he knows the truth by now.
By the puzzled ibex
May 14, 2008 9:19 AM | Link to this
I guess uncle Al really does know what he’s talking about, a way of pretending that all things don’t eventually end. They do.
By keeping it real
May 14, 2008 9:17 AM | Link to this
we NEED religion and people to spread the word…who else is going to fondle and sodomize our children???
By Astro
May 14, 2008 8:44 AM | Link to this
Agree with Albert? It is unwise to agree with foolish notions. His life exhibited a classic pattern: substantial faith in early life, transitional accomodational faith in manhood and a final calcified faith sythesis in late life. This path is taken by most. It’s not suprising that men of great worldly knowledge or power end their lives with a diminished, distorted faith because knowledge and power tends to deflect our minds from faith in One greater than ourselves. It’s called the big head.
By tlft2
May 14, 2008 8:10 AM | Link to this
As seen here, some of the comments are childishly judgmental and devoid of thought, thus confirming what Einstein said. I would say that religion (not spirituality) is now the bane of humanity and will contribute significantly to extinction of the species.
By Carrie
May 14, 2008 7:51 AM | Link to this
I do agree with him! Go Al!
By Sylvia
May 14, 2008 7:44 AM | Link to this
What a shame that one gifted with his genius was such a fool. Psalm 53:1 “The fool says in his heart, ‘God does not exist.’” “God, the One enthroned from long ago, will hear, and will humilate them because they do not change and do not fear God.” Ps.55:19 Rest assured, this dead man has met his Maker and now knows the Truth.
By Paul
May 14, 2008 6:55 AM | Link to this
YES~~~~I DO!!!
By papertrucker
May 14, 2008 6:35 AM | Link to this
Every body is intiled to there own opinons
By Mick
May 14, 2008 6:12 AM | Link to this
Who can explain this? Debating the religious views of a genius is about as futile as debating the existence of God. Philosophers and theologians have done it for centuries, and they will continue to do so without producing a generally accepted answer. Genius in one or even many areas does not mean genius in all areas. Many of those called genius often have absolutely no idea about how to get along with other people, or how to be successful in other areas of life.
By cootie
May 13, 2008 11:33 PM | Link to this
lame lame
By Franklin j waldemar
May 13, 2008 9:43 PM | Link to this
god sucks