Who said Einstein beleived in God?

Who were the ones McCarthy accused or named? At the Army hearings, Sen. Welch forced McCarthy to name aleged commies.

 

No, no, no. I asked how many historians agree with the views of book you mentioned.

 

Well, there's Jay.

And...

Well, there's Jay...

 

Well the only thing between you and wikipedia is air and opportunity. Whoosh! There went the air.

 

What exactly is intellectual about pawning everything off on a creator?
"Hey guys how about we look at all the evidence?"
"Meh ... naaaah .. let's just say we know even though we don't really know ... let's go with .... hmmm ... intelligent design .. yessss"

You're pretty much citing Lee Strobel buddy I read that book (Case for a Creator ... some decent points. .. but definitely not objective and it was most apparent at the end when it made its case for Christianity)

And who created the creator?

Up til the part in bold it was feasible. The chances of other life in this huge universe are definitely possible, and perhaps some of it is more advanced than our own.

Exactly. I for one think it's better to either say:

1) I don't really know (agnostic)
2) Let's look at the scientific evidence; which clearly shows how SOME species have evolved



I for one am glad that it's finally clear Einstein was not some blind follower. Religion has been the cause of more bad than good IMO, and it really does not serve a real and "good" purpose (morals & ethics exist outside of it).

Thomas Jefferson didn't believe in a god either, in fact, Atheists still account for several hundred million of the worlds population, chances are a lot of our politicians are atheists, they just don't say it because it would be political suicide. Obama was right when he said people cling to guns and religion.

 

I think a lot depends on what is meant by the terms agnostic, atheist and God.

As far as the God invented by man is concerned, it is obvious the Einstein was an atheist, however, seems like he was willing to accept that there is a mysterious force (for want of a better word) out there that no human being is ever likely to understand. Although definately no Einstein myself (far from it) I cannot understand why people make them selves believe in the simple religions that are (in my opinion) invented by man unless it stems from inherent fear. And then again, why is there this inherent fear in man?

BTW, although not a fan of Obama's I also think his statement about guns and religion is true - unfortunately .

 

That ones easy - because of the lions and tigers and bears that would eat you if you weren't careful. Fear is just a survival tool/mechanism.

 

The ones that I don't get are the seemingly intelligent, educated people, who still devoutly (blindly?) follow a religion.

 

Once we become aware of our own mortality, our ego demands that we create some form of afterlife. We refuse to accept the notion that, at some time, we will cease to exist.

 

FWIW - my girlfriend believes you are "exactly right"

 

What I don't get are seemingly bright people that can't accept that others might have come to a different conclusion than them. Someone recently posted that religion has done more bad than good, or something to that effect. I submit that intolerance of others ideas and the supposition that others are wrong or inferior is a far more accurate assumption.

 

agreed.

I'll admit a tendency to prejudice towards religious people, this city/state has only made that worse.

 

93.2% of all wars ever fought were were justified on religious grounds before the emergence of the nation-state. Lots of them still are. The separation of church and state is a relatively newfangled concept rejected as heresy by most major religions except Christianity.

Not saying it's bad but what good has it done?

 

Most , if not all wars have been justified because one side or the other considered themselves or their ideas to be superior or the othe side to be inherently inferior. In the last century, German master race, Japanese emperor was divine so ya gotta figure some sense of superiority, US in Viet Nam, Iraq superior ideology...Islamic extremists - superior ideology. Crusades - our religion is better than yours. Islam was guilty of the same. Ghengis Khan - I'm a badder bad ass than you. Romans. and so on.

 

I'm not going to say that all religions are like the Baptist faith that I was raised in however, to me it has always seemed rather egotistical to hear people in my own church tell someone else that that person was going to hell because they weren't Baptist. What arrogance coming from a faith that can't even prove that what they believe is the truth.

 

what faith can?

 

Who cares?

He's dead.

 

So is R.A.Heinlein, so get rid of your unimportant sig...

 

That'd be the 6.8% when wars got more efficient.

I'm not saying religion is evil, just that for most of history it was the default organization above a tribal/clan level (including Hirohito). If you attacked people with the same beliefs it'd be more a rebellion than war.

Faith equals not having proof. Sure it seems arrogant but what religion could survive without requiring conversion?

 

wait....
In a 1950 letter to M. Berkowitz, Einstein stated that "My position concerning God is that of an agnostic. I am convinced that a vivid consciousness of the primary importance of moral principles for the betterment and ennoblement of life does not need the idea of a law-giver, especially a law-giver who works on the basis of reward and punishment." Einstein also stated: "I have repeatedly said that in my opinion the idea of a personal Godis a childlike one. You may call me an agnostic, but I do not share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in youth."
He is reported to have said in a conversation with Hubertus, Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg "In 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 really makes me angry is that they quote me for the support of such views." (taken from Wikipedia: Albert Einstine)

I dont get it... he doesn't really belive in God, but he wont back the athiests?
Anyway... who cares! He was just a physicist (a damn good one); i think "the father of relativity" should have just said, its all relative and gotten back to work.