Belief in God 'childish,' Jews not chosen people: Einstein letter

Belief in God 'childish,' Jews not chosen people: Einstein letter

www.breitbart.com

Albert Einstein described belief in God as "childish superstition" and said Jews were not the chosen people, in a letter to be sold in London this week, an auctioneer said Tuesday.

The father of relativity, whose previously known views on religion have been more ambivalent and fuelled much discussion, made the comments in response to a philosopher in 1954.

As a Jew himself, Einstein said he had a great affinity with Jewish people but said they "have no different quality for me than all other people".

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Wow.

This man never ceases to amaze me. To make such a controversial comment on two powerful and related subjects with such logical ease and at the same to suggesting how divisive certain aspects of religion have been especially in terms of a "chosen people" (which he would himself have been) shows just how much of a maverick he really was.

Is he wrong?

- Lee



www.breitbart.com
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Originally posted by lee anoma


Is he wrong?

- Lee



www.breitbart.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Well, I can tell you this much with absolute certainty. Either way, he found out a little less than a year and a half later.

As for my stance, lets just say that for his sake, I hope that he changed his stance in the meantime.

I agree. God is a childish superstition. If I could I would outlaw all the worlds major religions. They are what holds us back from advancing to a more utopian scientific future.

I saw a great bumper sticker the other day which I totally agree with it read: "God is your imaginary friend."

Obviously God and gods were simply beings with advanced technology. If we were to show our tech to cavemen, they would worship us as gods.

[edit on (5/13/08) by AllSeeingI]

Originally posted by AllSeeingI
They are what holds us back from advancing to a more utopian scientific future.

Tell me just how you are held back? If Utopia means Anarchy then yes, you are correct.

Well, you guys can flame me all you want for my opinion, but I've held the same opinion as Einstein ever since I was able to form an opinion.

Religion to me seems like a childish club.
It takes all of a child's fears and desires, and pools them into one collective group.

Essentially the reason religion is so contagious is because is caters to our most primitive desires and fears.

Not to mention, they make you fearful of the consequences of leaving that religion.


Realistically, if there is an all seeing all powerful god... he would grant access to a "heaven" to anyone who does the right thing for the sake of it being right... not because they desire for heaven for their own selfish needs.


Imagine if you died, and a powerful being asked you "why did you strive to do the right thing?", you answer "Because I want to go to heaven", and he tells you thats self centered, you're going to hell.

Meanwhile the agnostic walks up, and answers "I did the right thing for their sake, not mine." and is immediately permitted in.


And he certainly wouldn't want people in there who exclude others for having a differing point of view.


Like I said though, this is my opinion.

Spirituality is fine, but when you start segmenting the population into little exclusionary groups, it becomes a problem.

If you really believe in your god, you don't need religion for enforcement.

Bah! I can't believe you beat me by a minute! A minute!! I knew I shouldn't have typed that last thought in my thread

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Me personally I'm agnostic, been brought up catholic, but quickly realized that the organized religions were bunk. I believe in a higher being, keeping in mind that that higher being may just be an advanced race that created 'us'. However what created them?

Science has always tried to push god aside in the past, now however, it seems science may be proving the existence of god thru the study of quantum mechanics, spooky entanglement and the likes. Why should us 'looking' at an object change its behavior or future outcome? Are we in fact 'mini gods' as well? Do we have omnipresence?


[edit on 13-5-2008 by battlestargalactica]

It just goes to show you that Einstein was not always correct, just like some of his other theories.

I do not believe in God as it is written in the bible as it has been changed from time to time. I do however Believe that the God referenced in the Bible and Bibles of the World is the one and the same Creator.

Science cannot prove of disprove God because there is no anwser. That is the point in our lives to figure out. What path we would take. How knowledgeable we would become in our existance.

Everything That is Created gets Destroyed but is never lost so thus it would be reborn. The art of Prayer is to send out energy into the world and get a response. You try praying and see what happens. Something WILL happen, but it will happen for our mind and not our logical mind. Our Physical mind reasons in symbolic ways and everything is not what it seems. I know I have A Spirit, a Mind, and a body.

And again with creators, they create much before they create their masterpiece.

We Humans Were the Creators Masterpiece.

reply to post by WhatTheory


You say that as if anything here has been proven beyond any doubt, or really proven at all. Scientifically the existence of heaven an hell, of god and angels does not hold up, however like I stated, we don't know everything. Let's not get the bible thumpers espousing any of their mantra in here.

This has been the problem and why agnosticism and atheism and alternative 'religious' views have become so prevalent of late. People are starting to think more rationally than in the past. Why? Because we have progressed, no longer held back by the fear that the mere fact that if one does not worship god, that they would go to hell.

Let's focus on a discussion, both scientific (quantum mechanics and science realm) as well as spiritual (afterlife, what are ghosts, whats the soul etc) rather than the views like: einstein was wrong or right or that God smited him for writing the letter.

Originally posted by jbondo
Tell me just how you are held back? If Utopia means Anarchy then yes, you are correct.

You equate God with Order? If so thats quite the joke.

BTW exactly who's GOD are we talking about. We know that the different Gods of different Religions have different expectations.

While Einstein could provide mathematical support for his theories in physics, so far as we know, he left no mathematical support for his religious beliefs.

I doesn't matter anyway. People believe in God and practice their religions based on faith, not facts.

There is no way that religion can be legislated against.

The Russian Orthodox Church thrived even in the Soviet Union where religion was outlawed.

At any rate, Einstein's opinion of religion without the math, is worth no more than anyone's opinion.

Originally posted by WhatTheory
It just goes to show you that Einstein was not always correct, just like some of his other theories.

What?


How does this show that he was not always correct? Do you have objective proof of something you woudl like to share with us?


Man I can't stand the polemics that are thrown around by people who believe in fairy tales, condeming those who don't.

reply to post by WhatTheory


Hmmm

who's to say he's NOT correct?

Any belief system is just that - BELIEF.

Not right or wrong, it's about faith.

He had faith that he was right.

You, apparently have faith that he was wrong.

Are you saying that your BELIEF has more merit than someone else's?

If we are a creator's masterpiece, he must be one god awful creator. We are far from perfect, and far from being called a "masterpiece."

And if there is a creator, who created him/her? And for whoever created our creator, who created that creator? It could go on and on and on and on and on forever.

It's best just to realize religion is bunk and god is just your imaginary friend that you use to make yourself feel better. Like George Carlin says "It's all bull# folks, and it's bad for ya."

[edit on 13-5-2008 by Double Eights]

reply to post by johnsky


If I were to attack you for your beliefs that wouldn't make me a very good Christian. However, none of what you say is true of me. Furthermore you should take a crack at reading the Bible and understanding it prior to casting assumptions.

Realistically, if there is an all seeing all powerful god... he would grant access to a "heaven" to anyone who does the right thing for the sake of it being right... not because they desire for heaven for their own selfish needs.

Realistically to you is what you're saying. So you want a big pat on the back for doing the right thing? This could be taken as selfish desire. Do you always expect something in return for what you do or give to others? I'm talking right down to a "thank you".

Imagine if you died, and a powerful being asked you "why did you strive to do the right thing?", you answer "Because I want to go to heaven", and he tells you thats self centered, you're going to hell.

It's a good thing you said "imagine" because that's what I'd have to chalk this statement up as. Again you a forcing God to exist (if He does) in your own personal will or mindset. You either accept Jesus or you don't, it's as simple as that.

And he certainly wouldn't want people in there who exclude others for having a differing point of view.

Here's where we are on the same page, I agree.



[edit on 13-5-2008 by jbondo]

Originally posted by battlestargalactica
Let's focus on a discussion, both scientific (quantum mechanics and science realm) as well as spiritual (afterlife, what are ghosts, whats the soul etc) rather than the views like: einstein was wrong or right or that God smited him for writing the letter.

Or how about I focus on what I want.
And it is that simple, either you believe or you do not. Simple really.

Originally posted by vor78
As for my stance, lets just say that for his sake, I hope that he changed his stance in the meantime.

Personally I do believe there is a higher power, although not easily defined and embarrassingly worshiped. I feel the bible is a collection of stories repackaged and given religious significance by the authors or I should say the "winners". To be in that sense he is right. The way we "choose" to believe in God is pretty childish.

A Jew saying that Jews "have no different quality for me than all other people" in terms of them being chosen, to me is ironically almost a very divine personal attitude to have. It is a way of thinking I strive to maintain in a world that almost seems designed to make you inevitably discriminate against and/or despise other groups, religions, political partys...etc.

Is that not how a God should view its creations?
As equal and not entitled to any more or less than their brothers?

Hell, remove God from the equation all together and his notion still sounds like something that should be fundamentally human.

I don't know...

- Lee

Originally posted by Quazga
Man I can't stand the polemics that are thrown around by people who believe in fairy tales, condeming those who don't.

What?
How did I condem you? Oh right, I did not so please keep your sly silly comments to yourself.
Its all about what you believe, just like the fairy tale regarding man-made global warming.

Exactly Einsteins opinion is just that---an opinion. However we can glean some insight into the matter by asking questions like "what causes entanglement (this is where 2 particles exchange information instantaneously with each other at any distance)" Entanglement should not be happening, it breaks our limited understanding of physics laws, instantaneous means faster than light.

Also, if you look at the global consciousness project, this too should not be happening. Mass thought should not affect anything (with our understanding), yet IT DOES. Or at least it can be registered and recorded as list in the above project. Call it 'prayer' if you want, but mass thought or even individual thought can affect our reality, this isn't science fiction. Can this positive thought affecting the outcome be construed as prayer to god helping us out? I believe it can.