Einstein and faith (Re: we need Creationism as an alternative in public schools) - talk.atheism

Message from discussion Einstein and faith (Re: we need Creationism as an alternative in public schools)

James J. Lippard

More options Oct 2 1997, 3:00 am

Newsgroups: alt.atheism, talk.atheism, sci.skeptic, alt.philosophy.debate

From: lipp...@primenet.com (James J. Lippard)

Date: 1997/10/02

Subject: Re: Einstein and faith (Re: we need Creationism as an alternative in public schools)

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In article <34320475....@erols.com>, Rev Chuck <cd...@erols.com> wrote:

>Einstein was a theoretical physicist, a violinist, a fly fisherman,
>a humanitarian, and an ardent supporter of Zionism. We hear much about
>his writings in the first case, surprisingly little about him in regards
>to the second and third (contrary to the public's need to stereotype him
>as being inept at practical matters, he good at the fiddle and remarkably
>skilled with the fishing rod), and quite a bit in reference to the fourth
>and fifth; Einstein was hoped by many to become the first president of
>Israel, an offer he graciously turned down.

>As per his religious beliefs, if there _were_ any, he spoke not of them.
>He spoke more of the "mysteries of science". His personal beliefs when
>he was alive would best be classified as reconstructionist Jewish
>agnosticism. You not know anything, except by what your eyes and your mind
>can tell you.

>What his beliefs were after he died, well, thanks, but no thanks, to the
>xian revisionists who've spent the thankless effort trying to contact the
>dead Mr. Einstein, but I seriously doubt they underwent any great changes.

Here's a message I just posted recently to the ex-tian mailing list:

Date: Tue, 30 Sep 1997 19:01:48 -0700 (MST)
From: "James J. Lippard" <lipp...@primenet.com>
Subject: Einstein's views (was Re: World Religions)
In-Reply-To: <19971001005335.AAA19293@stauffer>
Message-ID: <Pine.BSI.3.96.970930185217.24657B-100000@usr07.primenet.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

The current issue of _Skeptic_ magazine, available at Barnes & Noble,
publishes for the first time two complete letters from Einstein regarding
his religious views (pp. 62-64, in the article "Einstein's God" by Michael
R. Gilmore).

Here's the text of both letters. The article also includes many other
quotes and commentary, plus a letter from the person Einstein was
corresponding with, Ensign Guy H. Raner of the U.S.S. Bougainville.

The first letter is dated July 2nd, 1945 and reads:

Dear Mr. Raner:

I received your letter of June 10th. I have never talked
to a Jesuit priest in my life and I am astonished by the audacity
to tell such lies about me.
From the viewpoint of a Jesuit priest I am, of course, and have
always been an atheist. Your counter-arguments seem to me very
correct and could hardly be better formulated. It is always
misleading to use anthropomorphical concepts in dealing with
things outside the human sphere--childish analogies. We have to
admire in humility the beautiful harmony of the structure of the
world--as far was we can grasp it, and that is all.

With best wishes,
yours sincerely,

Albert Einstein

The second letter is dated September 28, 1949 and reads:

Dear Mr. Raner:

I see with pleasure from your letter of the 25th that your
convictions are near to my own. Trusting your sound judgment
I authorize you to use my letter of July 1945 as you see fit.
I have repeatedly said that in my opinion the idea of a
personal God is 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 in youth. I prefer
an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our
intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being.

Sincerely yours,

Albert Einstein

In 1992, a summary of this correspondence was published in _Nature_
(Raner, G.H. and Lerner, L.S., "Einstein's Beliefs," _Nature_ 358:102),
but the publication in _Skeptic_ is the first time the letters themselves
have been published.

Jim Lippard lippard@(primenet.com ediacara.org skeptic.com)
Phoenix, Arizona http://www.primenet.com/~lippard/
PGP Fingerprint: B130 7BE1 18C1 AA4C 4D51 388F 6E6D 2C7A 36D3 CB4F

--
Jim Lippard lippard@(primenet.com ediacara.org skeptic.com)
Phoenix, Arizona http://www.primenet.com/~lippard/
PGP Fingerprint: B130 7BE1 18C1 AA4C 4D51 388F 6E6D 2C7A 36D3 CB4F

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