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

[Shogun]

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".

"The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, 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," he wrote in the letter written on January 3, 1954 to the philosopher Eric Gutkind, cited by The Guardian newspaper.

The German-language letter is being sold Thursday by Bloomsbury Auctions in Mayfair after being in a private collection for more than 50 years, said the auction house's managing director Rupert Powell.

In it, the renowned scientist, who declined an invitation to become Israel's second president, rejected the idea that the Jews are God's chosen people.

"For me the Jewish religion like all others is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions," he said.

"And 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."

And he added: "As far as my experience goes, they are 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."

Previously the great scientist's comments on religion -- such as "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind" -- have been the subject of much debate, used notably to back up arguments in favour of faith.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080513122249.m3ds3b6j&show_article=1

 

[LOki]

HAHA! Way to go...Einstein.

 

[midcan5]

That's because we Puerto Rican Austrian Americans are the chosen people, you didn't know that?

 

[jillian]

That's because we Puerto Rican Austrian Americans are the chosen people, you didn't know that?

lol... good. you take over.

 

[mattskramer]

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".

"The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, 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," he wrote in the letter written on January 3, 1954 to the philosopher Eric Gutkind, cited by The Guardian newspaper.

The German-language letter is being sold Thursday by Bloomsbury Auctions in Mayfair after being in a private collection for more than 50 years, said the auction house's managing director Rupert Powell.

In it, the renowned scientist, who declined an invitation to become Israel's second president, rejected the idea that the Jews are God's chosen people.

"For me the Jewish religion like all others is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions," he said.

"And 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."

And he added: "As far as my experience goes, they are 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."

Previously the great scientist's comments on religion -- such as "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind" -- have been the subject of much debate, used notably to back up arguments in favour of faith.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080513122249.m3ds3b6j&show_article=1

That is a neat thread but there are also scientists who believe in Jesus Christ. Appealing to “authority” does not prove anything one way or the other. Einstein might be right on science and wrong on theology.

 

[Shogun]

Im not suggesting that Einstein's views proved anything. But, I do find his words richer than any confection i've had in a while. I absolutely agree with both points he made.

 

[jillian]

Of course you liked it...

but Einstein said a lot of things about religion, not just AGAINST judaism:

so it's not so much that he didn't believe in spirituality, it's just he didn't believe in a personal G-d.

The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend personal God and avoid dogma and theology. Covering both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things natural and spiritual as a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description. If there is any religion that could cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism. (Albert Einstein)

It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it. (Albert Einstein, 1954, The Human Side, edited by Helen Dukas and Banesh Hoffman, Princeton University Press)

Scientific research is based on the idea that everything that takes place is determined by laws of nature, and therefore this holds for the action of people. For this reason, a research scientist will hardly be inclined to believe that events could be influenced by a prayer, i.e. by a wish addressed to a Supernatural Being.
(Albert Einstein, 1936, The Human Side. Responding to a child who wrote and asked if scientists pray.)

A man's ethical behaviour should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.
(Albert Einstein, "Religion and Science", New York Times Magazine, 9 November 1930)

I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures, or has a will of the kind that we experience in ourselves. Neither can I nor would I want to conceive of an individual that survives his physical death; let feeble souls, from fear or absurd egoism, cherish such thoughts. I am satisfied with the mystery of the eternity of life and with the awareness and a glimpse of the marvelous structure of the existing world, together with the devoted striving to comprehend a portion, be it ever so tiny, of the Reason that manifests itself in nature. (Albert Einstein, The World as I See It)

I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotisms.
(Albert Einstein, Obituary in New York Times, 19 April 1955)

http://www.spaceandmotion.com/albert-einstein-god-religion-theology.htm

 

[Shogun]

wrap it up in whatever package you want to receive it, yo. Seems to me he was referring to being religous about science rather than validating any kind of higher supernatural power. Science does not test "childish superstitions", you see.

oh, and his opinion of the chosen status of jews is quite antisemitic, wouldn't you say?

 

[AllieBaba]

Didn't Einstein have an affair with his niece? (Or was that Hitler? I can't remember, lol).

Despite his gifted abilities in some areas, I'd hardly consider him an expert in matters of humanity, God, etc.

 

[Care4all]

I was always taught that the reason the Jewish were called God's "Chosen People" is because they were ''Chosen to be the keepers of the Word of God''...and Christians, were "grafted unto their tree" thus are part of their family....hahahahahahaha....of course I am not certain the Jews accept this grafting of Christians in to their family tree, but basically all of this was meant to be talking about the Spiritual and not the physical....

Care

 

[AllieBaba]

The Jews were God's chosen people and still are. But (this is a Christian precept, of course) because they turned their backs on God repeatedly, were sort of set upon a shelf until end days. In the meantime, God has given everyone the opportunity to be among the chosen through Christ.

 

[Jeepers]

Didn't Einstein have an affair with his niece? (Or was that Hitler? I can't remember, lol).

Despite his gifted abilities in some areas, I'd hardly consider him an expert in matters of humanity, God, etc.

He was actually well authored in the social humanities area.. I found his readings dull and irrelevant but, he did have enough creds to appear in a poly sci class or five of mine...

 

[doeton]

it's ironic that einstein's a belief that belief in god was childish may have stopped him from seeing what his own theory's predicted for the nature of the universe. that being the his theories supported an expanding universe and yet he was determined to believe the universe was static since to believe otherwise meant it had a beginning...

 

[frazzledgear]

wrap it up in whatever package you want to receive it, yo. Seems to me he was referring to being religous about science rather than validating any kind of higher supernatural power. Science does not test "childish superstitions", you see.

oh, and his opinion of the chosen status of jews is quite antisemitic, wouldn't you say?

Expertise in one's non-religious occupation doesn't result in anyone being an expert in theology -or ANYTHING else. I'm pretty sure you would understand that if I offered the names of many well-known scientists and mathematicians who are quite skilled and knowledgable in their own scientific fields -but who have commented (with far greater personal conviction) about their belief in God compared with the more ambiguous words over time from Einstein on the subject. Do you also think the opinions of Hollywood stars about politics, economics and international diplomacy are somehow more valuable because they are very skilled at pretending to be someone else in a movie? ROFL

If Einstein thought individual Jews would all have some kind of superior trait of personality as one of God's Chosen People, have a holy sign over their head at least visible to another Jew if not everyone else, only words of great wisdom coming from the mouth of every individual Jew, possess unique traits of character and personality unseen in any other group -then he was sadly misinformed and his religious education lacking.

God warned Jews that because God set them apart from all other men in HIS eyes, that fact ALONE is what would cause other men to envy and despise them -not that the designation suddenly endowed every individual Jew with a certain unique trait, quality of character or some kind of special holy sign etc. recognizable by all other humans as one possessed by every single Jew -but no others. So why would Einstein even have expected to find such differences between a Jew and anyone else anyway?

There is only one consistent difference between a Jew and someone else. One is Jewish and one is not -period. And that difference alone is what caused and still causes other human beings to set them apart. All possible variations and combinations of character and personality exist among all people and are not owned by just one group of people anywhere. Einstein's personal opinion was apparently based on the fact he was unable to distinguish some kind of unique quality possessed only by Jews and no others -but neither can anyone else which is probably why Hitler forced Jews to wear the star of David in order to do just that, huh.

I'm surprised Einstein just wasn't smart enough to figure that one out. Goes to show being smart in one particular area sure doesn't make you equally smart about anything else.

I hope you aren't under the impression that Einstein's misinformed personal opinion somehow nullifies an entire religion! LOL The Jews will always be God's Chosen People -whether Einstein PERSONALLY agreed or not is entirely irrelevant.

 

[AllieBaba]

You hit the nail on the head.

 

[Shogun]

Feel free to BELIEVE what you want since, at the end of the day, those of a scientific mind step beyond the trite mythology again and again. And, since we see the burning bush excuse used to this very day to rationalize apartheid walls, state based discrimination and the zionism involved throughout, you can spare me your hot air lecture on what constitutes jewery or not. Einstein made a valid point about the so called "chosen" status of one ethnicity over another. Indeed, the iconic brainiac makes a solid point about the root of dogma too. Deal with it.



put that on your ghost in the sky holy book and thump it.

 

[AllieBaba]

Hold the book in front of your nose and I will...

 

[Eightball]

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".

"The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, 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," he wrote in the letter written on January 3, 1954 to the philosopher Eric Gutkind, cited by The Guardian newspaper.

The German-language letter is being sold Thursday by Bloomsbury Auctions in Mayfair after being in a private collection for more than 50 years, said the auction house's managing director Rupert Powell.

In it, the renowned scientist, who declined an invitation to become Israel's second president, rejected the idea that the Jews are God's chosen people.

"For me the Jewish religion like all others is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions," he said.

"And 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."

And he added: "As far as my experience goes, they are 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."

Previously the great scientist's comments on religion -- such as "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind" -- have been the subject of much debate, used notably to back up arguments in favour of faith.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080513122249.m3ds3b6j&show_article=1

Your argument isn't new, just a rehash.........Intellectuals or intellectualism trumps faith, or religious belief in a "higher power".


You just repackaged your agnosticism or atheism.

Einstein was an incredible thinker/scientist. He contributed incredibly to our understanding of nuclear physics.

Just remember that Einstein never claimed to be a formost theologian, but you have given him that accolade to support your obvious anti-Christian bent.

In fact most of your posts in the Message board are basic "slams" to the Christian faith......

Now you use Einstein as your support. How pitiful, and desperate.

How about we use Pastor Franklin Graham (Billy Graham's son) to critique nuclear physics..............wouldn't that make sense? In your paradigm it would.

So Einstein is your "straw man" for supporting anti-Christian pot-shots. You just revealed the depth of your intelligence and systematic method of critique; skewed, biased, weak, shallow, and predictable.

"Tiny Tim makes profound statement on "black holes"!

"Jay Leno" says Mollusks are all edible"!

"Agnostic.......famous Nuclear Physicist, Albert Einstein debunks Christianity."

Interesting how the bible says that the vain and self agrandized intellects of the times will make fools of themselves, speculating about the existence or non-existence of God or a Creator. Romans Chapter 1.

 

[Shogun]

and yet, had he said the opposite you'd be on here brandishing his quotes with the same vigor. Funny how that works, eh?


Where is your "lot's of scientists are believers" excuse now, buddy? And, while you are looking for something beyond sputtering excuses for your beliefs feel free to post an experiment using your faith so we can get the bullshit ID issue out of the way too.


I wouldn't be slinging mud as someone else's intellegence, christian. Some of us require a tad bit more than recycled myths and cultish dogma to describe real life. When you bring your own Arron's rod to the table then talk to me about which of us is the weak minded fool.


your bible also says that a burning bush allowed moses to rape canaan too. so much for the wisdom of your batshit crazy holy book, thumper

 

[Eightball]

and yet, had he said the opposite you'd be on here brandishing his quotes with the same vigor. Funny how that works, eh?


Where is your "lot's of scientists are believers" excuse now, buddy? And, while you are looking for something beyond sputtering excuses for your beliefs feel free to post an experiment using your faith so we can get the bullshit ID issue out of the way too.


I wouldn't be slinging mud as someone else's intellegence, christian. Some of us require a tad bit more than recycled myths and cultish dogma to describe real life. When you bring your own Arron's rod to the table then talk to me about which of us is the weak minded fool.


your bible also says that a burning bush allowed moses to rape canaan too. so much for the wisdom of your batshit crazy holy book, thumper

You have a lot to say, for one with no hope.