Question
This is not exactly related to the questoin but well to a comment you make that Albert Einstein did believe in God.I am not too sure about this myself but recently I came across this article in The News, Lahore which quoted an excerpt from an article written by Einstein some 15 years before his death.It left me with the impression that he didn’t really believe in God.I am copy/pasting the link and the excerpt below.This might appear trivial but I thought I would just let you know… “Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that man is here for the sake of other men — above all for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends, and also for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellow-men, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received. My peace of mind of often troubled by the depressing sense that I have borrowed too heavily from the work of other men. “The ideals which have always shone before me and filled me with the joy of living are goodness, beauty, and truth. To make a goal of comfort or happiness have never appealed to me; a system of ethics built on this basis would be sufficient only for a herd of cattle. Possession, outward success, publicity, luxury to me have always been contemptible. I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best both for the body and the mind. My passionate interest in social justice and social responsibility has always stood in curious contrast to a marked lack of desire for direct association with men and women. I am a horse for single harness, not cut out for tandem or team work. I have never belonged wholeheartedly to country or state, to my circle of friends, or even to my own family. These ties have always been accompanied by a vague aloofness, and the wish to withdrew into myself increases with the years. Such isolation is sometimes bitter, but I do not regret being cut off from the understanding and sympathy of other men. I lose something by it, to be sure, but I am compensated for it being rendered independent of the customs, opinions, and prejudices of others, and am not tempted to rest my peace of mind upon such shifting foundations. My political ideal is democracy. Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one idolized… The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes and ears closed. The insight into the mystery of life, coupled though it be with fear, has also given rise to religion. To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive form — this knowledge, this feeling, is at the center of true religiousness, and in this sense only, I belong in the ranks of devoutly religious men. I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after his own — a God, in short, 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 of ridiculous egotism.” http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/mar2005-weekly/nos-13-03-2005/lit.htm Thanks,
Answer
Albert Einstein may have not had the same concept of God as you or I do, however, his statements do represent him as a believer in some sort of God. He belonged to a Jewish family and invoked God in several of his writings. The point of mentioning Einstein was not to appeal to authority but rather to make apparent that personal “logic” leads different men to different beliefs. Again this is not merely an issue of logic but the observation, intellect and willingness to open one’s spirit. The article you have provided does not contradict Einstein’s belief in God. It actually reinforces this belief. The splendor of the universe and all our surroundings is a testament to God. The rest of what he says should not be taken as his atheistic approach but rather his rejection of the concept of a “personal God.” This can be seen from the following quote:
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.
Two other statements that he made brings us to the conclusion of his belief in God; even if he was a deist:
I believe in Spinoza’s God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with fates and actions of human beings.
God does not play dice (with the universe)
Whatever his concepts were it is obvious that Einstein had some sort of faith in God, maybe not a Judeo-Christian-Islamic God, but nevertheless God.
I hope I have clarified the issue.
God knows best.
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