How does Einsteins Theory of Relativity enhance your belief or disbelief in God?

Question

"It followed from the special theory of relativity that mass and energy are both but different manifestations of the same thing -- a somewhat unfamiliar conception for the average mind. Furthermore, the equation E is equal to m c-squared, in which energy is put equal to mass, multiplied by the square of the velocity of light, showed that very small amounts of mass may be converted into a very large amount of energy and vice versa. The mass and energy were in fact equivalent, according to the formula mentioned above. This was demonstrated by Cockcroft and Walton in 1932, experimentally."

-Albert Einstein

E=mc2

M=e/c2

C2=m/e

Peace and Love

www.aip.org/history/einstein/voice1.htm

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.
Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955), "Science, Philosophy and Religion: a Symposium", 1941
At any rate, I am convinced that He [God] does not play dice.
Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955), In a letter to Max Born, 1926
Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish.
Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
Ethical axioms are found and tested not very differently from the axioms of science. Truth is what stands the test of experience.
Albert Einstein
My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.
Albert Einstein

http://www.vision.net.au/~apaterson/science/physics_relativity.htm

Answer 1

No influence

Answer 2

When it finally all clicked, relativity became my favorite subject in Physical Science. I never really thought about it, in relation to my belief in God before today. I was just going over another relativity question that talked about how time can behave differently under different circumstances. The more I think about it, the more it makes scientific sense how what we see as a billion year creation, could be described by God as taking just a few days.

I haven't quite thought about the interchangability of matter and energy in this regard, so it should be interesting seeing these other answers. I do know that I've always seen God as the creator of the laws of nature, and I think, the more I learn about them, the more I gain an appreciation for how well it all works.

Answer 3

I believe in the big bang theory. God spoke, and BANG! it happened! God created the Heavens and the earth. The stars, the moon, the sun, the planets, the universe, are all God's beautiful creation. God is all powerful and all intelligent. He's a billion Einsteins all rolled into one. I believe that Einstein discovered just the TIP of the iceburg when he came up with the Theory of Relativity. That iceburg is God. God created all things nuclear. He knew that we needed a sun to survive on this planet.

I love all things nuclear, as a science. I have lots of nuclear test videos on my hard drive, and it's really amazing stuff. Go to www.howstuffworks.com and check out how nukes work, whether plutonium or uranium bombs are used. Of course, Einstein's theory was a big influence on the building of the first atomic bomb, and the guy who built it, Robert Oppenheimer, talked with Einstein and got lots of help from him in designing it. Of course nuclear weapons are very dangerous, if in the wrong hands. Einstein knew that the bombs were very deadly after they were testing them and he was doing further studies, and that's why he stopped supporting the bomb's developement. Then, after we bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and we first found out about radiation and it's effects on the human body, Oppenheimer started to have second thoughts about going through with the further developement of nukes.

They are very deadly, indeed. We should be the most afraid in this day and age. You hear about briefcase nukes being stolen from Russia after the collapse of the soviet union. Bin Ladin could have some right now. How would we know? We could find out, but maybe it would be too late.

Answer 4

The fact that a man like Einstein and about half of the people working in the field of advanced physics believe in God has given me pause to reflect.

I am an Atheist, but I acknowledge that these people who have dedicated themselves to the fundamental understanding of the universe, are worthy of my respect.

it follows then, that although i do not have their faith, that Faith is something that should be respected as well.

As a young man, i was an atheist firebrand, burning with force of wit and personality any who dared challenge my secular paradigm.

Now I find myself a tolerant Atheist.

I know that does not directly answer the question, but there you have it.

I doubt many people on this site have any more than a most rudimentary understanding of Relativity, including you, as E=Mc2 is Einsteins's Energy theory, not Relativity

"General relativity (GR) is the geometrical theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915. It unifies special relativity and Isaac Newton's law of universal gravitation with the insight that gravitation is not due to a force but rather is a manifestation of curved space and time, this curvature being produced by the mass-energy and momentum content of the spacetime. General relativity is distinguished from other metric theories of gravitation by its use of the Einstein field equations to relate spacetime content and spacetime curvature."

Answer 5

Einstein's theory of relativity has no effect on my religious beliefs. To a devout believer, the fact that the universe can be understood in such an elegant way is simply proof of something known all along --- that the universe couldn't simply happen by chance so there must be something or someone behind it. To a devout non-believer, the idea of an invisible man in the sky orchestrating our destinies is ludicrous. Atheists see the complexities of the universe as independent of any sort of active creator, but merely the interaction of forces that need no God to make work.

I myself believe I will stop thinking about this and have a drink.

Answer 6

Knowing that Einstein's Theory of Relativity led to the Big Bang Theory, it probably did enhance my disbelief in God. It definitely made me question all the creation crap I learned in grade school. However, I've come around in my own way to accept that maybe a higher power started the Big Bang.

Answer 7

Okay...To explain myself about "Science and God", I will say this:
In my opinion: To me, God is a Scientist and the creator of all
the science known today, and more to come in the future.
What ever is exposed Thu Mankind, it is because God allows it to be known.
There are so many new theories floating around in the Science Circles.....1 example: the new "Thread Theory", which takes Einsteins theory a little further. Based on relativity, gravity, energy, velocity of light and sound. It was on (I forgot which one)
one of those educational stations, discovery or biography channels. Anyway....The best educated guesses are theories, not absolute proofs. I think science is fascinating and mysterious, just like the creator of all!

Answer 8

What most people don't understand about science, is that science doesn't prove anything. Rather it it states the probability of an event occurring based on reproduced observations in a controlled environment. This is called the scientific method and essentially it is an educated assumption based on controlled variables.

Likewise, I cannot prove that electricity is the movement of electrons or that electrons have a specific mass. However, there are experiments that have observations that support this idea, not proof. Basically anything in this universe of ours requires a leap of faith. Thus, if science involves every aspect of this universe and requires faith and to believe in god requires faith, we can make the assumption that yes, science is part of god. I have no rational explanation that god does or doesn't exist, but the creation life in itself is a mystery and a miracle, and therefore I believe in god.

Answer 9

It proves that God's creation was right.
The smallest piece of mass is the atom.
Sounds a lot like Adam to me. God is THE ultimate energy. And I'm still waiting to see science reproduce the sun that we all see. It is a large fiery ball, that was there before time, and yet, it's still there. Einstein and Darwin came and went, but God's creation still stands. Bottom line is Einstein nor Darwin were God. End of story.

Answer 10

Einstein's comment that "God does not play dice with the universe" was made in person to Danish physicist Neils Bohr at a conference in Copenhagen. Bohr immediately replied "Stop telling God what to do, Albert." No scientific discoveries have seriously impacted my spiritual beliefs, I consider faith and knowledge to go hand in hand, there is no conflict there. Such conflict as there is exists between science and the people who use religion to make money and achieve secular power. If your lively hood depends on blind acceptance, a credo like Einstein's "Never stop questioning" is a potential death blow.

Answer 11

Is it really possible that everything science is showing us occured without intelligent forethought. The theory you point out is just one piece of a giant puzzle. We can observe the rules but cannot explain why they are as they are. We can say that a Big Bang started things in motion... but what set the Big Bang in motion. At some point you come to a dead end scientifically in determining cause. A God theory really makes sense after going through all the scientific data.