Was Albert Einstein an Atheist?

Question

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
- Albert Einstein

(I believe he was)

I see only with deep regret that God punishes so many of His children for their numerous stupidities, for which only He Himself can be held responsible; in my opinion, only His nonexistence could excuse Him.

- Albert Einstein - Letter to Edgar Meyer (January 2, 1915)

Albert Einstein used God as a synonym for nature. God does not play dice means that everything is not based on randomness.

Answer 1

most intelligent people are atheists.

Answer 2

Albert Einstein according to his own statements was an Atheist. He also lived in a USA that enjoyed the full benefits of McCarthyism. The same USA that ignored its own constitution to print "In God We Trust" on paper money in 1957.

two quotes from Einstein:
"I came — though the child of entirely irreligious (Jewish) parents — to a deep religiousness, which, however, reached an abrupt end at the age of twelve."

"I do not believe in the immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern without any superhuman authority behind it."

You might want to think of Einstein's God as the God of Spinoza making him more deist but he defines himself as an atheist near the end of his life. This brings up anothere point and that is that sometimes ideas change. I have seen people claim Darwin as religious based on his young life although we know he was an atheist in his later years.

Answer 3

He had been raised Jewish, "the religious son of irreligious parents", but he deconverted in childhood. He lived in Germany and Switzerland, fleeing for the US when the Nazis came to power. Once there, he helped convince President Roosevelt to work on a nuclear bomb, out of fear that Nazi Germany would do so. He would have been very unwelcome in Nazi Germany; some Nazis called relativity "Jewish physics", and therefore an Evil Thing.

If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed. [Albert Einstein]

He WAS Atheist

Answer 4

Not exactly. But he certainly did not believe in a personal god of any sort - and he went on record scolding those who said he did hold such beliefs. Some people have attributed a kind of (weak) Deism to him. His ruminations about the awe and wonder of the unvierse are somewhat contradictory. In summary, he had little patience with the god of the bible, but he did consider that an "awesome ordering priciple" existed.

Answer 5

Nah, I think ole Al never quiet made up his mind on this. He liked the idea of a god, but he liked it at a distance. It was Einstein who fathered the 'Intelligent Design' movement. He believed that maybe God started everything and then skipped town and just left everything running.
A Christian he was not. Atheist??, maybe, kinda, sorta.

Answer 6

He didn't believe in any personal God but I don't think he ever dismissed the idea that some universal spiritual power existed-he did say "God doesn't play dice" so he perhaps saw the hand of a divine creator in the workings of the universe.

Answer 7

as per his own words, he was an agnostic:
“My position concerning God is that of an agnostic. I am convinced that a vivid consciousness of the primary importance of moral principles for the betterment and ennoblement of life does not need the idea of a law-giver, especially a law-giver who works on the basis of reward and punishment.”
Albert Einstein

Answer 8

Einstein was an Agnostic he agreed with Thomas Huxley - he was specifically NOT an Atheist. I've actually had this happen to me more then a few times - I can't imagine how many times it must have happened to Einstein. Spinoza's God is sometimes used by Agnostic's in this way. - Atheist - (who for some stupid reason want's you to label yourself Atheist) ask you if you're an Atheist. - Agnostic - "No, I'm an Agnostic". - Atheist - "So you're Agnostic Atheist?" - Agnostic - "No I'm an Agnostic". - Atheist - "Are you're agnostic about Fairies and Tea pots too?" - Agnostic - "No I'm Agnostic, about God". - Atheist - "So you think there's a chance that Jesus is God?" - Agnostic - "No I'm Agnostic, about god in General". - Atheist - "So you don't have a God? That makes you an Atheist!" - Agnostic - 'No I'm Agnostic". - Atheist - "If you don't have a God then you an Atheist! A = without & Theist = God so you are without God. You don't even have a God to be Agnostic about". (At this point, Agnostic's thank God for Einstein and...) - Agnostic - "I believe in Spinoza's God, but I'm agnostic about it". - Atheist - "Oh so you're a Theist?" - Agnostic - ( [thinking] well I know I hate Atheist...) "No I'm an Agnostic". (you walk away) At this point the Atheist proceeds to tell the world they "talked with you" and you said you were an Atheist. __________________________ Calling yourself an Agnostic is saying you have read and understand Huxley's personal philosophy and you agree with him. It's very basic but if you do agree with Huxley it categorically excludes you from being an Atheist or Theist. Atheist are going to say "Who says?" and the Agnostic will respond, "Huxley"

Answer 9

Albert was born to non-practicing Jews and attended a Catholic elementary school. Below is a summation of his religious views, ...clearly he was personally an atheist, even though he recognized and furthered the connection of religion and science.

Answer 10

He may have believed that there was some higher power out there, but he definitely didn't follow any world religion and especially not Christianity. He always said that he didn't believe in a 'personal god'.

Answer 11

I dnt know, but for sure, its preety weird that someday or the other, the little guy who works as technician in a lab, comes out with the most "genius formula" and some astonishing theories that .... leaves us mouth open. Its not human.