Why wasn't Albert Einstein smart enough to believe in a personal God???

Question

"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]

PS: I am a Atheist..... ever here of sarcasm.

Answer 1

Einstein did not believe in a personal god, nor was he an atheist. I have read his works and he never waivered in his denial of the christian god.

He saw the mystical and unknown in the universe... and he did not recant on his death bed.

I have no idea why theists get so confused about this concept...

Answer 2

He was depressed. Many people don't realize that very intelligent people who are disorganized and flunk out of school have ADD. It is not a disease, so much as it is insanity. Consider people who have Bipolar Mania. They can be very intelligent, yet forget why they left the house when they are merely driving to the store. In fact, Einstein has several other quotes where he proclaims love for God, and he was against Naziism, which is why he originally left Germany. Ultimately, he was probably just afraid of dying. Fear of death is the most frightening thing for an intelligent person because they no longer get to "think". This does not mean that they do not believe in an afterlife. I hasten to add that Einstein had a vivid imagination, but NOONE is capable of imagining what heaven might be like. We know it will be peaceful and happy, but to be in the light of God is unknown to living men and women. We are on Earth until then.

Answer 3

Sounds pretty well reasoned to me.

Theologies offer different ways of looking at life. But the most important thing is to feel compassion and to obey your conscience.

It's great to have a spiritual community. And faith is vital for a rewarding, meaningful life, in my opinion. But don't let anyone tell you there's only one way to think of God, or only one way to interpret the human condition.

Oh NOW you drop the atheist bomb. Learn to spell.

Answer 4

He relied on His own understanding. He did not desire to be saved. It is God's promise that everyone will find Him who will seek Him with pure heart. So if Einstein did not find God, He did not seek Him either with the pure heart. God's offer is the same for everyone, you either take it or leave it, you can deny it or you can confirm it...the price has been paid. : )

God is kind, but He is also just. He will do what He says He will do. But I also believe that prayer has power to change things. : )

Answer 5

Actually, I have a book by Albert Einstein and later in his life he came to believe that God did exist. He came to this conclusion after exhaustive study of atoms and molecules and their arrangement. He concluded that the atomic and molecular arrangement could not have occurred naturally, but someone put the design together. He saw there was a pattern which could not exist according to the natural laws we know, but by a higher intelligence. Even brilliant men have their hang ups and have to make choices.

Answer 6

The most beautiful and most profound experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all true science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead. 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 primitive forms - this knowledge, this feeling is at the center of true religiousness.
Einstein

human being is part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self. We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive. (Albert Einstein, 1954)

Answer 7

Believing in God does not require intelligence. It requires faith, which is the willingness to believe in something without a reason.

Intelligent people generally do not think in this way.

It's not that he was too dumb to believe. He was too smart.

Seriously, there was a study released about a week ago, correlating intelligence with religious belief. Being low in one generally meant being higher in the other. Very few people were high in intelligence and also in religious belief.

As Kurt Vonnegut said, "So it goes."

Answer 8

Albert Einstein was very smart. Just because he doesn't share your religious belief doesn't mean that HE had the incorrect belief. Maybe it's you. Of course, the problem with religion is that everybody believes that theirs is the only correct one.

Answer 9

"When I read the Bhagavad-gita, the only question left is how God created the universe. Everything else seems to be superfluous." -- Albert Einstein

Answer 10

lets see Albert Einstein created many of the principles that modern science is based on, and you are asking foolish questions on yahoo?!?!?!?!

was he to smart to believe this, or are you so stupid that you do.??????