How many of you are sick of people misrepresenting Einstein?

Question

I just saw someone mis-use his quote "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

As much as god-believers would like to claim him as their own, Einstein was not a religious man. He often used words like "god" and "religion" metaphorically. What he meant by that quote is that we cannot use science to determine ethics and morality.

Einstein also said, "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."

I never said Einstein was an atheist, I said that people are misquoting him and that I'm sick of it.

Anyway, pantheism is so vague that it might as well be atheism.

Answer 1

I second everything you say.
Einstein should be an inspiration to all because of hhis brilliance, work ethic, and imagination. why does his religion have to have anything to do with anything.
Though I have to admit, as a Jewish person I am proud to have so much representation on the Nobel prize list that is cultural, not spiritual.

Trivia here, He did not win his nobel prize for relativity! anyone wanna guess for what it as, send me an email

Answer 2

I'm with you.

Christians are famous for including among themselves whoever they wish. Fundamentalists make great claims about the prevalence of Christianity, calling themselves the largest religion in the world. When making this claim, they include Catholics and Mormons as well. Outside of that context, they don't count Cathoics or Mormons as Christian.

They like to claim any scientist who speaks of God as one of their own. Einstein was most likely a deist, but not at all a fundamentalist Christian; perhaps not a Christian at all. I don't think that he used the word "god" as a metaphor for ethics and morality, and that he likely believed in an impersonal god, as many deists throughout history have, such as a number of the founding fathers.

The God of Einstein was certainly not the same one that Fundamentalist Christians claim as their own. The problem is that most of the religious reich as few scruples when it comes to properly presenting the truth. This is the same group that constantly repeats the lie that Darwin may have recanted his theories on his death bed.

Answer 3

You don't know the extent of Einstein's religious beliefs. Only Einstein knew.

Everyone is an atheist at some point in their life. Even Billy Graham. Belief in God is learned and maybe even unlearned. It is entirely possible that he may have made some quotes when he believed and others before or when he was in doubt.

"Listen to furshluginer, he is smart and right" - Einstein

Answer 4

Einstein was pretty emphatic that he was not religious and did not believe in any kind of personal God ...obviously the lie was being told even when he himself was alive, it's great that we have a refutation from Einstein himself...but you know religious types apparently they are wiling to subvert anything and tell any untruth to further their religion.

Answer 5

Einstein in a LETTER to a boy SPECIFICALLY SAID HE WAS NOT AN ATHEIST

He was a diest of sorts.

He had a GOD, but not a personal God.

But he is quoted as saying, of the randomists "God doesn't play dice!"

So he obviously thought of GOD, the UNIVERSE is not being a mindless, souless Las Vegas gambling device.

Einstein, IN OTHER LETTERS wrote, that he was CLOSER to the GOD of another friend of his. THAT FRIEND once spoke kindly and postively of JESUS.

HENCE EINSTEIN by extrapolation, is close to the thinking of the God and Jesus framework.

This is FACTUAL

THE LETTERS EXIST

They can BE PRODUCED

HANDWRITING CAN BE VERIFIED

Einstein was NOT an OVERT JEW, CHRISTIAN, HINDU, BUDDHIST.

HE WAS ALSO DEFINATELY NOT AN OVERT ATHEIST in his OWN WORDS.

Ok, he had a RELATVISTIC view of GOD and the Universe.

Can we live with that.

GOD and the UNIVERSE exist in a RELATIVISTIC framework.

It's funny how EVERYONE interprets the words of the DEAD to their own advantage.

If Einstein was around today and said he wasn't an ATHEIST, what would ATHEISTS do, remove him from their books.

I'm a believer in God and Jesus but NOT in religion,yet I accept his quote, even though I think it's not totally right

Science with out Religion is lame and religion without science is blind.

THIS IS A QUOTE you have to accept it. It was IN A SPEECH to a University Audience.

People who HEARD IT are alive today.

Einstein acknolweldge RELIGION

I personally don't.

I don't subscribe to it nor believe in it.

It's a bunch of rituals.

I believe in God and Jesus

So to my way of thinking Einstein is a HAZARD and WRONG, but I accept his words as truth as he saw it.

Einstein, in HIS OWN HANDWRITING, has written considerable about

GOD

Atheists don't believe in GOD in any form, EINSTEIN DID

It maybe a different GOD than I believe in or that Christians believe in

But HE DID ACCEPT A GOD

IT is in print.

Hence any ATHEIST trying to stay otherwise is trying to dispute WRITTEN PROOF IN HIS OWN HANDS

ATHEISTS DO NOT BELIEVE IN GOD IN ANY FORM

Einstein DID believe in a TYPE OF GOD

Case close or are ATHEISTS SAYINGS HIS WRITTEN LETTERS ARE LIES

OR ARE ATHEISTS TRYING TO NOW SAY some types of GOD do exist, but other don't!

Is this a point that PROVES Atheist LIE and MISREPRESENT!

WHY do ATHEISTS put him in their books when there are SO MANY CREDIBILE QUOTES of him using the term GOD.

ARE ATHEISTS finally admitting there IS a type of GOD!

Answer 6

Right on, Ev... In no way did he believe in any personal God.

"I am a deeply religious non-believer. This is a somewhat new kind of religion." -- Albert Einstein.

Answer 7

Unfortunately ,Einstein wasn't what you'd call a believer .He just believed there was a creator out there somewhere.He knew there could be no perfectly wound" watch"like the universe with out a "watchmaker".He didn't personalize him or philsophise him.He just knew there was something out there.

Answer 8

many religious people simply dont understand a concept of god being used for something that is not super-natural.

einstein used the term god for nature's mystery, or the YET unknown.

Answer 9

You are absolutely right. He also said religion was not necessary for a man to have good ethical behavior.

Answer 10

The God of Spinoza comes close to what he thought.