Did Albert Einstein believe in God?

Question

Lets ask the man himself:

Albert Einstein to The Saturday Evening Post, 1929:

To what extent are you influenced by Christianity?

"As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene."

Have you read Emil Ludwig's book on Jesus?

"Emil Ludwig's Jesus is shallow. Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrasemongers, however artful. No man can dispose of Christianity with a bon mot."

You accept the historical Jesus?

"Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life."

To Good Wiazrd Lady...so called...I do no preaching here...Albert does...I only posted his words.

So many of you have fallen into Albert's trap...

In the 1929 Post interview, he clearley names the Gospels as holy in nature, leaving out the letters of Paul.

He is saying, as many others believe (including me and 4333) that the voice of God can be heard in the true writings of the life of Jesus of Nazareth in the books of Mathew, Mark and Luke...and sometimes John.

Without doing it directly, he's explaining the difference between inspired and divine.

I sure hope Father Al jumps in on this one.

He speaks Englican far better than I.

Answer 1

LOL ... That person above me reamed you ... *reamed* you!

Who do you think you are, posting quotes about Jesus even when they support your question?

For shame. *shakes head saddly* For shame.

Answer 2

"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." -- Albert Einstein, 1954, from Albert Einstein: The Human Side "I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings." -- Albert Einstein, following his wife's advice in responding to Rabbi Herbert Goldstein of the International Synagogue in New York, who had sent Einstein a cablegram bluntly demanding "Do you believe in God?" Quoted from and citation notes derived from Victor J Stenger, Has Science Found God? (draft: 2001), chapter 3.

Answer 3

I LOVE THIS QUESTION for the mere fact of a seminar Einstein gave once where he took questions afterward.

When he was done he said,"Does anyone have any questions?"

Someone in the audience shouted,"Do you believe in God?"

He said, "How much of the universe do you think we have knowledge of?"

Someone from the audience shouted,"2%!"

Einstein continued explaining,"Ok. If we only know 2% about the universe, how much of the other 98% is God in?"

Einstein was a Jew who was thrown out of Germany by Hitler. So I would deem it safe to assume that he DID believe in God, even if he DIDN'T make these statements.

Answer 4

Indeed, lets ask him.

"I believe in Spinoza's God, Who reveals Himself in the lawful harmony of the world, not in a God Who concerns Himself with the fate and the doings of mankind. "

-April 24, 1929 Letter to Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein, in response to his telegram: ""Do you believe in God? Stop. Answer paid 50 words."

"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."

-Letter to an atheist (1954) as quoted in Albert Einstein: The Human Side (1981) edited by Helen Dukas and Banesh Hoffman

"The desire for guidance, love, and support prompts men to form the social or moral conception of God."
- Religion and Science (1930)

"I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures, or has a will of the type of which we are conscious in ourselves. An individual who should survive his physical death is also beyond my comprehension, nor do I wish it otherwise; such notions are for the fears or absurd egoism of feeble souls. "

- Mein Weltbild (1931)

"During the youthful period of mankind's spiritual evolution human fantasy created gods in man's own image, who, by the operations of their will were supposed to determine, or at any rate to influence, the phenomenal world. Man sought to alter the disposition of these gods in his own favor by means of magic and prayer. The idea of God in the religions taught at present is a sublimation of that old concept of the gods. Its anthropomorphic character is shown, for instance, by the fact that men appeal to the Divine Being in prayers and plead for the fulfillment of their wishes."

- Mein Weltbild (1931

Answer 5

Absolutely. There are numerous quotes from Einstein that he refers to God. He was a Jew. And Jews believe in God.
He only said that he did not have a "personal God" something that most people, Jews, Christians and Muslims would say anyway. There is no such thing as a personal God, there is only one God.

Answer 6

No, Albert Einstein was quite adamant that he was not a God believer and let it be known he was angered by those who tried to present him as one which he specifically refuted. (No pasting here, I had to copy each quote out).

" 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." Albert Einstein

But here's some other quotes.
"I don't try to imagine a personal God; it suffices to stand in awe at the structure of the world, insofar as it allows our inadequate senses to appreciate it." Albert Einstein

"I am a deeply religious nonbeliever. This is a somewhat new kind of religion" Albert Eiinstein

"The idea of a personal God is quite alien to me and seems even naive." Albert Einstein

Answer 7

Theists love to cherry-pick Einstein's quotes in an attempt to claim him as one of their own; but if you dig deeper you'll find that Einstein most definitely did NOT believe in the sort of personal god most theists espouse today.

I don't have time to hunt down counter-quotes; but Richard Dawkins discusses the subject at some length in "The God Delusion".

Answer 8

What's your point? You start out with a question about Einstein and end up preaching about Jesus. Einstein was a Jew so, yes, he believed in God. He was not a Christian. Let it go.

Answer 9

"The scientist is possessed by the sense of universal causation...His religious feeling takes the form of rapturous amazement at the harmony of natural law, which reveals the intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection. - Albert Einstein (theoretical physicist)

Answer 10

I think Einstein understanding of God is more like the idea of God in Spinoza's philosophy, which makes much more sense.

Answer 11

In all accuracy he started to believe in a less personal God at the end of his life.