Atheists---Einstein quotes fron my 15 year old son?

Question

As a child I received instructions in both the Bible and the Talmud. I am a Jew but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene." Einstein
"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." Einstein.
"I am not an atheist. I don't think I can call myself a pantheist. The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library with books in many languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they were written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is. That, seems to me is the altitude of even the most intelligent human towards God. We see the universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws but only dimly understand those laws." Einstein

Answer 1

I have never heard those quotes. That is awesome. It reminds me of a quote from Darwin, yes the same Darwin who is credited with the evolution theory. He stated, "To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberrations, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree." Remembering his work he said, "I was a young man with unformed ideas. I threw out queries, suggestions, wondering all the time over everything; and to my astonishment the ideas took like wildfire. People made a religion of them."
It sounds to me like you have a great young man on your hands.

Answer 2

Here is some interesting reading about Einstein for you. These are some more of his quotes!

"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." In 1950, in a letter to M. Berkowitz, Einstein stated that "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."

Einstein defined his religious views in a letter he wrote in response to those who claimed that he worshiped a Judeo-Christian god: "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."

Einstein didn't believe in a Judeo-Christian god, so why would he claim that anyone reading the gospels couldn't help but feel the presence of Jesus? Did that lie come from all the people who misquoted him? The religious perhaps? Maybe you should read a bit more about Einstein.

Need I say more?

Answer 3

I'm a Unitarian Universalist deist from Oklahoma and although I know that my belief in a higher power will probably have some influence over my children and I'm okay with that, but I also know that some day they may come to me and say that they just don't believe or they want to choose another path and I'll be okay with that too. As a UU I feel that I am giving them every opportunity to find their own paths through a free and responsible search for the truth. I also know that raising them UU means that they will consider and question everything before making their choices. And to be quite honest, I don't care what faith they follow as long as they are good people who treat all people with respect and dignity.

Answer 4

Great! Your son can quote mine very well. Congratulations :)

Now here's another gem, I just dug 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, 1954, from Albert Einstein: The Human Side

Edit: pinklayni - That was my entire point. You can mine quotes from different stages of a personality's life to support whatever viewpoint you hold. People change their beliefs over time and their quotes would reflect that. So saying that "Einstein said this, so it must be true" is just wrong.

Answer 5

Einstein was a deist NOT a Christian.

Einstein's letter to Gandhi::::::::::::::::::::::::...
Respected Mr. Gandhi !
I use the presence of your friend in our home to send you these lines. You have shown through your works, that it is possible to succeed without violence even with those who have not discarded the method of violence. We may hope that your example will spread beyond the borders of your country, and will help to establish an international authority, respected by all, that will take decisions and replace war conflicts.
With sincere admiration,
Yours A. Einstein.
I hope that I will be able to meet you face to face some day.
( The original letter is available here: http://streams.gandhiserve.org/einstein....
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Einstein's note about Gandhi ( from Hebrew University of Jerusalem)::::::::::::::::::::...

Mahatma Gandhi's life achievement stands unique in political history. He has invented a completely new and humane means for the liberation war of an oppressed country, and practiced it with greatest energy and devotion. The moral influence he had on the consciously thinking human being of the entire civilized world will probably be much more lasting than it seems in our time with its overestimation of brutal violent forces. Because lasting will only be the work of such statesmen who wake up and strengthen the moral power of their people through their example and educational works.
We may all be happy and grateful that destiny gifted us with such an enlightened contemporary, a role model for the generations to come.

The original version is here : http://streams.gandhiserve.org/einstein....
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If all Christians acted like Christ, the whole world would be Christian. - Mahatma Gandhi

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more by einstein on gandhi:
I believe that Gandhi's views were the most enlightened of all the political men in our time. - Albert Einstein

We should strive to do things in his spirit: not to use violence in fighting for our cause, but by non-participation in anything you believe is evil. -- Albert Eisntein

Answer 6

ok....so if that kid knows there's an author for every book, there's an order for the arrangement that they were placed in...and so that there must be a mysterious force behind our own world and our universe....

but does the kid say......i dont know who wrote all these books, but im going to believe with all my heart that JK Rowlings wrote every single one of them....?


"The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they were written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is."

that statement conflicts with christianity....because we as humans shouldnt know wat this "mysterious" order is....so why are christians....and all religion for that matter....SO certain about their beliefs....and have detailed books about their theories when clearly.....we aren't capable of comprehending such knowledge

Answer 7

Is there a question in this? A common technique for persuasion or any argument in general is to use quotes that, in retrospect, never add anything to the argument. All they do is create the illusion that because "this" person says this, it makes my argument that much more beneficial and correct.

But I'm just as happy reading Einstein quotes as well.

Answer 8

What is the question?

Oh and here are some alternative AE quotes

A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute the truly religious attitude; in this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man.

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 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.

Answer 9

these are grossly misquoted, However, even if they were true....Einstein was not a philosopher...he was a physicist....

I have a quote for you..

"They want me to do things that are related to comedy, but not comedy, thats not fair" "it's as if i worked my a** off to become a really good cook, and they came up to me and were like "okay, you're a great cook, can you farm?" -Mitch Hedberg

Answer 10

LOL !


Do tell your 15 year old son to pursue his study of Einstein a bit further dear....

Answer 11

And your point is...?

Look, just because we know certain laws of the universe, doesn't mean we have to understand them. There doesn't always have to be a "why" in everything. You can't just point the finger at god everytime you don't understand something. It's a little deeper than that.