"Childish superstition": Einstein's letter makes view of religion relatively clear

[mr blur]

Due to be auctioned this week in London after being in a private collection for more than 50 years, the document leaves no doubt that the theoretical physicist was no supporter of religious beliefs, which he regarded as "childish superstitions".

Einstein penned the letter on January 3 1954 to the philosopher Eric Gutkind who had sent him a copy of his book Choose Life: The Biblical Call to Revolt. The letter went on public sale a year later and has remained in private hands ever since.

In the letter, he states: "The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this."

<snip>

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/may/12/peopleinscience.religion

[moggie]

1. Cue the whining

Such as here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3306812&mesg_id=3306886

"B-b-but that's just one letter! Maybe he changed his mind!" Oh, and I see Zeitgeist The Bloody Movie crops up again in that thread, as the answer to everything.

[TZ]

2. Hmmm

I'm thinking that this might have to be posted in R/T...:evilgrin:

[Orrex]

3. We can also expect a lot of "I believe that the universe is god" nonsense

Personally, I find that kind of tepid pantheism to be a pretty inane position, because it simultaneously creates god and strips it of any relevance. Two things fundamentally indistinguishable from one another (eg., "god" and "the universe") are in fact one thing. Where's Occam's Razor when you really need to make the cut?

[TZ]

4. Occams razor is a tool used by us

fundamentalist scientists ya know! Only agnostics have it right! I don't know so therefore no one else can ever know! Sheesh..Thats MORE annoying than the quantum woos, IMO.

[moggie]

5. What about quantum agnostics?

Because, see, modern quantuum science proves that you can never prove anything for sure, right, so agnosticism is the only sensible position? Schroedinger proved this with that experiment with a teapot, or something.

[onager]

8. "Erwin, what the hell did you do to the cat?"--Mrs. Schroedinger

n/t

[Warpy]

6. Don't forget his deathbed conversion to Jebus

which is the favorite myth of the religious loony.

[realisticphish]

7. i think Darwin's

wins that particular award