Einstein
It is not obvious at all. It is only obvious if you are unable to accept that this is a natural occurrence of events. I understand that it makes sense to you that there must have been a creator. It is a much safer belief than thinking it was a natural occurrence. That way you have some one to blame.
I suggest you try a different meditation technique. I hope you can learn to live in the real, natural world instead of this fictional one you seem to prefer. I hope you can become enlightened, like myself.
One day, perhaps if you meditate hard enough - who knows?
Saint Mark ASDB, CMT, LSD
Einstein was very much an atheist. He often gets quoted in a way that suggests he was a believer, but not so. This is one of my favorite Einstein quotes:
“If people are good, only because they fear punishment, and hope for a reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.”
Albert EinsteinThis is an Einstein quote. One of my favorites actually.
Albert Einstein said it. It's a quote from Albert Einstein.
And your comment makes no sense to me. Some times doing the "good," thing feels very, very bad. And doing "bad," things can make you feel very happy.
Well, I guess all atheists could be classed the same way. I am an atheist. I have looked at the evidence available to me and come to the conclusion there is no god or God
But, like Einstein I suspect, I am open to being proven wrong. I too see the unexplained aspects of the Universe, I just do not see a reason to ascribe this to an all-powerful creator.
Although, if I did, I would have trouble believing that I was in any way worth consideration by this creator.
I think this quote in particular is important to whether Einstein should be considered an atheist:
"I do not believe in a personal God"
This is what I say. And I am an atheist. It's pretty clear, although constant references made and mis-quotes have muddied the issue. Einstein was an atheist. Whether he was forced to change his opinion after death is a matter for conjecture. Although, he would be high on my list of people that could persuade me if he came back and said so
Calling him a skeptical agnostic just leaves open the door for people who say, "Einstein was not an atheist, therefore he believed in God."http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080516/ap_ … n_letter_2
This links to an article about the letter I think you're referencing being sold for $400k.
And, naturally , I'll point out this paragraph: "Einstein experts say the letter supports the argument that the physicist held complex, agnostic views on religion. He rejected organized faith but often spoke of a spiritual force at work in the universe."Absolutely. Religion, in my omnimpotence
, is an impediment to understanding the possibilities of a greater force ... be it Spinoza's Nature (Einstein was a great admirer of Spinoza [see below]) or the great 18th century Deists' watchmaker. In fact, it might be a lot closer to the truth to label Einstein, if one must, a Spinoza-esque Rationalist Deist. Like the man himself, it's all a bit more than complex. Ineffable, perhaps ... explaining this thread.
And since the great spiritual poet/preacher/philosopher/pretentious...person won't answer your question, I will.
"In view of such harmony in the cosmos ..." isn't actually an Einstein quote. It's an attributed quote as related by Prince Hubertus of Lowenstein.
"I'm not an atheist. I don't think I can call myself a pantheist ..." is a direct quote (with mohitmisra actually using a reinterpretation of the real quote) as reported by journalist George Sylvester Viereck on Einstein's 50th birthday. The actual quote, as written in Walter Isaacson's amazing biography "Einstein: His Life and Universe" is:
Viereck: Do you believe in God?
Einstein: I'm 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 filled 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 are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God. We see the universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws but only dimly understand these laws.
I throw in this famous quote: "The situation may be expressed by an image: science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."
Lastly, just for the fun of it, here's an interesting tidbit of the unexpected - a poem, written by Einstein (translated by a guy named Ben [If you want the original German version, just ask):
To Spinoza’s Ethic
How I love that noble man
More than I can say with words.
Though I’m afraid he’ll have to stay all alone
Him with his shining halo.
Thus a poor little dwarf
Whom you do not lead to Freedom.
Your ‘love of god’ leaves him cold
Life drags him around by force.
The high altitude brings him nothing but frostbite
Reason is stale bread to him.
Wealth & Women and Fame & Family
That’s what fills him up between dawn and dusk.
You must be good enough to forgive me
For I can’t help thinking of Munchhausen just now,
The only one ever to pull off the trick
Of hoisting himself out of the cesspool by his own hair.
You think his [Spinoza’s] example shows us
What human teaching has to give.
[My dear son, what’s gotten into you?
You have to be born a Nightingale!]
Don’t trust the comforting mirage:
You have to be born to the heights.Well, I am certainly learning more about Einstein than I had anticipated.
Here's my take.
There would be no need for the word "atheist," if it wasn't for the theists. I searched long and hard for a word that best described my belief system, and eventually settled on the term atheist. It is not the perfect word. I think Einstein was saying that he didn't believe in a personal god, but didn't want to be labeled as an atheist. I understand his dilemma. Being labeled in this way is not the optimum solution. But I like the label you have given him. Let's see if anyone takes that and runs with it as proof that Einstein believed in godOh, that's right. I forgot you were here to sell your book. That is what enlightened ones do. Sell ebooks. Silly me. You are not alone. LOL
I was a christian before I discovered the truth.
My time has already come and I am enjoying it. I am probably older than you, but I have come to accept that people get older. That's the way it works. LOL I wish you much joy with your upcoming afterlife. I hope it is more successful than this one.
Also - Are you under the impression that I wrote that poem?
Because I am surprised to hear you say that a poem written by that other "believer and enlightened one," Albert Einstein is pretentious.
How very enlightened of you to see that.
Glory to the freethinkers.
Saint Mark, ASDB, CMT. LSDThanks, but this particular enlightened great poet is unlikely to admit to making a mistake.
Or apologize apparently.
LOL
Certainly not the worst insults I have had hurled at me. But usually I deserve them
That is twice I have spoken to him only to be insulted and verbally attacked. Guess his definition of enlightened is different to mine.
Now he is dragging up every 3 or 4 month old thread and adding puerile comments. "Very Deep. Very Interesting." As though he can bury his attacks LOL
I though we already explained about spam?Lettin' an enlightened one get under your skin ehh Mark. LOL. Let it go. *smile*.
yeah, just ones that don't think for themselves. LOL.
That would be the ones. And they are not limited to christain evangelists. I live near a large Muslim community and they are just as bad. As is this particular enlightened one.
Thinking for yourself and preaching the WORD (whichever word that is) rarely go hand in hand.I definitely agree to this. And definitely there are exceptions - like Peter for example
Which makes me thinking hard, too
- Zarm Nefilinposted 16 years ago
0I know, it's soo funny, I almost feel really bad.
Nice find. This sort of fits with my own belief system in a lot of ways. I will have to brush up on my Spinoza. Of course, I do have the "crusading spirit of the professional atheist."
Your too much sometimes. You crack me up!
And there is nothing wrong with that Mark, afterall, what would the rest of us do if you and people like you did not have that "crusading spirit". Einstein sure as hell wasn't into passing legislation.
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