Religious Views of Albert Einstein - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

8/17/2019 Religious Views of Albert Einstein - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

1/13

Albert Einstein, 1921

Religious views of Albert EinsteinFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Albert Einstein's religious views have been studied extensively.He said he believed in the "pantheistic" God of Baruch Spinoza,

but not in a personal god, a belief he criticized. He also called

himself an agnostic, while disassociating himself from the labelatheist, preferring, he said, "an attitude of humility correspondingto the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature and of

our own being".[1][2]

Contents

1 Early childhood

2 Beliefs2.1 Personal god and the afterlife2.2 Agnosticism, deism, and atheism2.3 Devoutly religious2.4 Determinism2.5 Moral philosophy2.6 Cosmic s pirituality

3 Jewish identity4 Christian churches

4.1 William Hermanns conversations5 Refer ences6 External links

Early childhood

Einstein was raised by secular Jewish parents. In his Autobio graphical Notes, Einstein wrote that he hadgradually lost his faith early in childhood:

. . . I came—thoug h the child of entirely irreligious (J ewish) parents—to a deepreligiousness, which, however , reached an abrupt end at the age of twelve. Throu gh the

reading of popular scientific books I soon reached the conviction that much in the stories of

the Bible could not be true. The consequence was a positively fanatic orgy of freethinking

coupled with the impression that youth is intentionally being deceived by the state through

lies; it was a crushing impression. Mistrust of every kind of authority grew out of this

experience, a skeptical attitude toward the convictions that were alive in any specific social

environment—an attitude that has never again left me, even though, later on, it has been

tempered by a better insight into the causal connections. It is quite clear to me that the

religious paradise of youth, which was thus lost, was a first attempt to free myself from the

chains of the 'merely personal,' from an existence dominated by wishes, hopes, and primitive feelings. Out yonder there was this huge world, which exists independently of us

human beings and which stands before us like a great, eternal riddle, at least partially

accessible to our inspection and thinking. The contemplation of this world beckoned as a

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Albert_Einstein_(Nobel).pnghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Albert_Einstein_(Nobel).pnghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_godhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Albert_Einstein_(Nobel).pnghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinozismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Albert_Einstein_(Nobel).pnghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einsteinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einsteinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_godhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnosticismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freethoughthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheisthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Albert_Einstein_(Nobel).pnghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_Jewhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinozism


2/13

liberation, and I soon noticed that many a man whom I had learned to esteem and to admire

had found inner freedom and security in its pursuit. The mental grasp of this extra-personal

world within the frame of our capabilities presented itself to my mind, half consciously, half

unconsciously, as a supreme goal. Similarly motivated men of the present and of the past, as

well as the insights they had achieved, were the friends who could not be lost. The road to

this paradise was not as comfortable and alluring as the road to the religious paradise; but

it has shown itself reliable, and I have never regretted having chosen it.[3]

Beliefs

Einstein used many labels to describe his religious views, including "agnostic", [4] "religious

nonbeliever"[5] and a "pantheistic"[6] believer in "Spinoza's God."[7]

Personal god and the afterlife

Einstein expressed his skepticism regarding an anthropomorphic deity, often describing it as "naïve" and"childlike". He stated, "It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological conceptwhich I cannot take seriously. I feel also not able to imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere.My views are near those of Spinoza: admiration for the beauty of and belief in the logical simplicity of the order which we can grasp humbly and only imperfectly. I believe that we have to content ourselveswith our imperfect knowledge and understanding and treat values and moral obligations as a purely

human problem—the most important of all human problems."[8]

On 24 April 1929, Einstein cabled Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein in German: "I believe in Spinoza's God,who reveals himself in the harmony of all that exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fate

and the doings of mankind."[9] He expanded on this in written answers he gave to a Japanese scholar onhis views on science and religion, which appeared as a limited edition publication, on the occasion of Einstein's 50th birthday:

Scientific research can reduce superstition by encouraging people to think and view thingsin terms of cause and effect. Certain it is that a conviction, akin to religious feeling, of therationality and intelligibility of the world lies behind all scientific work of a higher order...This firm belief, a belief bound up with a deep feeling, in a superior mind that reveals itself in the world of experience, represents my conception of God. In common parlance this may

be described as "pantheistic" (Spinoza).[10]

In a letter to Beatrice Frohlich, 17 December 1952 Einstein stated, "The idea of a personal God is quite

alien to me and seems even naïve."[11] Eric Gutkind sent a copy of his book "Choose Life: The Biblical

Call To Revolt" [12] to Einstein in 1954. Einstein sent Gutkind a letter in response and wrote, "The wordGod is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible acollection of honourable, but still primitive legends. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me)change this. These subtilised interpretations are highly manifold according to their nature and have

almost nothing to do with the original text."[13][14][15]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_S._Goldsteinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baruch_Spinoza#Philosophyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_spiritualityhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_telegraph_cablehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnosticismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_skepticismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Gutkindhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinozism


3/13

On the question of an afterlife Einstein stated to a Baptist pastor, "I do not believe in immortality of theindividual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern with no superhuman authority

behind it."[16] This sentiment was also expressed in Einstein's The World as I See It , stating: "I cannotconceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures, or has a will of the type of which we areconscious in ourselves. An individual who should survive his physical death is also beyond mycomprehension, nor do I wish it otherwise; such notions are for the fears or absurd egoism of feeblesouls. Enough for me the mystery of the eternity of life, and the inkling of the marvellous structure of

reality, together with the single-hearted endeavour to comprehend a portion, be it never so tiny, of thereason that manifests itself in nature."[17]

On 22 March 1954 Einstein received a letter from Joseph Dispentiere, an Italian immigrant who hadworked as an experimental machinist in New Jersey. Dispentiere had declared himself an atheist and wasdisappointed by a news report which had cast Einstein as conventionally religious. Einstein replied on 24March 1954:

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 buthave 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. [18]

Agnosticism, deism, and atheism

Einstein was not an atheist, explaining at one point: "I have repeatedly said that in my opinion the ideaof a personal god is a childlike one. You may call me an agnostic, but I do not share the crusading spiritof the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of

religious indoctrination received in youth. I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weaknessof our intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being."[1] According to Prince Hubertus,Einstein said, "In view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able torecognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what really makes me angry is that they

quote me for the support of such views."[19]

Einstein had previously explored the belief that man could not understand the nature of God. In aninterview published in 1930 in G. S. Viereck's book Glimpses of the Great , Einstein, in response to aquestion about whether or not he defined himself as a pantheist, explained:

Your question is the most difficult in the world. It is not a question I can answer simply withyes or no. I am not an Atheist. I do not know if I can define myself as a Pantheist. The

problem involved is too vast for our limited minds. May I not reply with a parable? Thehuman mind, no matter how highly trained, cannot grasp the universe. We are in the

position of a little child, entering a huge library whose walls are covered to the ceiling with books in many different tongues. The child knows that someone must have written those books. It does not know who or how. It does not understand the languages in which they arewritten. The child notes a definite plan in the arrangement of the books, a mysterious order,

which it does not comprehend, but only dimly suspects. That, it seems to me, is the attitudeof the human mind, even the greatest and most cultured, toward God. We see a universemarvelously arranged, obeying certain laws, but we understand the laws only dimly. Our limited minds cannot grasp the mysterious force that sways the constellations. I am

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubertus,_Prince_of_L%C3%B6wenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptistshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Sylvester_Viereckhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afterlifehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_godhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_as_I_See_It_(book)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jerseyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machinist


4/13

fascinated by Spinoza's Pantheism. I admire even more his contributions to modern thought.Spinoza is the greatest of modern philosophers, because he is the first philosopher who

deals with the soul and the body as one, not as two separate things.[20]

In 1945 Guy Raner, Jr. wrote a letter to Einstein, asking him if it was true that a Jesuit priest had causedEinstein to convert from atheism. Einstein replied, "I have never talked to a Jesuit priest in my life and Iam astonished by the audacity to tell such lies about me. From the viewpoint of a Jesuit priest I am, of course, and have always been an atheist. ... It is always misleading to use anthropomorphical concepts indealing with things outside the human sphere—childish analogies. We have to admire in humility the

beautiful harmony of the structure of this world—as far as we can grasp it, and that is all."[21]

In a 1950 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."[22]

According to biographer Walter Isaacson, Einstein was more inclined to denigrate atheists than religious people.[23] Einstein said in correspondence, "[T]he fanatical atheists...are like slaves who are still feelingthe weight of their chains which they have thrown off after hard struggle. They are creatures who—in

their grudge against the traditional 'opium of the people'—cannot hear the music of the spheres."[23][24]

Although he did not believe in a personal God, he indicated that he would never seek to combat such

belief because "such a belief seems to me preferable to the lack of any transcendental outlook."[25]

Devoutly religious

Einstein characterized himself as “devoutly religious” in one specific sense as in the followingstatement:

The most beautiful emotion we can experience is the mystical. It is the power of all true artand science.He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, isas good as dead.To know that what is inpenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highestwisdom and

the most radiant beauty, which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms— this knowledge, this feeling, is at the center of true religiousness.

In this sense, and in this sense only, I belong to the rank of devoutly religious men.[26]

Determinism

Like Spinoza, Einstein was a strict determinist who believed that human behavior was completelydetermined by causal laws. For that reason, he refused the chance aspect of quantum theory, famously

telling Niels Bohr: "God does not play dice with the universe."[27] In letters sent to physicist Max Born,Einstein revealed his devout belief in causal relationships:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deterministhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_of_Jesushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musica_universalishttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Bornhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendence_(religion)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Isaacsonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_of_the_masseshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnosticism


5/13

You believe in a God who plays dice, and I in complete law and order in a world whichobjectively exists, and which I in a wildly speculative way, am trying to capture. I firmlybelieve, but I hope that someone will discover a more realistic way, or rather a moretangible basis than it has been my lot to find. Even the great initial success of the quantumtheory does not make me believe in the fundamental dice game, although I am well aware

that some of our younger colleagues interpret this as a consequence of senility.[28]

Einstein's emphasis on 'belief' and how it connected with determinism was illustrated in a letter of condolence responding to news of the death of Michele Besso, one of his lifelong friends. Einstein wroteto the family: "Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That signifies nothing.For us believing physicists the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly

persistent illusion."[29]

Einstein had admitted to a fascination with philosopher Spinoza's deterministic version of pantheism.American philosopher Charles Hartshorne, in seeking to distinguish deterministic views with his own

belief of free will panentheism, coined the distinct typology "Classical pantheism" to distinguish theviews of those who hold similar positions to Spinoza's deterministic version of pantheism.[30]

Moral philosophy

Einstein was a Humanist and a supporter of the Ethical Culture movement. He served on the advisory

board of the First Humanist Society of New York.[31] For the seventy-fifth anniversary of the New York Society for Ethical Culture, he stated that the idea of Ethical Culture embodied his personal conceptionof what is most valuable and enduring in religious idealism. He observed, "Without 'ethical culture' there

is no salvation for humanity."

[32]

He was an honorary associate of the British Humanist organization, theRationalist Press Association and its journal was among the items present on his desk at his death.

With regard to Divine command theory, Einstein stated, "I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own — a God, in short, whois but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his

body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotisms."[33] "A God whorewards and punishes is inconceivable to him for the simple reason that a man's actions are determined

by necessity, external and internal, so that in God's eyes he cannot be responsible, any more than aninanimate object is responsible for the motions it undergoes. Science has therefore been charged with

undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually onsympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be ina poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hopes of reward after death. It is

therefore easy to see why the churches have always fought science and persecuted its devotees."[34]

On the importance of ethics he wrote, "The most important human endeavor is the striving for moralityin our actions. Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our actionscan give beauty and dignity to life. To make this a living force and bring it to clear consciousness is

perhaps the foremost task of education. The foundation of morality should not be made dependent onmyth nor tied to any authority lest doubt about the myth or about the legitimacy of the authority imperil

the foundation of sound judgment and action."[35] "I do not believe that a man should be restrained in hisdaily actions by being afraid of punishment after death or that he should do things only because in thisway he will be rewarded after he dies. This does not make sense. The proper guidance during the life of a man should be the weight that he puts upon ethics and the amount of consideration that he has for

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michele_Bessohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Humanist_Associationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_command_theoryhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Determinismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Hartshornehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethical_Culturehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_pantheismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rationalist_Press_Associationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Humanist_Society_of_New_York


6/13

others."[36] "I cannot conceive of a personal God who would directly influence the actions of individuals,or would directly sit in judgment on creatures of his own creation. I cannot do this in spite of the factthat mechanistic causality has, to a certain extent, been placed in doubt by modern science. Myreligiosity consists in a humble admiration of the infinitely superior spirit that reveals itself in the littlethat we, with our weak and transitory understanding, can comprehend of reality. Morality is of the

highest importance—but for us, not for God."[37]

Cosmic spirituality

In a 1930 New York Times article, Einstein distinguished three human impulses which develop religious belief: fear, social morality, and a cosmic religious feeling. A primitive understanding of causalitycauses fear, and the fearful invent supernatural beings analogous to themselves. The desire for love andsupport create a social and moral need for a supreme being; both these styles have an anthropomorphicconcept of God. The third style, which Einstein deemed most mature, originates in a deep sense of aweand mystery. He said, the individual feels "the sublimity and marvelous order which reveal themselvesin nature ... and he wants to experience the universe as a single significant whole." Einstein saw science

as an antagonist of the first two styles of religious belief, but as a partner in the third.

[38]

He maintained,"even though the realms of religion and science in themselves are clearly marked off from each other"there are "strong reciprocal relationships and dependencies" as aspirations for truth derive from the

religious sphere. For Einstein, "science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."[38] Hecontinued:

a person who is religiously enlightened appears to me to be one who has, to the best of his

ability, liberated himself from the fetters of his selfish desires and is preoccupied with

thoughts, feelings and aspirations to which he clings because of their super-personal value.

It seems to me that what is important is the force of this superpersonal content ... regardlessof whether any attempt is made to unite this content with a Divine Being, for otherwise it

would not be possible to count Buddha and Spinoza as religious personalities. Accordingly

a religious person is devout in the sense that he has no doubt of the significance of those

super-personal objects and goals which neither require nor are capable of rational

foundation ... In this sense religion is the age-old endeavor of mankind to become clearly

and completely conscious of these values and goals and constantly to strengthen and extend

their effect. If one conceives of religion and science according to these definitions then a

conflict between them appears impossible. For science can only ascertain what is, but not

what should be...[38]

An understanding of causality was fundamental to Einstein's ethical beliefs. In Einstein's view, "thedoctrine of a personal God interfering with natural events could never be refuted, in the real sense, byscience," for religion can always take refuge in areas that science can not yet explain. It was Einstein's

belief that in the "struggle for the ethical good, teachers of religion must have the stature to give up thedoctrine of a personal God, that is, give up that source of fear and hope" and cultivate the "Good, the

True, and the Beautiful in humanity itself."[38]

In his 1949 book The World as I See It , he wrote: "A knowledge of the existence of something we

cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which areonly accessible to our reason in their most elementary forms — it is this knowledge and this emotionthat constitute the truly religious attitude; in this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious

man."[39]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_as_I_See_It_(book)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropomorphichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baruch_Spinozahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causalityhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Timeshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddhahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_beliefhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causality_(physics)


7/13

Einstein referred to his belief system as "cosmic religion" and authored an eponymous article on the

subject in 1954, which later became his book Ideas and Opinions in 1955.[40] The belief systemrecognized a "miraculous order which manifests itself in all of nature as well as in the world of ideas,"devoid of a personal God who rewards and punishes individuals based on their behavior. It rejected a

conflict between science and religion, and held that cosmic religion was necessary for science.[40] Hetold William Hermanns in an interview that "God is a mystery. But a comprehensible mystery. I havenothing but awe when I observe the laws of nature. There are not laws without a lawgiver, but how does

this lawgiver look? Certainly not like a man magnified."[41] He added with a smile "some centuries ago Iwould have been burned or hanged. Nonetheless, I would have been in good company."[41]

Jewish identity

In a letter to Eric Gutkind dated 3 January 1954, Einstein wrote in German, "For me the unaltered Jewishreligion like all other religions is an incarnation of the most primitive superstitions. And the Jewish

people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no differentquality for me than all other people. As far as my experience goes, they are also no better than other

human groups, although they are protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power. Otherwise Icannot see anything 'chosen' about them."[14][15][42][43]

In an interview published by Time magazine with George Sylvester Viereck, Einstein spoke of his

feelings about Christianity.[23] Born in Germany in 1884 Viereck supported German nationalism, but

was not anti-semitic.[44] He was imprisoned in America in 1942; as a German propagandist, he failed to

register as a Nazi agent.[45] Like Einstein [46][47] Varieck was a pacifist; Varieck was accused of treason

and expelled from the American Author's League because of his articles attacking war.[48] At the time of

the interview Einstein was informed that Viereck was not Jewish,

[49]

but stated that Viereck had "..the psychic adaptability of the Jew," making it possible for Einstein to talk to him "without barrier."[49]

Viereck began by asking Einstein if he considered himself a German or a Jew, to which Einsteinresponded, "It's possible to be both." Viereck moved along in the interview to ask Einstein if Jewsshould try to assimilate, to which Einstein replied "We Jews have been too eager to sacrifice our

idiosyncrasies in order to conform."[23] Einstein was then asked to what extent he was influenced byChristianity. "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."[23] Einstein was then asked if he accepted thehistorical existence of Jesus, to which he replied, "Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels withoutfeeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such

life."[23]

He stressed however in a conversation with William Hermanns that, "I seriously doubt that Jesus himself said that he was God, for he was too much a Jew to violate that great commandment: Hear O Israel, the

Eternal is our God and He is one!' and not two or three."[50] Einstein lamented, "Sometimes I think it

would have been better if Jesus had never lived. No name was so abused for the sake of power!" [50]

Nevertheless, he also expressed his belief that "if one purges the Judaism of the Prophets andChristianity as Jesus Christ taught it of all subsequent additions, especially those of the priests, one is

left with a teaching which is capable of curing all the social ills of humanity." [51]

Einstein interpreteded the concept of a Kingdom of God as referring to the best people. "I have always believed that Jesus meant by the Kingdom of God the small group scattered all through time of

intellectually and ethically valuable people."[52]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shema_Yisraelhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relationship_between_religion_and_sciencehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazarene_(title)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eponymhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotheism#Judaismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospelhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_assimilationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_(magazine)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Gutkindhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chosen_peoplehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Godhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmudhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Sylvester_Viereck


8/13

Christian churches

The only Jewish school in Munich had been closed in 1872 for want of students, and in the absence of

an alternative Einstein attended a Catholic elementary school.[53] He also received Jewish religiouseducation at home, but he did not see a division between the two faiths, as he perceived the "sameness of

all religions."[54] Einstein was equally impressed by the stories of the Hebrew Bible and the Passion of

Jesus.[54]

According to biographer Walter Isaacson, Einstein immensely enjoyed the Catholic religioncourses which he received at the school.[23] The teachers at his school were liberal and generally made

no distinction between student's religions, although some harbored an innate but mild antisemitism.[55]

Einstein later recalled an incident involving a teacher who particularly liked him, "One day that teacher brought a long nail to the lesson and told the students that with such nails Christ had been nailed to theCross by the Jews" and that "Among the children at the elementary school anti-Semitism was

prevalent...Physical attacks and insults on the way home from school were frequent, but for the most part

not too vicious."[55] Einstein noted, "That was at a Catholic school; how much worse the antisemitism

must be in other Prussian schools, one can only imagine."[56] He would later in life recall that "The

religion of the fathers, as I encountered it in Munich during religious instruction and in the synagogue,repelled rather than attracted me."[57]

Einstein met several times and collaborated with the Belgian priest scientist Georges Lemaître, of theCatholic University of Leuven. Fr Lemaitre is known as the first proponent of the big bang theory of theorigins of the cosmos and pioneer in applying Einstein's theory of general relativity to cosmology.

Einstein proposed Lemaitre for the 1934 Francqui Prize, which he received from the Belgian King.[58]

In 1940 Time magazine quoted Einstein lauding the Catholic Church for its role in opposing the Nazis:

Only the Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler's campaign for suppressing truth.

I never had any special interest in the Church before, but now I feel a great affection and

admiration because the Church alone has had the courage and persistence to stand for

intellectual truth and moral freedom. I am forced thus to confess that what I once despised I

now praise unreservedly.[59]

The quotation has since been repeatedly cited by defenders of Pope Pius XII.[60] An investigation of thequotation by mathematician William C. Waterhouse and Barbara Wolff of the Einstein Archives in

Jerusalem found that the statement was mentioned in an unpublished letter from 1947. In the letter toCount Montgelas, Einstein explained that the original comment was a casual one made to a journalistregarding the support of "a few churchmen" for individual rights and intellectual freedom during the

early rule of Hitler and that, according to Einstein, the comment had been drastically exaggerated.[60]

On 11 November 1950 the Rev. Cornelius Greenway of Brooklyn wrote a letter to Einstein which hadalso quoted his alleged remarks about the Church. Einstein responded, "I am, however, a littleembarrassed. The wording of the statement you have quoted is not my own. Shortly after Hitler came to

power in Germany I had an oral conversation with a newspaper man about these matters. Since then myremarks have been elaborated and exaggerated nearly beyond recognition. I cannot in good consciencewrite down the statement you sent me as my own. The matter is all the more embarrassing to me becauseI, like yourself, I am predominantly critical concerning the activities, and especially the politicalactivities, through history of the official clergy. Thus, my former statement, even if reduced to my actual

words (which I do not remember in detail) gives a wrong impression of my general attitude." [61]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein_Archiveshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_bang_theoryhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francqui_Prizehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Lema%C3%AEtrehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_C._Waterhousehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munichhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_(magazine)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_Biblehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Churchhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_University_of_Leuven_(1834%E2%80%931968)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Isaacsonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_XII_and_the_Holocausthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalemhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passion_(Christianity)


9/13

Catholic Cardinal William Henry O'Connell spoke about Einstein's perceived lack of belief, "Theoutcome of this doubt and befogged speculation about time and space is a cloak beneath which hides the

ghastly apparition of atheism."[62] A Bronx Rabbi criticized both the Cardinal and Einstein for opiningon matters outside their expertise: "Einstein would have done better had he not proclaimed his nonbelief in a God who is concerned with fates and actions of individuals. Both have handed down dicta outside

their jurisdiction."[63] The Catholic priest and broadcaster Fulton Sheen—whose intellect Einstein

admired, even calling him "one of the most intelligent people in today's world"[64] —described Einstein's

New York Times article "the sheerest kind of stupidity and nonsense."[65]

In 2008 the Antiques Roadshow television program aired a manuscript expert, Catherine Williamson,authenticating a 1943 letter from Einstein in which he confirms that he "made a statement whichcorresponds approximately" to Time magazine's quotation of him, however "I made this statementduring the first years of the Nazi regime—much earlier than 1940—and my expressions were a little

more moderate."[66]

In the last year of his life he said "If I were not a Jew I would be a Quaker." [67]

William Hermanns conversations

Einstein's conversations with William Hermanns were recorded over a 34-year correspondence. In theconversations Einstein makes various statements about the Christian Churches in general and theCatholic Church in particular: "When you learn the history of the Catholic Church, you wouldn't trustthe Center Party. Hasn't Hitler promised to smash the Bolsheviks in Russia? The Church will bless its

Catholic soldiers to march alongside the Nazis" (March 1930).[68] "I predict that the Vatican will supportHitler if he comes to power. The Church since Constantine has always favoured the authoritarian State,

as long as the State allows the Church to baptize and instruct the masses" (March 1930).

[69]

"So often inhistory the Jews have been the instigators of justice and reform whether in Spain, Germany or Russia.But no sooner have they done their job than their 'friends', often blessed by the Church, spit in their

faces" (August 1943).[70]

"But what makes me shudder is that the Catholic Church is silent. One doesn't need to be a prophet tosay, 'The Catholic Church will pay for this silence...I do not say that the unspeakable crimes of theChurch for 2,000 years had always the blessing of the Vatican, but it vaccinated its believers with theidea: We have the true God, and the Jews have crucified Him.' The Church sowed hate instead of love,

though the ten commandments state: Thou shalt not kill" (August 1943).[71] "With a few exceptions, the

Roman Catholic Church has stressed the value of dogma and ritual, conveying the idea theirs is the onlyway to reach heaven. I don't need to go to Church to hear if I'm good or bad; my heart tells me this"

(August 1943).[72] "I don't like to implant in youth the Church's doctrine of a personal God, because thatChurch has behaved so inhumanly in the past 2,000 years... Consider the hate the Church manifestedagainst the Jews and then against the Muslims, the Crusades with their crimes, the burning stakes of theinquisition, the tacit consent of Hitler's actions while the Jews and the Poles dug their own graves and

were slaughtered. And Hitler is said to have been an altar boy!" (August 1943).[72]

"Yes" Einstein replied vehemently, "It is indeed human, as proved by Cardinal Pacelli (the future PopePius XII), who was behind the Concordat with Hitler. Since when can one make a pact with Christ and

Satan at the same time?" (August 1943).[72] "The Church has always sold itself to those in power, and

agreed to any bargain in return for immunity." (August 1943)[73] "If I were allowed to give advice to the

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisitionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulton_Sheenhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_Pacellihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusadeshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacetimehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_XIIhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_O%27Connellhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiques_Roadshowhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_Party_(Germany)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quakerhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichskonkordat


10/13

Churches," Einstein continued, "I would tell them to begin with a conversion among themselves, and tostop playing power politics. Consider what mass misery they have produced in Spain, South America

and Russia." (September 1948).[72]

In response to a Catholic convert who asked "Didn't you state that the Church was the only opponent of Communism?" Einstein replied, "I don't have to emphasise that the Church at last became a strongopponent of National Socialism, as well." Einstein's secretary Helen Dukas added, "Dr. Einstein didn't

mean only the Catholic church, but all churches."[74] When the convert mentioned that family membershad been gassed by the Nazis, Einstein replied that "he also felt guilty—adding that the whole Church,

beginning with the Vatican, should feel guilt." (September 1948)[74]

"About God, I cannot accept any concept based on the authority of the Church... As long as I canremember. I have resented mass indoctrination. I cannot prove to you there is no personal God, but if Iwere to speak of him, I would be a liar. I do not believe in the God of theology who rewards good and

punishes evil. His universe is not ruled by wishful thinking, but by immutable laws" (1954).[75] WilliamMiller of Life Magazine who was present at this meeting described Einstein as looking like a "living

saint" and speaking with "angelic indifference."

[76]

References

1. Isaacson, Walter (2008). Einstein: His Life and Universe. New York: Simon and Schuster, pp. 390.(http://books.google.com/books?id=cdxWNE7NY6QC&pg=PT390)

2. Lesiker, Arnold V. "Einstein:Science and Religion - Spinoza and Einstein"(http://www.einsteinandreligion.com/spinoza2.html). St Cloud State University. Retrieved January 16, 2014.

3. Einstein, Albert (1979). Autobiographical Notes. Chicago: Open Court Publishing Company, pp. 3-5.4. Calaprice, Alice (2000). The Expanded Quotable Einstein (http://books.google.com/books?

id=BVp3QgAACAAJ). Princeton: Princeton University Press, p. 216 (http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=G_iziBAPXtEC&pg=PA340). Letter to M. Berkowitz, 25 October 1950; Einstein Archive 59-215.5. Calaprice, Alice (2000). The Expanded Quotable Einstein. Princeton: Princeton University Press, p. 218.6. Einstein, Albert "Gelegentliches", Soncino Gesellschaft, Berlin, 1929, p. 97. Calaprice, Alice (2000). The Expanded Quotable Einstein. Princeton: Princeton University Press, p. 204.8. Hoffmann, Banesh (1972). Albert Einstein Creator and Rebel . New York: New American Library, p. 95.9. Isaacson, Walter (2008). Einstein: His Life and Universe. (http://books.google.com/books?

id=cdxWNE7NY6QC&dq) New York: Simon and Schuster, pp. 388-389. (http://books.google.com/books?id=cdxWNE7NY6QC&pg=PT389) Reported by the New York Times 25 April 1929 under the headline"Einstein believes in 'Spinoza's God'" (http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10B1EFC3E54167A93C7AB178FD85F4D8285F9)

10. Einstein, Albert, "Ideas And Opinions" (http://books.google.com/books?id=fjR0zUxu5rQC&pg=PT289&dq=japanese+This+firm+belief,+a+belief+bound+up+with+a+deep+feeling,+in+a+superior+mind+that+reveals+itself+in+the+world+of+experience,+represents+my+conception+of+God&hl=en&sa=X&ei=a-EuUdfBDaGyiQLPl4GICQ&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAg)

11. Calaprice, Alice (2000). The Expanded Quotable Einstein. Princeton: Princeton University Press, p. 217.Einstein Archives 59-797

12. Fackenheim, Emil L. (August 1952). "Article Preview - Choose Life: The Biblical Call to Revolt, by EricGutkind" (http://www.commentarymagazine.com/article/choose-life-the-biblical-call-to-revolt-by-eric-gutkind/). Commentary. Retrieved October 9, 2012.

http://books.google.com/books?id=cdxWNE7NY6QC&pg=PT389https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spainhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Dukashttp://books.google.com/books?id=BVp3QgAACAAJhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russiahttp://books.google.com/books?id=cdxWNE7NY6QC&pg=PT390http://books.google.com/books?id=cdxWNE7NY6QC&dqhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commentary_(magazine)http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10B1EFC3E54167A93C7AB178FD85F4D8285F9http://books.google.com/books?id=fjR0zUxu5rQC&pg=PT289&dq=japanese+This+firm+belief,+a+belief+bound+up+with+a+deep+feeling,+in+a+superior+mind+that+reveals+itself+in+the+world+of+experience,+represents+my+conception+of+God&hl=en&sa=X&ei=a-EuUdfBDaGyiQLPl4GICQ&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Magazinehttp://www.commentarymagazine.com/article/choose-life-the-biblical-call-to-revolt-by-eric-gutkind/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Americahttp://books.google.co.uk/books?id=G_iziBAPXtEC&pg=PA340http://www.einsteinandreligion.com/spinoza2.html


11/13

13. "Original letter (handwriting, german)" (http://www.auctioncause.com/cf/einstein/images/large.jpg).James Randerson (13 May 2008). "Childish superstition: Einstein's letter makes view of religionrelatively clear" (http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/may/12/peopleinscience.religion). TheGuardian."What he wrote" (http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/may/13/peopleinscience.religion). TheGuardian. 13 May 2008."Einstein letter calls Bible ‘pretty childish’" (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24598856/ns/us_news-faith/t/einstein-letter-calls-bible-pretty-childish/). NBCNews . Associated Press. 13 May 2008.

"Einstein Letter: Belief In God "Childish," Jews Not Chosen People"(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/14/einstein-letter-belief-in_n_101626.html). The Huffington Post . 21 May 2008.Calaprice, Alice (2011). The Ultimate Quotable Einstein. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton UniversityPress, p. 342.

14. Overbye, Dennis (May 17, 2008). "Einstein Letter on God Sells for $404,000"(http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/17/science/17einsteinw.html). New York Times. Retrieved October 8,2012.

15. Bryner, Jeanna (October 5, 2012). "Does God Exist? Einstein's 'God Letter' Does, And It's Up For Sale"(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49306421/ns/technology_and_science-science). MSNBC. RetrievedOctober 7, 2012.

16. Dukas, Helen (1981). Albert Einstein the Human Side. Princeton: Princeton University Press, p. 39.(http://books.google.com/books?id=T5R7JsRRtoIC&pg=PA39) Letter to a Baptist pastor in 1953.17. Einstein, Albert (1999). The World as I See It . Secaucus, NJ: Citadel Press, p. 5.

(http://books.google.de/books?id=aNKOo94tO6cC&pg=PA5)18. Dukas, Helen (1981). Albert Einstein the Human Side. Princeton: Princeton University Press, p. 43.

(http://books.google.com/books?id=T5R7JsRRtoIC&pg=PA43) Einstein Archives 59-454(http://alberteinstein.info/vufind1/Record/EAR000030228) and 59-495(http://alberteinstein.info/vufind1/Record/EAR000030229)

19. Clark, Ronald W. (1971). Einstein: The Life and Times. New York: World Publishing Company, p. 425.(http://books.google.com/books?id=6IKVA0lY6MAC&pg=PA516)

20. Viereck, George Sylvester. "Glimpses of the Great". Duckworth, 1930. p. 372-373.

21. Brian, Denis (1996). Einstein: A Life. New York: J. Wiley, p. 344. Einstein's Letter of 2 July 1945(http://www.shapell.org/manuscript.aspx?170863); cf. Michael Shermer 13 December 2010(http://www.bigquestionsonline.com/columns/michael-shermer/einstein%E2%80%99s-god)

22. Calaprice, Alice (2000). The New Quotable Einstein. (http://press.princeton.edu/titles/7921.html) Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, p. 216; Letter to M. Berkowitz 25 October 1950; Einstein Archive59–215.

23. Isaacson, Walter (2007). "Einstein and Faith"(http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1607298,00.html) Time 169 (April 5): 47.

24. Jammer, Max (2002). Einstein and Religion: physics and theology. (http://books.google.com/books?id=TnCc1f1C25IC&dq) Princeton: Princeton University Press, p. 97 (http://books.google.com/books?id=58HQXMp1ESwC&pg=PA97)

25. Jammer, Max (2002). Einstein and Religion: physics and theology. Princeton: Princeton University Press, p.51 (http://books.google.com/books?id=58HQXMp1ESwC&pg=PA51) 149. (http://books.google.com/books?id=58HQXMp1ESwC&pg=PA149)

26. Philipp Frank, Einstein: His Life and Times (Knopf, 1947, rpt by Frank Press, 2007 pb), 284.27. Gardner, Martin (1996). The Night Is Large: Collected Essays, 1938-1995. p. 430.

(http://books.google.com/books?id=oXEaTdstD7gC&pg=PA430)28. Adams, John (1995). Risk . London: University College London Press, p. 17. (http://books.google.com/books?

id=swTOWkpOP68C&pg=PA18)29. Goldsmith, Donald and Marcia Bartusiak (2006). E = Einstein: His Life, His Thought, and His Influence on

Our Culture. New York: Stirling Publishing, p. 187. (http://books.google.com/books?id=zGzcV40b3IkC&pg=PA187)

30. David Ray, John B. Cobb, Clark H. Pinnock (2000). Searching for an Adequate God: A Dialogue Between Process and Free Will Theists, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2000, p. 177. The Encyclopedia of ReligionVolume 10 refers to this view as an "extreme monism" where, "God decides or determines everything,including our supposed decisions."

http://books.google.com/books?id=6IKVA0lY6MAC&pg=PA516http://www.bigquestionsonline.com/columns/michael-shermer/einstein%E2%80%99s-godhttp://www.shapell.org/manuscript.aspx?170863http://books.google.com/books?id=swTOWkpOP68C&pg=PA18http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49306421/ns/technology_and_science-sciencehttp://books.google.com/books?id=58HQXMp1ESwC&pg=PA97http://alberteinstein.info/vufind1/Record/EAR000030228http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24598856/ns/us_news-faith/t/einstein-letter-calls-bible-pretty-childish/http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/may/13/peopleinscience.religionhttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/17/science/17einsteinw.htmlhttp://www.auctioncause.com/cf/einstein/images/large.jpghttp://books.google.com/books?id=oXEaTdstD7gC&pg=PA430http://books.google.com/books?id=T5R7JsRRtoIC&pg=PA43http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/14/einstein-letter-belief-in_n_101626.htmlhttp://books.google.com/books?id=TnCc1f1C25IC&dqhttp://books.google.com/books?id=58HQXMp1ESwC&pg=PA51https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSNBChttp://books.google.com/books?id=zGzcV40b3IkC&pg=PA187https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Timeshttp://books.google.de/books?id=aNKOo94tO6cC&pg=PA5http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1607298,00.htmlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/may/12/peopleinscience.religionhttp://press.princeton.edu/titles/7921.htmlhttp://alberteinstein.info/vufind1/Record/EAR000030229http://books.google.com/books?id=58HQXMp1ESwC&pg=PA149http://books.google.com/books?id=T5R7JsRRtoIC&pg=PA39https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monism


12/13

31. Dowbiggin, Ian (2003) A Merciful End . New York: Oxford University Press, p. 41.(http://books.google.com/books?id=E1AKtIEIIvUC&pg=PA41)

32. Einstein, Albert (1995) Ideas And Opinions. New York: Random House, p. 62.(http://books.google.com/books?id=OeUoXHoAJMsC&pg=PT62)

33. Seldes, George (1996). The Great Thoughts. New York: Ballantine Books, p. 134.(http://books.google.com/books?id=ZirsLPyzJEgC&pg=PT273)

34. Calaprice, Alice (2000). The Expanded Quotable Einstein (http://books.google.com/books?id=BVp3QgAACAAJ). Princeton: Princeton University Press, p. 216. (http://books.google.co.uk/books?

id=G_iziBAPXtEC&pg=PA326) Albert Einstein, "Religion and Science"(http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/einstein_religion.html) New York Times Magazine (9 Nov. 1930): 3-4.35. Dukas, Helen (1981). Albert Einstein, The Human Side. Princeton: Princeton University Press, p. 95.

(http://books.google.com/books?id=T5R7JsRRtoIC&pg=PA95) Letter to a Brooklyn minister November 20,1950.

36. Bucky, Peter (1992). The Private Albert Einstein. Kansas City: Andrews & McMeel, p. 86.37. Dukas, Helen (1981). Albert Einstein, The Human Side. Princeton: Princeton University Press, p. 66.

(http://books.google.com/books?id=T5R7JsRRtoIC&pg=PA66)38. Einstein, Albert (1930). "Religion and Science" (http://www.sacred-texts.com/aor/einstein/einsci.htm) New

York Times Magazine (Nov. 9): 1-4.39. Einstein, Albert (1949). The World as I See It (http://www.einsteinandreligion.com/worldsee2.html). New

York: Philosophical Library. ISBN 0-8065-2790-0. Retrieved 2007-10-14.40. Calaprice, Alice (2005). The Einstein Almanac. Baltimore: JHU Press, p. 91.(http://books.google.com/books?id=if2tnCjo8WMC&pg=PA91)

41. Hermanns, William (1983). Einstein and the Poet. In Search of the Cosmic Man. Brookline Village MA:Branden Books, p. 60. (http://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA60)

42. Randerson, James (2008). "Childish superstition: Einstein's letter makes view of religion relatively clear"(http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/may/12/peopleinscience.religion) Guardian (May 12). Retrieved2011-11-08.

43. Full transcription of the letter. (http://www.lettersofnote.com/2009/10/word-god-is-product-of-human-weakness.html) Facsimile of Front (https://reader015.{domain}/reader015/html5/0717/5b4dda1000ed8/5b4dda17418and reverse (http://www.log24.com/log/pix09/Einstein-Gutkind1954-2-Lg.jpg) sides.

44. American National Biography Online (http://h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?trx=vx&list=h-shgape&month=0003&week=a&msg=b%2BurRQGOLUJM0%2B/LR3n0tw&user=&pw=)45. Carlson, John Roy (1943). Under Cover . Philadelphia: The Blakiston Company.46. [1] (http://www.ppu.org.uk/learn/infodocs/people/pp-einstein.html), Learn Peace47. [2] (http://www.theguardian.com/science/2005/jul/05/japan.internationaleducationnews), Einstein's pacifist

dilemma revealed48. [3] (http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?

res=F00C1EF73B5F1B7A93C4AB178CD85F4C8185F9), New York Times Archives49. [4] (http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/wp-content/uploads/satevepost/what_life_means_to_einstein.pdf),

What Life Means to Einstein, an interview by George Sylvester Viereck 50. Hermanns, William (1983). Einstein and the Poet. In Search of the Cosmic Man. Brookline Village MA:

Branden Books, p. 62. (http://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA62)51. Einstein "Ideas and Opinions" (1954), NY, Bonanza Books,, pp. 184-18552. Einstein on Jesus Einstein and Religion (http://www.einsteinandreligion.com/einsteinonjesus.html)53. Fölsing, Albrecht (1997). Albert Einstein: a biography. London: Penguin, p. 1554. Sachs, Andrew and Peter Jones (1930). Albert Einstein. Taylor and Francis, p. 32.

(http://books.google.com/books?id=y5YOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA32)55. Fölsing, Albrecht (1997). Albert Einstein: a biography. London: Penguin, p. 16.56. Hermanns, William (1983). Einstein and the Poet. In Search of the Cosmic Man. Brookline Village MA:

Branden Books, p. 32. (http://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA32)57. Fölsing, Albrecht (1997). Albert Einstein: a biography. London: Penguin, p. 41.58. WHO WAS GEORGES LEMAÎTRE? (http://www.uclouvain.be/en-204119.html); Universite catholique de

Louvain; online 1 August 201459. Anonymous (1940). "Religion: German Martyrs"

(http://www.drjudithreisman.com/archives/2010/11/religion_german.html) Time(http://www.time.com/time/magazine/0,9263,7601401223,00.html) 36 (Dec. 23): 38.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttp://books.google.com/books?id=OeUoXHoAJMsC&pg=PT62http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/einstein_religion.htmlhttp://www.time.com/time/magazine/0,9263,7601401223,00.htmlhttp://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/wp-content/uploads/satevepost/what_life_means_to_einstein.pdfhttp://www.lettersofnote.com/2009/10/word-god-is-product-of-human-weakness.htmlhttp://www.einsteinandreligion.com/worldsee2.htmlhttp://www.uclouvain.be/en-204119.htmlhttp://www.sacred-texts.com/aor/einstein/einsci.htmhttp://www.log24.com/log/pix09/Einstein-Gutkind1954-2-Lg.jpghttp://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F00C1EF73B5F1B7A93C4AB178CD85F4C8185F9http://www.ppu.org.uk/learn/infodocs/people/pp-einstein.htmlhttp://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA62http://savatier.blog.lemonde.fr/files/2008/05/einstein1.1210684060.jpghttp://books.google.com/books?id=if2tnCjo8WMC&pg=PA91http://www.drjudithreisman.com/archives/2010/11/religion_german.htmlhttp://books.google.com/books?id=E1AKtIEIIvUC&pg=PA41http://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA32https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facsimilehttp://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA60https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8065-2790-0http://www.einsteinandreligion.com/einsteinonjesus.htmlhttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2005/jul/05/japan.internationaleducationnewshttp://books.google.com/books?id=y5YOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA32http://books.google.com/books?id=T5R7JsRRtoIC&pg=PA66http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=G_iziBAPXtEC&pg=PA326http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/may/12/peopleinscience.religionhttp://books.google.com/books?id=ZirsLPyzJEgC&pg=PT273http://h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?trx=vx&list=h-shgape&month=0003&week=a&msg=b%2BurRQGOLUJM0%2B/LR3n0tw&user=&pw=http://books.google.com/books?id=BVp3QgAACAAJhttp://books.google.com/books?id=T5R7JsRRtoIC&pg=PA95


13/13

External links

Einstein's God: Conversations About Science(http://wn.com/Einstein's_God__Conversations_About_Science_1-9) - FORA.tvEinstein's God (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7r57oCT2cU) - talk by Walter Isaacson,FORA.tv

Einstein & Faith (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1607298-1,00.html) - byWalter Isaacson, Time

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?

title=Religious_views_of_Albert_Einstein&oldid=666670858"Categories: Albert Einstein Religion and science Religious views by individual

This page was last modified on 12 June 2015, at 20:23.Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional termsmay apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is aregistered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

60. Waterhouse, William C. (2006-01-05). "Did Einstein Praise the Church?"(http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/06-01-05/). eSkeptic. The Skeptics Society. Retrieved 2010-03-25.

61. Dukas, Helen, ed. (1981) Albert Einstein, The Human Side. Princeton: Princeton University Press, p. 94(http://books.google.com/books?id=T5R7JsRRtoIC&pg=PA94).

62. Isaacson, Walter (2007). Einstein: His Life and Universe. New York: Simon and Schuster, p. 388.(http://books.google.com/books?id=cdxWNE7NY6QC&pg=PA388)

63. Isaacson, Walter (2007). Einstein: His Life and Universe. New York: Simon and Schuster, p. 389.(http://books.google.com/books?id=cdxWNE7NY6QC&pg=PA389)

64. Calaprice, Alice (2000). The New Quotable Einstein (http://press.princeton.edu/titles/7921.html). Princeton:Princeton University Press, p. 151.65. Rowe, David and Robert Schulmann (2007). Einstein on Politics. Princeton: Princeton University Press, p.

235. (http://books.google.com/books?id=AIHgK-p6mhgC&pg=PA235) ISBN 0-691-12094-366. Antiques Roadshow (2008) "1943 Albert Einstein Letter"

(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/archive/200706A19.htm) PBS. May 19. Video(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk_-0UiiauU)

67. Einstein's Last Thoughts Einstein and Religion (http://www.einsteinandreligion.com/lastthoughts.html)68. Hermanns, William (1983). Einstein and the Poet. In Search of the Cosmic Man. Brookline Village MA:

Branden Books, p. 32. (http://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA32)69. Hermanns, William (1983). pp. 32-33. (http://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA32)

70. Hermanns, William (1983). p. 46. (http://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA46)71. Hermanns, William (1983). p. 63. (http://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA63)72. Hermanns, William (1983). p. 65. (http://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA65)73. Hermanns, William (1983). p. 66. (http://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA66)74. Hermanns, William (1983). p. 119. (http://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA119)75. Hermanns, William (1983). p. 132. (http://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA132)76. Miller, Pat (1955). "Death of a Genius" (http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=dlYEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA62)

Life Magazine 38 (May 2): 62.
http://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA119https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Religious_views_by_individualhttps://www.wikimediafoundation.org/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Religion_and_sciencehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0691120943https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Privacy_policyhttp://press.princeton.edu/titles/7921.htmlhttp://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/06-01-05/http://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA132https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Categoryhttp://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA66https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_3.0_Unported_Licensehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FORA.tvhttp://www.einsteinandreligion.com/lastthoughts.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/archive/200706A19.htmhttp://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1607298-1,00.htmlhttp://books.google.com/books?id=cdxWNE7NY6QC&pg=PA389http://books.google.com/books?id=T5R7JsRRtoIC&pg=PA94http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=dlYEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA62http://books.google.com/books?id=AIHgK-p6mhgC&pg=PA235http://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA65http://wn.com/Einstein's_God__Conversations_About_Science_1-9https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FORA.tvhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Albert_Einsteinhttp://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA32https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_(magazine)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk_-0UiiauUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7r57oCT2cUhttp://books.google.com/books?id=cdxWNE7NY6QC&pg=PA388http://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA46http://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA32http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Religious_views_of_Albert_Einstein&oldid=666670858http://books.google.com/books?id=QXCyjj6T5ZUC&pg=PA63https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Terms_of_Use

Documents

Religious Views of Albert Einstein - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia