Category Archives: Religion

Did Einstein Believe in God?

Faith, Information Overload, Knowledge, Religion, Saints, Science, Star Trek, , , , , , , ,

MOD: EDIT – Repost from 2020! 🙂

“There must be something behind the energy” – Einstein

In school, my younger years, it was my understanding that Einstein was all science. And I thought he was an atheist. He was not. Doesn’t bother me either way, but perhaps was some group’s idea to ‘hide’ or ‘alter’ what he really said from the conscience of mainstream civilization post 1960. When finding this article on bethinking.org I thought I would share this incredible work with you.

What would Einstein say about God? I admire him and Edison very much, as Tesla. Who doesn’t?

Except, I wonder, what did he say about God specifically?

Dawkins explains that in dealing with Einstein’s religious views he relied on Max Jammer’s book Einstein and Religion. 

What did Einstein really say?

The following quotations from Einstein are all in Jammer’s book:

“Behind all the discernible concatenations, there remains something subtle, intangible and inexplicable. Veneration for this force is my religion. To that extent, I am in point of fact, religious.”[8]

“Every scientist becomes convinced that the laws of nature manifest the existence of a spirit vastly superior to that of men.”[9]

“Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe – a spirit vastly superior to that of man.”[10]

“The divine reveals itself in the physical world.”[11]

“My God created laws… His universe is not ruled by wishful thinking but by immutable laws.”[12]

“I want to know how God created this world. I want to know his thoughts.”[13]

“What I am really interested in knowing is whether God could have created the world in a different way.”[14]

“This firm belief in a superior mind that reveals itself in the world of experience, represents my conception of God.”[15]

“My religiosity consists of a humble admiration of the infinitely superior spirit, …That superior reasoning power forms my idea of God.”[16]

“There must be something behind the energy”

What gives the lie to Dawkins’ claim that Einstein was an atheist is Einstein’s repeated references to â€śa superior spirit”, â€ťa superior mind”, “a spirit vastly superior to men”, â€ťa veneration for this force” etc. etc. This is not atheism. It is clear Einstein believed that there is something beyond the natural, physical world – a supernatural creative intelligence. Further confirmation that Einstein believed in a transcendent God comes from his conversations with his friends. David Ben-Gurion, the former Prime Minister of Israel, records Einstein saying â€śThere must be something behind the energy.”[17] 

According to Dawkins, â€śEinstein was repeatedly indignant at the suggestion he was a theist.”[19] The evidence from Jammer’s book is the exact opposite. What Einstein actually said is:

“I am not an atheist, and I don’t think I can call myself a pantheist.”[20]

“Then there are the fanatical atheists whose intolerance is of the same kind as the intolerance of the religious fanatics and comes from the same source.”[21]

“There is harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able to recognize, yet there are people who say there is no God. But what really makes me angry is that they quote me to support such views.”

SHOUT OUT TO BETHINKING.ORG, INCREDIBLE ARTICLE, RESEARCH, AND SOURCING.

Very interesting. Check out the article for way more knowledge and more reasons to take a deep breath and explore all possibilities and think ‘outside the box’.

ARTICLE SOURCE

Jeff Green Leaves The Mormons

Religion

Utah billionaire leaves Mormon church, donates $600,000 to LGBTQ group

ADMIN COMMENT: I have studied this group, they are very kind and have the best of intentions. I am posting this because interesting how Jeff leaves this group, to support the other one.

By Jo Yurcaba

Jeff Green, a billionaire thought to be the richest person from Utah, resigned from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, writing in a letter to the church’s president that he believes the institution has “hindered global progress in women’s rights, civil rights and racial equality, and LGBTQ+ rights,” according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

Green, the chairman and CEO of The Trade Desk, a technology marketing company, informally left the Mormon church, as the LDS church is commonly called, a decade ago.

But in a letter Monday to church President Russell Nelson, he officially resigned and requested the removal of his records, The Tribune reported.

Neither Green nor the church have responded to requests for comment about the letter.

Green said in his letter that most of the church’s members are “good people trying to do right” but that he believes “the church is actively and currently doing harm in the world.”

“The church leadership is not honest about its history, its finances, and its advocacy,” he wrote, according to The Tribune.

Green wrote that he will donate $600,000 to the LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Utah as the first major donation from his family foundation’s giving arm, Dataphilanthropy. According to The Tribune, he added that almost half of the money will go to a new scholarship program for LGBTQ students in Utah, including those who “may need or want to leave” his alma mater, Brigham Young University, which is sponsored by the church.

“We made this investment sizable and publicly to send a message that Equality Utah isn’t going anywhere,” Green wrote, adding that he hopes the donation is the first of many.

A spokesperson for Brigham Young University has not responded to a request for comment.

Executive Director Troy Williams said Equality Utah is “incredibly grateful for Jeff’s generosity and support.”

“In Utah, we have made enormous strides forward toward LGBTQ equality,” he said in an email. “The two most important elements of our success has been the support of allies and the willingness of state and religious leaders to engage with us. We don’t always agree, but great things happen when we seek common ground. Jeff’s financial support will ensure that we will remain a prominent force in Utah politics for years to come.”

The group has celebrated a number of notable achievements in recent years despite the state’s conservatism. About 62 percent of Utah residents and about 86 percent of the state’s lawmakers are members of the LDS church, which opposes same-sex marriage and, more recently, the Equality Act, a federal bill that would protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in housing, employment and jury service, among other areas of life.

SOURCE

Akhenaten

Egypt, Knowledge, Randomness, Religion, ,

Akhenaten – meaning “Effective for Aten” known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV, was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt who ruled for 17 years. Died perhaps in 1336 BC or 1334 BC.

 He is especially noted for abandoning traditional Egyptian polytheism and introducing worship centered on the Aten, which is sometimes described as monotheistic or henotheistic.

An early inscription likens the Aten to the sun as compared to stars, and later official language avoids calling the Aten a god, giving the solar deity a status above mere gods.

Akhenaten tried to bring about a departure from traditional religion, yet in the end it would not be accepted.

After his death, traditional religious practice was gradually restored, and when some dozen years later rulers without clear rights of succession from the Eighteenth Dynasty founded a new dynasty, they discredited Akhenaten and his immediate successors, referring to Akhenaten himself as “the enemy” in archival records.

His son is known as King Tut (Tutankhamun).

One of my favorite subjects!