The web has been buzzing over the recently released and auctioned letter, written by Albert Einstein, that seemingly has him denouncing religion in all forms. "In the note, written the year before his death, Einstein dismissed the idea of God as the product of human weakness and the Bible as "pretty childish." He went on to say that the Jews are not chosen people and are no more or less extraordinary than the rest of the human race." (The Huffington Post)
Many media outlets have used this letter to bolster the claim that Einstein dismissed the idea of a Universal Creator. The is misleading at best, and a complete fabrication at worst. I posted before concerning Einstein's belief in a Cosmic Religion. Einstein said, "My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds. That deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God."
He certainly dismissed the idea of a personal god. Einstein's letter and many other written articles make it clear that he thinks we must look past what he terms as earthly religion, and what Deists refer to as revealed religion. "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, who is but a reflection of human frailty. It is enough for me to contemplate the mystery of conscious life perpetuating itself through all eternity, to reflect upon the marvelous structure of the universe which we can dimly perceive and to try humbly to comprehend even an infinitesimal part of the intelligence manifested in Nature."
I think that we are slowly, but surely, moving past the idea that God refers to the idea of the revealed religion, a god in our image. The Creator is not a personal god, and the sooner the traditional media outlets discover and embrace this idea the better. We must change our perception of what it means to believe in the Cosmic Religion, or to follow the path of religious philosophies such as Deism. Einstein understood that science and religion will forever remain intertwined. In fact the said, "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." This statement could only be made by a man who has a deep understanding for the intricacies of nature and the dramatic patterns and laws established by the creator. It is time for news agencies like CNN, Fox, NY Times, etc, to move past the idea of correlating god, or the Creator, to revealed religions. We need to embrace the ideas of men such as Einstein and his statements proclaiming the obviousness of an impersonal Universal Creator.
"The scientist is possessed by the sense of universal causation. His religious feeling takes the form of a rapturous amazement at the harmony of natural law, which reveals an intelligence of such superiority that , compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection."
Take it upon yourselves to remind people to broaden their perceptions. To understand that nature refers to the vastness of space and time, not just trees and animals. Remind them that the true Creator of the universe is not a personal god who listens to our prayers and inflicts painful and wrathful vengence upon humankind.
Einstein Quotes from Deism.com
4 comments:
Fantastic site! Keep up the good work. The agents of revealed religion are strangling the innocents of the Creator and we need to be set free!!!
Thank you for the praise. It is truly amazing to see the amount of Deism blogs that are popping up today.
I will be watching your blog, you have a great start.
Revealed religions beware, your days are numbered...once we bloggers figure out how to unite.
Hey Bob. Love your page, this is very good stuff. Just one general comment about the Deism and Christiantiy. Aside from the epistemological differences (Deists "reason" the existence of a Creator, and Christians appeal to the ever problematic, though humorous category of "revelation") a powerful tool for conversation with Christians, in a non-deconstructive sense, could be that Deists and Christians differ in narrative but not in ontology. Deists don't dig the story, and all the rhetorical bond-o, otherwise known as "theology," but you are in agreement about the substance of deity. For a lot of dissatisfied Christians, the idea of keeping deity but jettisoning the lore could be an appealing option.
Also, you might want to read up on postmodern theology. I remember you and I talking about the large degree of variance in Christian articulations of the Creator. I think you may find there is less distance between Deism and these more modern, de-centralized theologies. Just a thought, I'm not an expert on the history of Christian thought.
Nathan,
I agree with you until we get to the essence of the Creator. Christians believe in a personal god, one that answers their prayers and creates animals in his image. Deists wholeheartedly disagree with this premise. The Creator is not a personal deity. Praying is useless except to comfort an individual, and the creator could never have a form in the mortal sense.
People often think that Deism is just Christianity without their dogmas and superstitions. However, the only thing that I see in common is the idea that the Creator exists. This is because Deism is a religious philosophy and not necessarily a religion. I think that this point is the reason people find it difficult to jettison their faith. People use Christianity to have a sense of belonging that you might not get from Deism. Deists need to be able to stand on their own two feet and come to their own conclusions concerning creation.
On the other hand, postmodern theology is something I need to read more about. Many old religious philosophies, like Deism, Theism, Panedeism, and A-Theism, are starting to gain a larger following these days.
Thanks for you comment.
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