Einstein: Nothing 'chosen' about the Jews, Bible 'childish' legends

LetsPlayYourWay · 05-15-2008, 07:16 PM

Einstein: Nothing 'chosen' about the Jews, Bible 'childish' legends

Last update - 19:02 13/05/2008
Einstein: Nothing 'chosen' about the Jews, Bible 'childish' legends
By Bradley Burston, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Judaism, Bible, God, Einstein

Albert Einstein, writing in 1954, dismissed Judaism and other religions as "an incarnation of the most childish superstitions," though he said he gladly belonged to the Jewish people and felt a deep affinity for the Jews' "mentality," excerpts published on Tuesday showed.

Einstein also said he saw nothing "chosen" about the Jews, and that they were no better than other peoples "although they are protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power."

The renowned physicist, who died a little more than a year after writing the letter, also had tough words for God and the Bible, according to the text published by the British The Guardian daily.

"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," the letter was quoted as saying. "No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this."

The letter, written in German in January, 1954 to philosopher Eric Gutkind, is to be auctioned in London on Thursday, the paper said. Written in Einstein's hand, the letter, which has been in private hands for more than half a century, reportedly could sell for as much as 8,000 pounds sterling.

Turning to Judaism, Einstein wrote that "For me the Jewish religion like all other religions is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions. And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality 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 I cannot see anything 'chosen' about them."

Einstein: Nothing 'chosen' about the Jews, Bible 'childish' legends - Haaretz - Israel News

Sugar420 · 05-15-2008, 08:59 PM

is this political? it sure isnt current events

LetsPlayYourWay · 05-15-2008, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by v3d4

is this political? it sure isnt current events

You're right

, sorry, you can move it and if you want to be extra nice you could at the E to the beginning of the title

Mull D · 05-16-2008, 12:03 AM

First of all it's a ridiculous point to make. Nobody really believes that Jewish people are chosen by anyone. There could be an article from The Onion with a headline like this, "Investigation into Judaism reveals Jews are not actually chosen by anyone." It's just what they like to call themselves. Nobody takes it seriously. Maybe some Jews do, but who cares?

kamikazi89 · 05-16-2008, 08:37 AM

his views on nationalism and militarism were, insiteful, to say the least

Quote:

Originally Posted by moldyorangepeel

First of all it's a ridiculous point to make. Nobody really believes that Jewish people are chosen by anyone. There could be an article from The Onion with a headline like this, "Investigation into Judaism reveals Jews are not actually chosen by anyone." It's just what they like to call themselves. Nobody takes it seriously. Maybe some Jews do, but who cares?

check Mcains endorsements(and that's just for starters)

spicoli · 05-16-2008, 10:46 AM

Einstein's scientific career is impressive. I remember him for that...not his spritual insights.

kamikazi89 · 05-16-2008, 10:54 AM

that's too bad. in many, many ways they're far more relevant(especially considering time and location)

Dutch Action · 05-16-2008, 03:10 PM

Any individual of any colour/race/gender/religion/group that embraces the ideology of 'gods chosen' usually end up on a crumbling self-destructive path of hatred towards himself and others. We are all gods chosen, not just your colour/race/gender/religion/group and yours only.

kamikazi89 · 05-16-2008, 03:14 PM

hey, and then there are those of us who want no part of it..(know what i'm sayin)

spicoli · 05-17-2008, 06:51 AM

well what the op failed to mention was that Einstein was a Deist. he believed that God created the earth, then walked away, having had no further interest in its creation. do you agree with him on that, too?

05-17-2008, 07:30 AM

of course he doesnt agree with that, he only left it out because it diddnt support his little point of einstien belittling God...

wich btw thread starter, other than theory of math and physics, einstien was a fucking idiot...

Vik*star* · 05-18-2008, 06:25 PM

Einstein was a human being just like rest of us. He had his own opinions just like rest of us.

Einstein saying god dosen't exist or religion is a bunk is no different than anyone here saying they are atheist.

Its not like Einstein came back after being dead and confirmed to us that all religions are childish fantasy collections.

So the whole is thing is insignificant in my opinion and I don't even know why they made news about it.

kamikazi89 · 05-22-2008, 06:29 PM

had something to do with a letter, and some serious money
btw, einstien wasn't very good at math

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vik*star*

Its not like Einstein came back after being dead and confirmed to us that all religions are childish fantasy collections.

non sequitur: Definition and Much More from Answers.com
maybe you're thinking of houdini

Captain Cannabis · 05-22-2008, 06:49 PM

i think the coolest part about einstein was when he was discovering things in quantum physics he initially didn't believe that any of it could possibly be true

god does play dice yo

Vik*star* · 05-23-2008, 05:03 AM

^ It wasn't einstein who discovered quatum physics. It was actually Werner Heisenberg.

Werner Heisenberg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The main thing that einstein has given us is relativity theory i.e. physical laws on a large scale universe.

The problem with todays scientists are they latch on to evolutionary darwinism and relativity to strongly defend materialism while convenienty forgetting quantam physics which work totally opposite.

And now we have quantum physicts talking things like parallel universes; cyclic universes with more research; which were abhorred just recently and still by a large group of scientists who don't see anything beyond their ability to see directly.

Captain Cannabis · 05-23-2008, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vik*star*

^ It wasn't einstein who discovered quatum physics. It was actually Werner Heisenberg.

Werner Heisenberg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The main thing that einstein has given us is relativity theory i.e. physical laws on a large scale universe.

The problem with todays scientists are they latch on to evolutionary darwinism and relativity to strongly defend materialism while convenienty forgetting quantam physics which work totally opposite.

And now we have quantum physicts talking things like parallel universes; cyclic universes with more research; which were abhorred just recently and still by a large group of scientists who don't see anything beyond their ability to see directly.

sorry for the confusion. you're right it was a slip. einstein made pretty big contributions and i was referring to the doubt he had of his own findings. he pretty much refused to believe that the universe could have been born out of randomness.

i hope to someday be able to call myself a scientist and i'm not sure who you are referring too when you say that scientists have forgotten about quantum physics. it is a field alive and well with all kinds of crazy theories (ie: string and meta theory) and exciting research (CERN in geneva is going to be operational this summer!)

kamikazi89 · 12-28-2010, 05:43 AM

)

Mikey · 12-28-2010, 05:54 AM

ha!
that made for an interesting morning read

OldMan&TheWeed · 12-28-2010, 06:34 AM

What makes this letter interesting is it contradicts all the apocryphal religious quotes that Einstein never said, but are often put in his mouth.

kamikazi89 · 12-28-2010, 07:13 AM

Quote:

It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropomorphic concept which I cannot take seriously. I feel also not able to imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere. My views are near to those of Spinoza: admiration for the beauty of and belief in the logical simplicity of the order and harmony which we can grasp humbly and only imperfectly. I believe that we have to content ourselves with our imperfect knowledge and understanding and treat values and moral obligations as a purely human problem — the most important of all human problems.

and my personal fav:

Quote:

It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.

05-15-2008, 07:16 PM	#1 (permalink)
LetsPlayYourWay YaHookan Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 2,081 Thanks: 86 Thanked 255 Times in 183 Posts	Einstein: Nothing 'chosen' about the Jews, Bible 'childish' legends Einstein: Nothing 'chosen' about the Jews, Bible 'childish' legends Last update - 19:02 13/05/2008 Einstein: Nothing 'chosen' about the Jews, Bible 'childish' legends By Bradley Burston, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Judaism, Bible, God, Einstein Albert Einstein, writing in 1954, dismissed Judaism and other religions as "an incarnation of the most childish superstitions," though he said he gladly belonged to the Jewish people and felt a deep affinity for the Jews' "mentality," excerpts published on Tuesday showed. Einstein also said he saw nothing "chosen" about the Jews, and that they were no better than other peoples "although they are protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power." The renowned physicist, who died a little more than a year after writing the letter, also had tough words for God and the Bible, according to the text published by the British The Guardian daily. "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," the letter was quoted as saying. "No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this." The letter, written in German in January, 1954 to philosopher Eric Gutkind, is to be auctioned in London on Thursday, the paper said. Written in Einstein's hand, the letter, which has been in private hands for more than half a century, reportedly could sell for as much as 8,000 pounds sterling. Turning to Judaism, Einstein wrote that "For me the Jewish religion like all other religions is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions. And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality 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 I cannot see anything 'chosen' about them." Einstein: Nothing 'chosen' about the Jews, Bible 'childish' legends - Haaretz - Israel News

05-16-2008, 12:03 AM	#4 (permalink)
Mull D Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 4,555 Thanks: 455 Thanked 156 Times in 81 Posts	First of all it's a ridiculous point to make. Nobody really believes that Jewish people are chosen by anyone. There could be an article from The Onion with a headline like this, "Investigation into Judaism reveals Jews are not actually chosen by anyone." It's just what they like to call themselves. Nobody takes it seriously. Maybe some Jews do, but who cares? Last edited by Mull D; 05-16-2008 at 12:05 AM.

05-16-2008, 10:46 AM	#6 (permalink)
spicoli be love now Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Cali Posts: 548 Thanks: 99 Thanked 73 Times in 56 Posts	Einstein's scientific career is impressive. I remember him for that...not his spritual insights. __________________ The only thing that limits human beings is what we think we know. -me

05-16-2008, 03:10 PM	#8 (permalink)
Dutch Action Doge Speaker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 485 Thanks: 18 Thanked 9 Times in 6 Posts	Any individual of any colour/race/gender/religion/group that embraces the ideology of 'gods chosen' usually end up on a crumbling self-destructive path of hatred towards himself and others. We are all gods chosen, not just your colour/race/gender/religion/group and yours only. __________________ And so, Arthur, we learned that gambling is bad and yet in a certain sense, isn't life itself a gamble? You can never be sure of anything. Like who would have thought that dolphins could go bad and that fish were magnetic? Not me, no sir, not me.

05-17-2008, 06:51 AM	#10 (permalink)
spicoli be love now Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Cali Posts: 548 Thanks: 99 Thanked 73 Times in 56 Posts	well what the op failed to mention was that Einstein was a Deist. he believed that God created the earth, then walked away, having had no further interest in its creation. do you agree with him on that, too? __________________ The only thing that limits human beings is what we think we know. -me

05-15-2008, 08:59 PM	#2 (permalink)
Sugar420 Freedom Bird Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 6,132 Thanks: 39 Thanked 176 Times in 728 Posts	is this political? it sure isnt current events

05-17-2008, 07:30 AM	#11 (permalink)
GirlsHateMe Guest Posts: n/a	of course he doesnt agree with that, he only left it out because it diddnt support his little point of einstien belittling God... wich btw thread starter, other than theory of math and physics, einstien was a fucking idiot...

05-18-2008, 06:25 PM	#12 (permalink)
Vikstar YaHookan Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Auckland Posts: 160 Thanks: 27 Thanked 24 Times in 23 Posts	Einstein was a human being just like rest of us. He had his own opinions just like rest of us. Einstein saying god dosen't exist or religion is a bunk is no different than anyone here saying they are atheist. Its not like Einstein came back after being dead and confirmed to us that all religions are childish fantasy collections. So the whole is thing is insignificant in my opinion and I don't even know why they made news about it.

05-22-2008, 06:49 PM	#14 (permalink)
Captain Cannabis safety word: more Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: m.i.a. Posts: 13,920 Thanks: 2,704 Thanked 3,174 Times in 1,812 Posts	i think the coolest part about einstein was when he was discovering things in quantum physics he initially didn't believe that any of it could possibly be true god does play dice yo __________________ fuck the monkeys

05-23-2008, 05:03 AM	#15 (permalink)
Vikstar YaHookan Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Auckland Posts: 160 Thanks: 27 Thanked 24 Times in 23 Posts	^ It wasn't einstein who discovered quatum physics. It was actually Werner Heisenberg. Werner Heisenberg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The main thing that einstein has given us is relativity theory i.e. physical laws on a large scale universe. The problem with todays scientists are they latch on to evolutionary darwinism and relativity to strongly defend materialism while convenienty forgetting quantam physics which work totally opposite. And now we have quantum physicts talking things like parallel universes; cyclic universes with more research; which were abhorred just recently and still by a large group of scientists who don't see anything beyond their ability to see directly.

12-28-2010, 05:54 AM	#18 (permalink)
Mikey Seasoned YaHookan Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: gulf islands bc Posts: 7,442 Thanks: 1,144 Thanked 2,246 Times in 1,475 Posts	ha! that made for an interesting morning read __________________ RIP Gov

12-28-2010, 06:34 AM	#19 (permalink)
OldMan&TheWeed been there done that Join Date: May 2006 Location: The West Posts: 2,281 Thanks: 294 Thanked 800 Times in 406 Posts	What makes this letter interesting is it contradicts all the apocryphal religious quotes that Einstein never said, but are often put in his mouth. __________________ Nintey-three percent of what I say is brilliant, factual information and seven percent is complete bullshit. Have fun deciding which is which.

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