Einstein's historic 'God Letter' written shortly before death up for auction — opening bid

[torchbearer]

Einstein's historic 'God Letter' written shortly before death up for auction — opening bid

Opening bid- 3 million dollars
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/einstein-god-letter-auction-article-1.1176971

[h=4]Einstein's private letter, never intended for public viewing, will be up for auction on eBay from Oct. 8 to 18.[/h]

One of the most celebrated minds of the 20th century tackled one of the most contentious topics of all-time - and now his thoughts are up for auction, with an opening bid set at $3 million.
Albert Einstein penned some of his most trenchant critiques of religion in a letter to philosopher Eric B. Gutkind on Jan. 3, 1954, a year before he passed away.
Auction Cause will auction Einstein's "God Letter" on eBay from Oct. 8 to 18.
The handwritten letter, in German, was Einstein's response to Gutkind's book "Choose Life: The Biblical Call to Revolt." Although Einstein and Gutkind had a lot in common, in Einstein's estimation, Einstein disagreed with several of Gutkind's theological convictions.


The Word of God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish," Einstein wrote from his home in Princeton, N.J.
He claimed that no interpretation, no matter how sophisticated, could sway his stance.

Einstein also responded to Gutkind's written statements on Israel and the Jewish people. "Israel's soul could not be hypnotized," Gutkind wrote, "it never succumbed to hypnotic assaults. … The soul of Israel is incorruptible."
Einstein said that Judaism - like all other religions - is "an incarnation of the most childish superstitions." He said that he is glad to belong to the Jewish people but that they have "no different quality for me than all other people."
"As far as my experience goes," he continued, "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."
Joan Stambaugh translated the portions of the letter quoted above into English.
The letter - known to the scientific community for more than 50 years - will be auctioned with its original envelope, stamp and postmark.
The letter was previously sold for $404,000 through Bloomsbury Auctions in London, reported The New York Times.
In a different letter, dated March 24, 1954, Einstein rejected the notion of a personal god, but explained his sense of wonder that could be considered somewhat spiritual.
"If something is in me," Einstein wrote, "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."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/einstein-god-letter-auction-article-1.1176971#ixzz28dN5CyKX



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/einstein-god-letter-auction-article-1.1176971#ixzz28dN01IO8

 

[tangent4ronpaul]

Thank GOD that our extreme uber religious right members have bailed on this forum, or there would be a spectacular fireworks show this afternoon.

And I'm all out of popcorn!

-t

 

[torchbearer]

Thank GOD that our extreme uber religious right members have bailed on this forum, or there would be a spectacular fireworks show this afternoon.

And I'm all out of popcorn!

-t

add in the topic of Judaism and the chosen people and it would be on-

check out this part of the quote-

Einstein also responded to Gutkind's written statements on Israel and the Jewish people. "Israel's soul could not be hypnotized," Gutkind wrote, "it never succumbed to hypnotic assaults. … The soul of Israel is incorruptible."
Einstein said that Judaism - like all other religions - is "an incarnation of the most childish superstitions." He said that he is glad to belong to the Jewish people but that they have "no different quality for me than all other people."
"As far as my experience goes," he continued, "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."

well, the jews now have the cancers of power.
Einstein sounding anti-state.

 

[sailingaway]

Thank GOD that our extreme uber religious right members have bailed on this forum, or there would be a spectacular fireworks show this afternoon.

And I'm all out of popcorn!

-t

No, people are religious here, and some aren't. But people who are religious honestly seem less needy to shove their view down other people's throats on these boards, imho.

Einstein was a very intelligent man, and was entitled to his own opinions. Some on the religious side might think it was from arrogance that since he could see causes for so much, he felt he was able to determine causes not put there by God, in all things. But obviously, there are a wealth of views.

I kind of like religious people even when they are theologically bound in ways I can't agree with, because at least they recognize they personally are not God. But I respect everyone's ability to have their own view.

It is, after all, between them and God......

 

[tttppp]

It seems Einstein is admitting it was a mistake wasting his time finding a theory of everything that proved God. I've always believed he failed because he mistakenly believed there was God.

 

[jmdrake]

Thank GOD that our extreme uber religious right members have bailed on this forum, or there would be a spectacular fireworks show this afternoon.

And I'm all out of popcorn!

-t

Why should Einstein's view on the lack of God be any more a problem to religious people than Ron Paul's statement of faith in God is for atheist? (In other words, it's not a problem)

 

[nobody's_hero]

LMAO @ myself. I'm sitting here trying to read it, thinking how terrible his handwriting is and I can't make sense of any of it, and then it struck me that it is not written in English.

 

[robert9712000]

He may have been intelligent ,but he wasn't very wise if he completely dismissed the possibility of God

 

[awake]

In other words science was his god. What he could experience and measure with his senses was all there was. Seeing and proving was believing.

He was a socialist as well.

He was a smart man but not smart in every single thing. This is the mistake people make all too often, they assume a genius knows everything when in reality he knows a limited area of knowledge very well, and because of this, they are assumed to know every human question.

 

[tttppp]

He may have been intelligent ,but he wasn't very wise if he completely dismissed the possibility of God

You are forgeting that Einstein was supposedly a strong believer in God most of his life and even attempted to prove the existence of God. Him admitting defeat tells you something.

 

[torchbearer]

He may have been intelligent ,but he wasn't very wise if he completely dismissed the possibility of God

well, most of these guys would say if 'God' is the man in the clouds from the story of the bible, then no- because

[the Bible a collection of honorable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish

kinda like when you read the stories of greek mythology and you can see how silly they are. people took those as truths in the same way as people take the bible stories from genesis on as literal true stories of their god.
though, if you look at god as the collection of physical laws that consist of our growing understand of this thing we are in... those scientist like einstein, sagan, and hawkins could keep an open mind to a god like that...

So it was more of an objection to this old world view of a god through a primitive people's understanding of the world around them.
imagine if all our industry was based on tech of the time of jesus, and anytime anyone try to come up with something new they were stoned for the heresy. we wouldn't be very productive.

 

[acptulsa]

Einstein seemed to me to believe in God, but not in God as micromanager. A proponent of 'intelligent design' could probably have counted Einstein as an ally, and could certainly use his writings to support the intelligent design viewpoint.

When I see both 'God as micromanager' fundamentalists, and prosthelatizers of Athiesm pointing to Einstein as proof of their position, I do what I usually do. I laugh at both of them.

 

[Napolitanic Wars]

Einstein was bitter in his later years because he couldn't put all the mysteries of the Universe into a simple equation. He said

God does not play dice.

-- Albert Einstein

To which Bohr responded:

Stop telling God what to do with his dice.

― Niels Bohr

 

[torchbearer]

Einstein was bitter in his later years because he couldn't put all the mysteries of the Universe into a simple equation. He said


-- Albert Einstein

To which Bohr responded:


― Niels Bohr

think about the years of einsteins life... we take it for granted our understanding of the solar system/galaxy/universe we are in....
in his time, the galaxy was the universe, mars could have a civilization... everything was static... etc.
einstein was the first to make inroads on our current understanding.
einstein was wrong about the static universe., hubble proved the expanding universe of galaxies near the end of einstein's life.

 

[VIDEODROME]

Einstein's take on God seems similar to Spinoza. Basically an impersonal God. Or nearly like Pantheism.

 

[torchbearer]

Einstein's take on God seems similar to Spinoza. Basically an impersonal God. Or nearly like Pantheism.

yeah, kinda what i was saying, but you said it better.
people often mistake attacking religions and religious books/stories with being anti-god, which it isn't.

 

[Carehn]

Einstein had a touch of rain man in him. As most people like him do. Its like having a super like power in math and physics but having trouble lacing your shoes. Look at tesla. Most of them are super geniuse and half retarded at the same time.

Note to readers : I am in no way calling a belief in any God retarded. My post is related to other matters.

 

[Carehn]

Einstein's take on God seems similar to Spinoza. Basically an impersonal God. Or nearly like Pantheism.

The clock maker God is the one Im most likely to believe in in my moments of belief.

 

[VIDEODROME]

The clock maker God is the one Im most likely to believe in in my moments of belief.

I think some people might be inclined to think the "Clock" and God are one in the same.

Whether looking outward at the Milky Way and beyond, or downward at the microscopic or sub-atomic world. Seeing the grand design in motion in detail brings a stronger sense of wonder to many people then church ritual and sermons.

 

[VIDEODROME]