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Tell that to the Creationist who brought Einstein into the discussion. The Evolutionists on this thread were merely trying to correct the falsehood that Einstein was a believer in a theistic God.

From posts 26 and 71 in this thread I got the impression people were quoting Einstein not merely to refute claims that Einstein believed in a personal God; but also to lend credence to their own assertions in that direction.

I agree (Childish paraphrase 1) "No Fair! They Started It!"--
but if any of the Evo's were quoting Einstein to bolster the luster of their own position, then they are in fact arguing from authority; and as such, acting as "scientific" hypocrites, engaging in a double standard for evidence.

Childish Paraphrase 2: "You can't argue from authority for religiion, because argument from authority is invalid.
For we, the sage seekers of empirical wisdom, have surpassed reliance on authority with the all encompassing gaze of scientism.
And by the way, poopy-heads, you are so too wrong, because look at all these famous scientists who agree with US."

If you're gonna argue for the supremacy of science, don't let your frustration with non-scientists take you down to their non-rigorous methods.

And oh, for the Creationists:

Threatening people with Hell is probably not the best way to change people's hearts and minds. Realize that science is about reproducible measurement and observations, (hopefully under controlled conditions) and the careful construction of models to explain said observations. It is not concerned primarily with morality. So please realize that just as you consider many of the evo's statements to contain major philosophical or theological blunders, they too have professional standards, and apparently many of the arguments for ID do not pass scientific muster.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled flamewars.

Cheers!

"From posts 26 and 71 in this thread I got the impression people were quoting Einstein not merely to refute claims that Einstein believed in a personal God; but also to lend credence to their own assertions in that direction."

You got the wrong impression.

" I agree (Childish paraphrase 1) "No Fair! They Started It!"--
but if any of the Evo's were quoting Einstein to bolster the luster of their own position, then they are in fact arguing from authority; and as such, acting as "scientific" hypocrites, engaging in a double standard for evidence."

They weren't. They were showing that Einstein was no Theist.

" Childish Paraphrase 2: "You can't argue from authority for religiion, because argument from authority is invalid.
For we, the sage seekers of empirical wisdom, have surpassed reliance on authority with the all encompassing gaze of scientism.
And by the way, poopy-heads, you are so too wrong, because look at all these famous scientists who agree with US.""

You are correct. These are childish paraphrases.

Although Einstein never came to believe in a personal God, he recognized the impossibility of a non-created universe. The Encyclopedia Britannica says of him: "Firmly denying atheism, Einstein expressed a belief in "Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the harmony of what exists." This actually motivated his interest in science, as he once remarked to a young physicist: "I want to know how God created this world, I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts, the rest are details." Einstein's famous epithet on the "uncertainty principle" was "God does not play dice" - and to him this was a real statement about a God in whom he believed. A famous saying of his was "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

For a man who read the Torah daily and constantly mentioned GOD
How does that make him an atheist?
I don't believe in the Easter bunny and I don't mention him in my research.

Also if you don't think ethics concerns science tell that to the
fetal cell researchers and the cloning part of the scientific community.

Why should we worry about the value and sanctity of human life when playing god, right?

Being a lover of freedom I looked to the universities to defend it, knowing that they had always boasted of their devotion to the cause of truth; but, no, the universities immediately were silenced. Then I looked to the great editors of the newspapers whose flaming editorials in days gone by had proclaimed their love of freedom, but they, like the universities, were silenced in a few short weeks. Only the church stood squarely across the path of Hitler's campaign for suppressing the 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 to confess that what I once despised I now praise unreservedly.