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To: Mr. Silverback
This is interesting. Are you really saying that you think that most people, when reading the phrase "believe in God" take that as meaning "is not a follower of Jesus Christ or Moses

It would be easier to understand if you actually looked into the subject of Einsteins beliefs. He was a classic rationalist agnostic. He did not believe in any supernatural intervention on Earth or an afterlife or prayer. He didn't accept the existance of any gods not even a creator, he just couldn't rule it out (because it is impossible to prove a negative). If you want to say he believed in a god fine. But he never said he did. He used the word god on a few ocasions to make a point. Just because Barbara Streisand sings Christmas caroles, doesn't make her a Christian.

121 posted on 01/03/2008 1:45:15 PM PST by Soliton
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To: Soliton
If you want to say he believed in a god fine. But he never said he did.

That's been disproved in this thread several times.

Sure, Einstein was no religionist. But you have put your foot in your mouth, and it's been fun watching you jump through hoops.

BTW...are you willing to answer these questions directly?

Are you really saying that you think that most people, when reading the phrase "believe in God" take that as meaning "is not a follower of Jesus Christ or Moses"? Do you think that someone reading "Einstein didn't believe in God" could reasonably wonder after reading it "Was he perhaps a Zoroastrian or an animist?"

127 posted on 01/03/2008 2:00:21 PM PST by Mr. Silverback (Support Scouting: Raising boys to be strong men and politically incorrect at the same time.)
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To: Soliton

Agnostic is a useless term, and historically it originated in the polemics over Darwin’s theory. Hyuxley was opposing his position to the “gnostics,” who were mainly clergymen with scientific interests who until his time dominated discourse. So it is sort of like Marx claims that his socialism was scientific—founded on facts— whereas, the “utopians” were not.
That said. Einstein spoke of God when he meant something like what Plato /Aristotle/the Stoics meant. The god of the philosophers that Pascal disclaimed. But Einstein also rejects the skepticism of a Lucretius, because some sort of ontology is needed for modern science. Even a radical unbeliever like Russell was a realist, who did not accept that rational order is a delusion. Likewise, the Darwinists who however, push an atheism that risks the acceptance of the skepticism from which the Scientific Revolution rescued an educated class disgusted by religious bigotry.


147 posted on 01/03/2008 6:12:20 PM PST by RobbyS
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