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Religious views of Albert Einstein

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia(Redirected fromAlbert Einstein's religious views)

Albert Einstein, 1921.

Albert Einstein's religious viewshave been studied extensively. He said he believed in the"pantheistic"God ofBaruch Spinoza,but not in apersonal god,a belief he criticized. Healso called himself anagnostic,while disassociating himself from the labelatheist,preferring, he said, "an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of ourintellectual understanding of nature and of our own being."[1][2]

Contents

1 Early childhood 2 Beliefs

o 2.1 Personal God and the afterlifeo 2.2 Agnosticism, Deism and atheismo 2.3 Determinismo 2.4 Moral philosophyo 2.5 Cosmic spirituality

3 Jewish identity 4 Christian churches

o 4.1 William Hermanns conversations 5 References 6 External links

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Early childhood

Einstein was raised bysecular Jewishparents. In hisAutobiographical Notes, Einsteinwrote that he had gradually lost his faith early in childhood:

. . . I came

though the child of entirely irreligious (Jewish) parents

to a deepreligiousness, which, however, reached an abrupt end at the age of twelve. Through thereading of popular scientific books I soon reached the conviction that much in the stories of

theBiblecould not be true. The consequence was a positively fanatic orgy offreethinking

coupled with the impression that youth is intentionally being deceived by the state throughlies; it was a crushing impression. Mistrust of every kind of authority grew out of this

experience, a skeptical attitude toward the convictions that were alive in any specific social

environmentan attitude that has never again left me, even though, later on, it has been

tempered by a better insight into the causal connections. It is quite clear to me that thereligious paradise of youth, which was thus lost, was a first attempt to free myself from the

chains of the 'merely personal,' from an existence dominated by wishes, hopes, and

primitive feelings. Out yonder there was this huge world, which exists independently of ushuman beings and which stands before us like a great, eternal riddle, at least partiallyaccessible to our inspection and thinking. The contemplation of this world beckoned as a

liberation, and I soon noticed that many a man whom I had learned to esteem and to

admire had found inner freedom and security in its pursuit. The mental grasp of this extra-personal world within the frame of our capabilities presented itself to my mind, half

consciously, half unconsciously, as a supreme goal. Similarly motivated men of the present

and of the past, as well as the insights they had achieved, were the friends who could not be

lost. The road to this paradise was not as comfortable and alluring as the road to thereligious paradise; but it has shown itself reliable, and I have never regretted having

chosen it.[3]

Beliefs

Einstein used many labels to describe his religious views, including "agnostic",[4]"religiousnonbeliever"[5]and a"pantheistic"[6]believer in "Spinoza's God."[7]

Personal God and the afterlife

Einstein expressed hisskepticismregarding an anthropomorphic deity, often describing itas "nave" and "childlike". He stated, "It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an

anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I feel also not able to imagine somewill or goal outside the human sphere. My views are near those of Spinoza: admiration forthe beauty of and belief in the logical simplicity of the order which we can grasp humblyand only imperfectly. I believe that we have to content ourselves with our imperfectknowledge and understanding and treat values and moral obligations as a purely humanproblemthe most important of all human problems."[8]

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On 22 March 1954 Einstein received a letter from Joseph Dispentiere, an Italian immigrantwho had worked as anexperimental machinistinNew Jersey.Dispentiere had declaredhimself an atheist and was disappointed by a news report which had cast Einstein asconventionally religious. Einstein replied on 24 March 1954:

It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is beingsystematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this buthave expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is theunbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it .[9]

In a letter to Beatrice Frohlich, 17 December 1952 Einstein stated, "The idea of a personalGod is quite alien to me and seems even nave."[10]Eric Gutkindsent a copy of his book"Choose Life: The Biblical Call To Revolt"[11]to Einstein in 1954. Einstein sent Gutkind aletter in response and wrote, "The word God is for me nothing more than the expressionand product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitivelegends. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this. These subtilisedinterpretations are highly manifold according to their nature and have almost nothing to dowith the original text."[12][13][14]

On 24 April 1929, EinsteincabledRabbiHerbert S. Goldsteinin German: "I believe inSpinoza's God,who reveals himself in the harmony of all that exists, not in a God whoconcerns himself with the fate and the doings of mankind."[15]He expanded on this inwritten answers he gave to a Japanese scholar on his views on science and religion, whichappeared as a limited edition publication, on the occasion of Einstein's 50th birthday:

Scientific research can reduce superstition by encouraging people to think and view thingsin terms of cause and effect. Certain it is that a conviction, akin to religious feeling, of therationality and intelligibility of the world lies behind all scientific work of a higher order...This firm belief, a belief bound up with a deep feeling, in a superior mind that reveals itselfin the world of experience, represents my conception of God. In common parlance this maybe described as "pantheistic" (Spinoza).[16]

On the question of anafterlifeEinstein stated to aBaptistpastor, "I do not believe inimmortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concernwith no superhuman authority behind it."[17]This sentiment was also expressed in Einstein'sThe World as I See It,stating: "I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes hiscreatures, or has a will of the type of which we are conscious in ourselves. An individualwho should survive his physical death is also beyond my comprehension, nor do I wish itotherwise; such notions are for the fears or absurd egoism of feeble souls. Enough for methe mystery of the eternity of life, and the inkling of the marvellous structure of reality,together with the single-hearted endeavour to comprehend a portion, be it never so tiny, ofthe reason that manifests itself in nature."[18]

Agnosticism, Deism and atheism

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Einstein rejected the label atheist. Einstein stated: "I have repeatedly said that in myopinion the idea of apersonal Godis a childlike one. You may call me an agnostic, but I donot share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to apainful act of liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in youth. Iprefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual

understanding of nature and of our own being."

[1]

According toPrince Hubertus,Einsteinsaid, "In view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, amable to recognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what really makes meangry is that they quote me for the support of such views."[19]

Einstein had previously explored the belief that man could not understand the nature ofGod. In an interview published in 1930 inG. S. Viereck's book Glimpses of the Great,Einstein, in response to a question about whether or not he believed in God, explained:

Your question [about God] is the most difficult in the world. It is not a question I cananswer simply with yes or no. I am not an Atheist. I do not know if I can define myself as aPantheist. The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds. May I not reply with aparable? The human mind, no matter how highly trained, cannot grasp the universe. We arein the position of a little child, entering a huge library whose walls are covered to theceiling with books in many different tongues. The child knows that someone must havewritten those books. It does not know who or how. It does not understand the languages inwhich they are written. The child notes a definite plan in the arrangement of the books, amysterious order, which it does not comprehend, but only dimly suspects. That, it seems tome, is the attitude of the human mind, even the greatest and most cultured, toward God. Wesee a universe marvelously arranged, obeying certain laws, but we understand the laws onlydimly. Our limited minds cannot grasp the mysterious force that sways the constellations. Iam fascinated by Spinoza's Pantheism. I admire even more his contributions to modernthought. Spinoza is the greatest of modern philosophers, because he is the first philosopherwho deals with the soul and the body as one, not as two separate things.[20]

In a 1950 letter to M. Berkowitz, Einstein stated that "My position concerning God is thatof anagnostic.I am convinced that a vivid consciousness of the primary importance ofmoral principles for the betterment and ennoblement of life does not need the idea of a law-giver, especially a law-giver who works on the basis of reward and punishment."[21]

According to biographerWalter Isaacson,Einstein was more inclined to denigratedisbelievers than the faithful.[22]Einstein said in correspondence, "[T]he fanaticalatheists...are like slaves who are still feeling the weight of their chains which they havethrown off after hard struggle. They are creatures whoin their grudge against thetraditional 'opium of the people'cannot bear themusic of the spheres."[22][23]Although hedid not believe in a personal God, he indicated that he would never seek to combat suchbelief because "such a belief seems to me preferable to the lack of anytranscendentaloutlook."[24]

In 1945 Guy Raner, Jr. wrote a letter to Einstein, asking him if it was true that aJesuitpriest had caused Einstein to convert from atheism. Einstein replied, "I have never talked toa Jesuit priest in my life and I am astonished by the audacity to tell such lies about me.

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From the viewpoint of a Jesuit priest I am, of course, and have always been an atheist. ... Itis always misleading to use anthropomorphical concepts in dealing with things outside thehuman spherechildish analogies. We have to admire in humility the beautiful harmony ofthe structure of this worldas far as we can grasp it, and that is all."[25]

Determinism

Like Spinoza, Einstein was a strictdeterministwho believed that human behavior wascompletely determined by causal laws. For that reason, he refused the chance aspect ofquantum theory, rejecting the concept of a god playing dice with the universe.[26]In letterssent to physicistMax Born,Einstein revealed his devout belief in causal relationships:

You believe in a God who plays dice, and I in complete law and order in a world whichobjectively exists, and which I in a wildly speculative way, am trying to capture. I firmlybelieve, but I hope that someone will discover a more realistic way, or rather a moretangible basis than it has been my lot to find. Even the great initial success of the quantum

theory does not make me believe in the fundamental dice game, although I am well awarethat some of our younger colleagues interpret this as a consequence of senility.[27]

Einstein's emphasis on 'belief' and how it connected withdeterminismwas illustrated in aletter of condolence responding to news of the death of one of his lifelong friends. Einsteinwrote to the family: "Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me.That signifies nothing. For us believing physicists the distinction between past, present, andfuture is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."[28]

Einstein had admitted to a fascination with philosopher Spinoza's deterministic version ofpantheism. American philosopherCharles Hartshorne,in seeking to distinguish

deterministic views with his own belief of free will panentheism, coined the distincttypology "Classical pantheism"to distinguish the views of those who hold similar positionsto Spinoza's deterministic version of pantheism.[29]

Moral philosophy

Einstein was aHumanistand a supporter of theEthical Culture movement.He served onthe advisory board of theFirst Humanist Society of New York.[30]For the seventy-fifthanniversary of theNew York Society for Ethical Culture, he stated that the idea of EthicalCulture embodied his personal conception of what is most valuable and enduring inreligious idealism. He observed, "Without 'ethical culture' there is no salvation for

humanity."

[31]

He was an honorary associate of theBritish Humanist organization,theRationalist Press Associationand its journal was among the items present on his desk at hisdeath.[citation needed]

With regard toDivine command theory,Einstein stated, "I cannot imagine a God whorewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after ourowna God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe thatthe individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts

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through fear or ridiculous egotisms."[32]"A God who rewards and punishes is inconceivableto him for the simple reason that a man's actions are determined by necessity, external andinternal, so that in God's eyes he cannot be responsible, any more than an inanimate objectis responsible for the motions it undergoes. Science has therefore been charged withundermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's ethical behavior should be based

effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis isnecessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear ofpunishment and hopes of reward after death. It is therefore easy to see why the churcheshave always fought science and persecuted its devotees."[33]

On the importance of ethics he wrote, "The most important human endeavor is the strivingfor morality in our actions. Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it.Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life. To make this a living forceand bring it to clear consciousness is perhaps the foremost task of education. Thefoundation of morality should not be made dependent on myth nor tied to any authority lestdoubt about the myth or about the legitimacy of the authority imperil the foundation ofsound judgment and action."[34]"I do not believe that a man should be restrained in hisdaily actions by being afraid of punishment after death or that he should do things onlybecause in this way he will be rewarded after he dies. This does not make sense. The properguidance during the life of a man should be the weight that he puts upon ethics and theamount of consideration that he has for others."[35]"I cannot conceive of a personal Godwho would directly influence the actions of individuals, or would directly sit in judgmenton creatures of his own creation. I cannot do this in spite of the fact that mechanisticcausalityhas, to a certain extent, been placed in doubt by modern science. My religiosityconsists in a humble admiration of the infinitely superior spirit that reveals itself in the littlethat we, with our weak and transitory understanding, can comprehend of reality. Morality isof the highest importancebut for us, not for God."[36]

Cosmic spirituality

In his 1949 bookThe World as I See It,he wrote: "A knowledge of the existence ofsomething we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and themost radiant beauty, which are only accessible to our reason in their most elementaryformsit is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute the truly religious attitude; inthis sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man."[37]

Einstein referred to his belief system as "cosmic religion" and authored aneponymousarticle on the subject in 1954, which later became his bookIdeas and Opinionsin 1955.[38]The belief system recognized a "miraculous order which manifests itself in all of nature aswell as in the world of ideas," devoid of a personal God who rewards and punishesindividuals based on their behavior. It rejected a conflict betweenscience and religion,andheld that cosmic religion was necessary for science.[38]He told William Hermanns in aninterview that "God is a mystery. But a comprehensible mystery. I have nothing but awewhen I observe the laws of nature. There are not laws without a lawgiver, but how does thislawgiver look? Certainly not like a man magnified."[39]He added with a smile "some

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centuries ago I would have been burned or hanged. Nonetheless, I would have been in goodcompany."[39]

In a 1930New York Timesarticle, Einstein distinguished three human impulses whichdevelopreligious belief:fear, social morality, and a cosmic religious feeling. A primitive

understanding ofcausalitycauses fear, and the fearful invent supernatural beings analogousto themselves. The desire for love and support create a social and moral need for a supremebeing; both these styles have ananthropomorphicconcept of God. The third style, whichEinstein deemed most mature, originates in a deep sense of awe and mystery. He said, theindividual feels "the sublimity and marvelous order which reveal themselves in nature ...and he wants to experience the universe as a single significant whole." Einstein saw scienceas an antagonist of the first two styles of religious belief, but as a partner in the third.[40]Hemaintained, "even though the realms of religion and science in themselves are clearlymarked off from each other" there are "strong reciprocal relationships and dependencies" asaspirations for truth derive from the religious sphere. For Einstein, "science withoutreligion is lame, religion without science is blind."[40]He continued:

a person who is religiously enlightened appears to me to be one who has, to the best of his

ability, liberated himself from the fetters of his selfish desires and is preoccupied with

thoughts, feelings and aspirations to which he clings because of their super-personal value.It seems to me that what is important is the force of this superpersonal content ...

regardless of whether any attempt is made to unite this content with a Divine Being, for

otherwise it would not be possible to countBuddhaandSpinozaas religious personalities.Accordingly a religious person is devout in the sense that he has no doubt of the

significance of those super-personal objects and goals which neither require nor are

capable of rational foundation ... In this sense religion is the age-old endeavor of mankind

to become clearly and completely conscious of these values and goals and constantly tostrengthen and extend their effect. If one conceives of religion and science according tothese definitions then a conflict between them appears impossible. For science can only

ascertain what is, but not what should be...[40]

An understanding of causality was fundamental to Einstein's ethical beliefs. In Einstein'sview, "the doctrine of a personal God interfering with natural events could never be refuted,in the real sense, by science," for religion can always take refuge in areas that science cannot yet explain. It was Einstein's belief that in the "struggle for the ethical good, teachers ofreligion must have the stature to give up the doctrine of a personal God, that is, give up thatsource of fear and hope" and cultivate the "Good, the True, and the Beautiful in humanityitself."[40]

Jewish identity

In a letter toEric Gutkinddated 3 January 1954, Einstein wrote in German, "For me theunalteredJewish religionlike all other religions is an incarnation of the most primitivesuperstitions. And theJewish peopleto whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality Ihave a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other people. As far as myexperience goes, they are also no better than other human groups, although they are

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protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power. Otherwise I cannot see anything'chosen'about them."[13][14][41][42]

In an interview published byTimemagazine withGeorge Sylvester Viereck,Einstein spokeof his feelings about Christianity.[22]Born in Germany in 1884 Viereck supported German

nationalism, but was not anti-semitic.

[43]

He was jailed in America in 1942

[44]

for being aGerman propagandist.[citation needed]Like Einstein[45][46]Varieck was a pacifist; Varieck wasaccused of treason and expelled from the American Author's League because of his articlesattacking war.[47]At the time of the interview Einstein was informed that Viereck was notJewish,[48]but stated that Viereck had "..the psychic adaptability of the Jew," making itpossible for Einstein to talk to him "without barrier."[49]Viereck began by asking Einstein ifhe considered himself a German or a Jew, to which Einstein responded, "It's possible to beboth." Viereck moved along in the interview to ask Einstein if Jews should try toassimilate,to which Einstein replied "We Jews have been too eager to sacrifice our idiosyncrasies inorder to conform."[22]Einstein was then asked to what extent he was influenced byChristianity. "As a child I received instruction both in theBibleand in theTalmud.I am aJew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure ofthe Nazarene."[22]Einstein was thenasked if he accepted thehistorical existence of Jesus,to which he replied, "Unquestionably!No one can read theGospelswithout feeling the actual presence ofJesus.His personalitypulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life."[22]

He stressed however in a conversation with William Hermanns that, "I seriously doubt thatJesus himself said that he was God, for he was too much a Jew to violate that greatcommandment:Hear O Israel, the Eternal is our God and He is one!'andnot two orthree."[50]Einstein lamented, "Sometimes I think it would have been better if Jesus hadnever lived. No name was so abused for the sake of power!"[50]Nevertheless, he alsoexpressed his belief that "if one purges the Judaism of the Prophets and Christianity asJesus Christ taught it of all subsequent additions, especially those of the priests, one is leftwith a teaching which is capable of curing all the social ills of humanity."[51]

Christian churches

The only Jewish school inMunichhad been closed in 1872 for want of students, and in theabsence of an alternative Einstein attended Catholic elementary school.[52]He also receivedJewish religious education at home, but he did not see a cleave between the two faiths, ashe perceived the "sameness of all religions."[53]Einstein was equally impressed by thestories of theHebrew Bibleand thePassion of Jesus.[53]According to biographerWalterIsaacson,Einstein immensely enjoyed the Catholic religion courses which he received at

the school.[22]

The teachers at his school were liberal and generally made no distinctionbetween student's religions, although some harbored an innate but mild antisemitism.[54]Einstein later recalled an incident involving a teacher who particularly liked him, "One daythat teacher brought a long nail to the lesson and told the students that with such nailsChrist had been nailed to the Cross by the Jews" and that "Among the children at theelementary school anti-Semitism was prevalent...Physical attacks and insults on the wayhome from school were frequent, but for the most part not too vicious."[54]Einstein noted,"That was at a Catholic school; how much worse the antisemitism must be in other Prussian

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schools, one can only imagine."[55]He would later in life recall that "The religion of thefathers, as I encountered it in Munich during religious instruction and in the synagogue,repelled rather than attracted me."[56]

In 1940Timemagazine quoted Einstein lauding the Church for its role in opposing the

Nazis:

Only the Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler's campaign for suppressing truth.

I never had any special interest in the Church before, but now I feel a great affection andadmiration because the Church alone has had the courage and persistence to stand for

intellectual truth and moral freedom. I am forced thus to confess that what I once despised

I now praise unreservedly.[57]

The quotation has since been repeatedly cited by defenders ofPope Pius XII.[58]Aninvestigation of the quotation by mathematicianWilliam C. Waterhouseand Barbara Wolffof theEinstein ArchivesinJerusalemfound that the statement was mentioned in anunpublished letter from 1947. In the letter to Count Montgelas, Einstein explained that theoriginal comment was a casual one made to a journalist regarding the support of "a fewchurchmen" for individual rights and intellectual freedom during the early rule of Hitler andthat, according to Einstein, the comment had been drastically exaggerated.[58]

In 2008 theAntiques Roadshowtelevision program aired a manuscript expert, CatherineWilliamson, authenticating a letter from Einstein in which he confirms that he "made astatement which corresponds approximately" to Timemagazine's quotation of him,however "I made this statement during the first years of the Nazi regimemuch earlierthan 1940and my expressions were a little more moderate."[59]

On 11 November 1950 the Rev. Cornelius Greenway of Brooklyn wrote a letter to Einsteinwhich had also quoted his alleged remarks about the Church. Einstein responded, "I am,however, a little embarrassed. The wording of the statement you have quoted is not myown. Shortly after Hitler came to power in Germany I had an oral conversation with anewspaper man about these matters. Since then my remarks have been elaborated andexaggerated nearly beyond recognition. I cannot in good conscience write down thestatement you sent me as my own. The matter is all the more embarrassing to me because I,like yourself, I am predominantly critical concerning the activities, and especially thepolitical activities, through history of the official clergy. Thus, my former statement, even ifreduced to my actual words (which I do not remember in detail) gives a wrong impressionof my general attitude."[60]

Catholic CardinalWilliam Henry O'Connellspoke about Einstein's perceived lack of belief,"The outcome of this doubt and befogged speculation abouttime and spaceis a cloakbeneath which hides the ghastly apparition of atheism."[61]A Bronx Rabbi criticized boththe Cardinal and Einstein for opining on matters outside their expertise: "Einstein wouldhave done better had he not proclaimed his nonbelief in a God who is concerned with fatesand actions of individuals. Both have handed down dicta outside their jurisdiction."[62]TheCatholic priest and broadcasterFulton Sheenwhose intellect Einstein admired, even

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calling him "one of the most intelligent people in today's world"[63]described Einstein'sNew York Timesarticle "the sheerest kind of stupidity and nonsense."[64]

William Hermanns conversations

Einstein's conversations with William Hermanns were recorded over a 34-yearcorrespondence. In the conversations Einstein makes various statements about the ChristianChurches in general and the Catholic Church in particular: "When you learn the history ofthe Catholic Church, you wouldn't trust theCenter Party.Hasn't Hitler promised to smashthe Bolsheviks in Russia? The Church will bless its Catholic soldiers to march alongsidethe Nazis" (March 1930).[65]"I predict that the Vatican will support Hitler if he comes topower. The Church since Constantine has always favoured the authoritarian State, as longas the State allows the Church to baptize and instruct the masses" (March 1930) .[66]"Sooften in history the Jews have been the instigators of justice and reform whether in Spain,Germany or Russia. But no sooner have they done their job than their 'friends', oftenblessed by the Church, spit in their faces" (August 1943).[67]

"But what makes me shudder is that the Catholic Church is silent. One doesn't need to be aprophet to say, 'The Catholic Church will pay for this silence...I do not say that theunspeakable crimes of the Church for 2,000 years had always the blessing of the Vatican,but it vaccinated its believers with the idea: We have the true God, and the Jews havecrucified Him.' The Church sowed hate instead of love, though the ten commandmentsstate: Thou shalt not kill" (August 1943).[68]"With a few exceptions, the Roman CatholicChurch has stressed the value of dogma and ritual, conveying the idea theirs is the only wayto reach heaven. I don't need to go to Church to hear if I'm good or bad; my heart tells methis" (August 1943).[69]"I don't like to implant in youth the Church's doctrine of a personalGod, because that Church has behaved so inhumanly in the past 2,000 years... Consider the

hate the Church manifested against the Jews and then against the Muslims, theCrusadeswith their crimes, the burning stakes of theinquisition,the tacit consent of Hitler's actionswhile the Jews and the Poles dug their own graves and were slaughtered. And Hitler is saidto have been an altar boy!" (August 1943).[69]

"Yes" Einstein replied vehemently, "It is indeed human, as proved byCardinal Pacelli(thefuturePope Pius XII), who was behind theConcordatwith Hitler. Since when can onemake a pact with Christ and Satan at the same time?" (August 1943).[69]"The Church hasalways sold itself to those in power, and agreed to any bargain in return for immunity."(August 1943)[70]"If I were allowed to give advice to the Churches," Einstein continued, "Iwould tell them to begin with a conversion among themselves, and to stop playing powerpolitics. Consider what mass misery they have produced inSpain,South AmericaandRussia." (September 1948).[69]

In response to a Catholic convert who asked "Didn't you state that the Church was the onlyopponent of Communism?" Einstein replied, "I don't have to emphasise that the Church atlast became a strong opponent of National Socialism, as well." Einstein's secretaryHelenDukasadded, "Dr. Einstein didn't mean only the Catholic church, but all churches."[71]When the convert mentioned that family members had been gassed by the Nazis, Einstein

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replied that "he also felt guiltyadding that the whole Church, beginning with the Vatican,should feel guilt." (September 1948)[71]

"About God, I cannot accept any concept based on the authority of the Church... As long asI can remember. I have resented mass indoctrination. I cannot prove to you there is no

personal God, but if I were to speak of him, I would be a liar. I do not believe in the God oftheology who rewards good and punishes evil. His universe is not ruled by wishfulthinking, but by immutable laws" (1954).[72]William Miller ofLife Magazinewho waspresent at this meeting described Einstein as looking like a "living saint" and speaking with"angelic indifference."[73]

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University Press,p. 216.Albert Einstein,"Religion and Science"New York TimesMagazine(9 Nov. 1930): 3-4.

34.Dukas, Helen (1981).Albert Einstein, The Human Side. Princeton: PrincetonUniversity Press,p. 95.Letter to a Brooklyn minister November 20, 1950.

35.Bucky, Peter (1992). The Private Albert Einstein. Kansas City: Andrews &McMeel, p. 86.

36.Dukas, Helen (1981).Albert Einstein, The Human Side. Princeton: PrincetonUniversity Press,p. 66.

37.Einstein, Albert