Big Bang

[The Flying Tench]

1. Who is 'we'?
   
2. What is all this talk about Einstien being a Theist? Einstien was as much an atheist as I.
   

 

'We' is you and I.

 

I don't think you could describe Einstein as an atheist. For example he said 'I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in ....(a personal god)'. I think most people would describe Spinoza's belief as pantheism rather than theism.

 

J

[corydoras]

'We' is you and I.

 

I don't think you could describe Einstein as an atheist. For example he said 'I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in ....(a personal god)'. I think most people would describe Spinoza's belief as pantheism rather than theism.

 

J

Einstin would have disagreed with you. At best he was a deist. He certainly didn't beleive in any personal god that answered prayers or intereded in the day-to-day running of the universe.

 

Christianity is a pantheism, especially if one is a Roman Catholic.

[chesters1]

'We' is you and I.

 

I don't think you could describe Einstein as an atheist. For example he said 'I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in ....(a personal god)'. I think most people would describe Spinoza's belief as pantheism rather than theism.

 

J

 

thats strange my original post has disappeared.

 

both einstein and spinoza were jews so are we talking about the jewish god or the christian one ,there seems to be a belief they are supposedly different

or is there another one ? (besides the known ones)?

Edited December 4, 2009 by chesters1

[The Flying Tench]

Einstin would have disagreed with you. At best he was a deist. He certainly didn't beleive in any personal god that answered prayers or intereded in the day-to-day running of the universe.

 

Christianity is a pantheism, especially if one is a Roman Catholic.

 

If you look up Spinoza in Wikipedia for example you will see it concludes that he was pantheist or panentheist rather than deist like Newton. A pantheist, in theory, is someone who identifies god with nature, and a panentheist is someone who makes that identification but also sees god as transcendent, ie existing outside nature. In practice, though, people who are described as pantheist - like Hindus - usually do also believe God is transcendent in some sense.

 

I wouldn't argue too strongly with your saying that Einstein mainly saw god in a deist way, but if you look up his views on the web most people describe him as pantheist. I think this is partly to do with the very strong reverence for nature he had, believing it to be an expression of God. He was angry with atheists and christians alike who quoted him to support their views.

 

As to Christianity being pantheist - well, I beg to differ! Standard christianity, including Catholicism, clearly believes in God as the creator who made the universe 'ex nihilo'. He is definitely separate from his creation.

 

J

[The Flying Tench]

Cory, just to stick the knife in, in one of his quotes Einstein described an atheist as someone who 'cannot hear the music of the spheres'

[chesters1]

Cory, just to stick the knife in, in one of his quotes Einstein described an atheist as someone who 'cannot hear the music of the spheres'

 

i cant abide brass bands either

[Jim Roper]

Happiness is egg-shaped.