On May 13, 2:19=A0pm, billimmel...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
> On May 13, 7:21=A0am, "ElParedon" <ser...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > =A0Albert Einstein described belief in God as "childish superstition"
an=
d said
> > Jews were not the chosen people, in a letter to be sold in London this
w=
eek,
> > an auctioneer said Tuesday.
> > The father of relativity, whose previously known views on religion
have =
been
> > more ambivalent and fuelled much discussion, made the comments in
respon=
se
> > to a philosopher in 1954.
>
> > As a Jew himself, Einstein said he had a great affinity with Jewish
peop=
le
> > but said they "have no different quality for me than all other
people".
>
> > "The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product
of
> > human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still
primit=
ive
> > legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.
>
> > "No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this," he
wr=
ote
> > in the letter written on January 3, 1954 to the philosopher Eric
Gutkind=
,
> > cited by The Guardian newspaper.
>
> > The German-language letter is being sold Thursday by Bloomsbury
Auctions=
in
> > Mayfair after being in a private collection for more than 50 years,
said=
the
> > auction house's managing director Rupert Powell.
>
> > In it, the renowned scientist, who declined an invitation to become
Isra=
el's
> > second president, rejected the idea that the Jews are God's chosen
peopl=
e.
>
> > "For me the Jewish religion like all others is an incarnation of the
mos=
t
> > childish superstitions," he said.
>
> > "And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose
mentality =
I
> > have a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other
> > people."
>
> > And he added: "As far as my experience goes, they are no better than
oth=
er
> > human groups, although they are protected from the worst cancers by a
la=
ck
> > of power. Otherwise I cannot see anything 'chosen' about them."
>
> > Previously the great scientist's comments on religion -- such as
"Scienc=
e
> > without religion is lame, religion without science is blind" -- have
bee=
n
> > the subject of much debate, used notably to back up arguments in
favour =
of
> > faith.
>
> > Powell said the letter being sold this week gave a clear reflection of
> > Einstein's real thoughts on the subject. "He's fairly unequivocal as
to =
what
> > he's saying. There's no beating about the bush," he told AFP.
>
> You gotta be yidding me!
>
Nope, he didn't say that. But you already knew that, didn't you, my
scruffy little anti-Semite?
|
