I've always been enormously impressed by Einstein. Several years ago I read his extensive biography. His spirituality most impressed me. He said the reason he KNEW he could look for scientific equations about the universe was because he believed we have a Creator who perfectly synchronized all of creation. Einstein taught himself calculus at the age of 14. In 1921, He earned his doctorate from the University of Zurich, and wrote papers on electromagnetic energy, relativity, and statistical mechanics. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics. Einstein was a Jewish immigrant who taught at Princeton and ended up staying in the United States, becoming a citizen in 1940.
Not surprisingly, Einstein has been misquoted numerous times and accused of being an atheist. He responded: "In view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able to recognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what really makes me angry is that they quote me for the support of such views."
Einstein stated in another interview: "I'm absolutely not an atheist . . . The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God. We see the universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws but only dimly understand these laws."
His other quotes include:
- "God Almighty does not throw dice."
- "Before God we are all equally wise - equally foolish."
- "My religiosity consists of a humble admiration of the infinitely superior spirit that reveals itself in the little that we, with our weak and transitory understanding, can comprehend of reality
- "'God' is a mystery. But a comprehensible mystery. I have nothing but awe when I observe the laws of nature.
Einstein also stated: "The fanatical atheists . . . are like slaves who are still feeling the weight of their chains which they have thrown off after hard struggle. They are creatures who - in their grudge against the traditional 'opium of the people' - cannot bear the 'music of the spheres.'"
Hmmm . . . What did he mean about the music of the spheres? The "music of the spheres" is a religious concept used through the Medieval-Renaissance period to describe an "orbital resonance" or reverberation character of the planets.
When asked "To what extent are you influenced by Christianity?" Einstein answered:
"As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene." When asked "Have you read Emil Ludwig's book on Jesus," Einstein replied: "Emil Ludwig's Jesus is shallow. Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrasemongers, however artful. No man can dispose of Christianity with a bon mot! (witty remark)" When asked "Do you accept the historical existence of Jesus?" Einstein answered: "Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life."
I found this very interesting as I thought about the Bible being alive and sharper than any two-edged sword.
Make no mistake there are plenty of scientists who are atheists, but Einstein was not among them. Whether this genius or another believes in Jesus however so interesting, should be irrelevant in our personal search for God. The Bible tells us we don't have to be a genius to discover Him nor win a Nobel Prize. We must simply come as little children amazed by the intelligence required for His creation and awestruck at His capacity for love and compassion.
God wants us to come before Him as children, because children are innocent, and trust with a pure, uncorrupted heart. Faith builds character, which starts when you are a child. Without faith, we cannot please God. "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." (Hebrews 11:6) Adults tend to become cynical with age. Let's not!
[I'm indebted to my friend and fellow author Bob Williamson for some of this info on Einstein.]
Matthew 18:3 "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you change and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."
Writing Update:
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May your June be filled with God's blessings and safe connections with people again!!!
