Albert Einstein On: Religion and Science | Hacker News Reader

Albert Einstein On: Religion and Science

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33 pointstw10109 comments

Einstein's problem was that he used "religion" in a very different sense than what is understood by the term. He was very clear that he didn't believe in literal god(s) or mystical ideas such as reincarnation which are part of non-theistic religions like Buddhism, which are central to the normal idea of religion.

It's sad that the idea of God as a literal entity is prevalent in modern Christianity. Reading Jordan Peterson's book has shown me that there's a lot of valuable cultural and social knowledge embedded in Christianity but I think level-headed people tend to be discouraged in investigating religion when the outside image is that of people believing in a literal "man in the sky". Not to say that outside image is necessarily correct for most believers but it's the conception I used to get when looking at religion.

I’ve listened to a lot of Jordan’s content and he appears to be open to the idea of a “man in the sky”. Open but very unwilling to give his opinion.

As a religious person my self I often find people have a very limited understanding of what I believe. It’s easy to let your preconceptions stand and never dig deeper but you might find it interesting if you dig a little deeper. If for nothing other than understanding your fellow man.

I was always interested in Buddhism partly because it doesn't have a God figure, and it's been a good decade since I passed through my arrogant teen atheist phase and realised that other religions are not irrational fables, but the book helped me to see some specific instances of valuable Christian teachings that I hadn't known about. I'd like to have a crack at reading the bible and other religious texts but I'm concerned about trying to piece together the lessons through the presentation and getting the wrong message given religious texts are supposedly very metaphorical and occasionally cryptic.

Have you considered trying a Bible with a built-in commentary? That might be more accessible if you’re looking for an overview with explanation/cross-references in the margins.

I recommend this one, for the English Standard Version, which does a good job of capturing the initial meaning of the language: ESV Study Bible (Indexed) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1433544032/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_t.aj...

Thanks! I'll check it out.

People still imagine the christian God as a old bearded man... this is so different from the God I learnt to believe. This is so misleading, especially in the US where religion is so used to polarize society and politics. Muslims are right when they refuse any image representing God.

One of the most advanced thinkers of our time had much to say about religion. On a related note, here's a quote from him about Buddhism:

“If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism."

For further reading on BBC: http://www.bbncommunity.com/einstein-on-buddhism/

I knew of the quote, so I was looking for a deeper insight into how he arrived at such a simple conclusion, but there's little to no correlation between the quote and the linked article.

I suspect he wanted to throw the Buddha a bone, but not throw his influence behind the movement given the predominance of Christianity at the time and his Jewish heritage, but hard to say in retrospect.

I’d argue that genuine curiousity about how the world works is more than sufficient to drive rational inquiry. I didn’t start tinkering as a kid in search of a religious feeling, I did it because I, as most primates are, was curious about how things worked. I just don’t see it.

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