[meteorite-list] OT transpermia vs. God vs. Science

From: Darryl Pitt <darryl_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2011 13:30:50 -0500
Message-ID: <D681D982-33A3-4398-920F-0EF0586DD20E_at_dof3.com>

Hi Phil,

No one suggested you had an agenda. Your introduction of Einstein as a "Deist who attended Catholic School" simply seemed to require a clarification.

You also seem to have paid no heed to the differentiation I provided for your consideration.

> In contemporary Judaism, there is a big difference between "religious" and "observant."

For any folks that are interested, there is a great deal of documentation which amply reveals how Einstein acknowledged his jewishness in ways that transcended ethnicity and culture. And Phil, one does not have to keep kosher and attend synogogue to be selectively observant. There is an entire branch of Judaism borne from the reform movement referred to Humanistic Judaism which is basically atheism combined with an "observance" of Jewish holidays.

But really, enough of this.

OY!!!!



On Mar 3, 2011, at 12:46 PM, JoshuaTreeMuseum wrote:

> I have no agenda other than seeking out correct biographical information about Einstein's religious beliefs. It's misinformation to state that Einstein was even selectively observant. He was a cultural and ethnic Jew, not a religious one. He believed in Spinoza's concept of god as the organizing principle behind the laws of the universe.
>
> In response to the direct question: "Do you believe in God?" posed by Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein in a telegram, Einstein replied: "I believe in Spinoza's God, who reveals himself in the lawful harmony of all that exists, but not in a God who concerns himself with the fate and the doings of mankind."
>
> You can't just say Einstein was an observant Jew without some evidence to back it up. What selective kosher laws and observances did Albert keep? Where did he attend synagogue? Show me one quote where he states selective belief in traditional Jewish tenets.
>
> ------------------
> Phil Whitmer
> -----------------
>
>
> I am not going to debate this; for sadly obvious reasons, there exists a bounty of agenda-bent mis- and disinformation---which now includes my previous statement: I should have more circumspectly indicated Einstein was "selectively observant."
>
> In contemporary Judaism, there is a big difference between "religious" and "observant." But enough of this. All best / Darryl
>
>
>
> On Mar 3, 2011, at 11:52 AM, JoshuaTreeMuseum wrote:
>
>
>> To provide a bit of clarification to the foregoing....Albert Einstein was born to into a non-religious Jewish family and as an extremely young child attended Catholic School for a couple of years; throughout his life Einstein was an observant Jew.
>
>>
>
>> --------------------
>
>> That's not true, Einstein was a non-observant Jew throughout his life, like his parents. He only kept kosher and attended synagogue for a short time in his youth. He gave up belief in the religious tenets of Judaism at age 12 just before his bar mitzvah.
>
>> -------------------
>
>> Shortly after his 50th birthday, Einstein declares he's not a religious Jew in an interview with George Sylvester Viereck:
>
>> "I am a determinist. I do not believe in free will. Jews believe in free will. They believe that man shapes his own life. I reject that doctrine. In that respect I am not a Jew."
>
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Received on Thu 03 Mar 2011 01:30:50 PM PST