The carrot or the stick?

Ask Madame Currie about fear and punishment before death???

Paschals Wager basically says that believe in God just in case it is real. I cannot agree with that. I think it is clear that all God's we know of as humans are gods that were created by humans. If there is a god, nobody on Earth knows who or where he/she is; or what he/she thinks.

Did you know Einstein was kicked out of school twice? Weber told him that he would never amount to anything because he didn't follow instructions in the lab. He was always causing equipment to explode. He also would often arrive at his apartment and have to ask to be let-in because he forgot his keys. What a dope (sarcastic).

You can lead a christian to reasoning, but you can't make him/her think.

As much as I like Einstein, I wish he had stated his Atheism more clearly rather than saying he is religious. It would have been such a boon to us today. I see a lot of religious people use Einstein to promote theism saying he was religious and believes in god.

I mean in his New York Times magazine article has these amazing lines, which are in no way Agnostic but clearly Atheistic, especially toward Judaism and Christianity:

"Since at this stage of existence [prehistoric times] understanding of causal connections is usually poorly developed, the human mind creates illusory beings more or less analogous to itself on whose wills and actions these fearful happenings depend.

Thus one tries to secure the favor of these beings by carrying out actions and offering sacrifices which, according to the tradition handed down from generation to generation, propitiate them or make them well disposed toward a mortal.

In this sense I am speaking of a religion of fear. This, though not created, is in an important degree stabilized by the formation of a special priestly caste which sets itself up as a mediator between the people and the
beings they fear, and erects a hegemony on this basis.

In many cases a leader or ruler or a privileged class whose position rests on other factors combines priestly functions with its secular authority in order to make the latter more secure; or the political rulers and the priestly caste make common cause in their own interests."

I mean, c'mon...it's all right there. He immediately connects this to Jewish scriptures and how all religions carry this "religion of fear" blend in their religion of morality (as if it were coffee!)

He isnt saying "I don't know", the central tenet of Agnosticism (to which I subcribe btw). He is clearly stating very atheistic ideas, yet had to say there's a third kind of religious experience (separate from fear based or moral based) and he just calls it "cosmic religious feeling".

What!? A feeling!? A feeling, folks. His "religion" apparently is just a feeling. Yeah, that feeling has a different description these days probably "a sense of wonder". My personal descrition of that feeling is "the universe has rules" feeling.

He has clearly made a case for Atheism, but he just couldn't bring himself to admit it.

It may well be that those who claim that only fear of Hell can stop sin are the type who it it really applies to. These might well be people who are very inclined toward sin and this is what restrains them, at least to some extent. Their nature always comes through in the end and it seems the holier they have tried to come across, the more serious the crime they end up being charged with.

Smart guy

Seems to be what a great many do think...poverty of any real motivation to do good for it’s own rewards...sadly Einstein was absolutely spot on with this one!

And a lot are.

I never forget faces, but in your case I will gladly make an exception. Groucho Marx

Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes. After that who cares?... He’s a mile away and you’ve got his shoes! Billy Connolly

“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” Abraham Lincoln

You know you can put more than one quote in your posts, right? Unless of course you are fishing for points by posting quotes from other people separately.

They are so many quotes attributed to Einstein. This is one of them. Even if he hadn't been the greatest physicist of all time and a mathematical genius, he would've been a great man.