Albert Einstein seems to have held conflicting ideas about
God. He maintained that God is a superior intelligence, but also, that He is
not concerned about morality:
·
I cannot conceive of a personal God who would
directly influence the actions of individuals, or would directly sit in
judgment on creatures of his own creation. I cannot do this in spite of the
fact that mechanistic causality has, to a certain extent, been placed in doubt
by modern science. My religiosity consists in 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. Morality is of
the highest importance -- but for us, not for God. (Albert Einstein: The Human Side, edited by Helen Dukas
& Banesh Hoffman)
Why would Einstein believe that God is an “infinitely
superior spirit” but lack a moral character? To be intelligent but not also to
be moral and concerned about the welfare of humanity would make God into
something that is little more than a highly sophisticated computer.
The cause(s) is always greater than its effect. A non-moral
god would be less than the maximally glorious God who has instilled us with a
moral, just, and compassionate nature. Consequently, such a God would be less
than the creatures He had created.
Why would Einstein deny that God has a moral nature? I
cannot answer this question definitively. However, many atheists have. They
admit that they do not like the idea of a God sitting in judgment over them, and,
therefore, resist believing in His existence. Nevertheless, Einstein did
mention that he could not “conceive of a personal God who would…directly sit in
judgment on creatures of his own creation.” Why not? Perhaps such a conception
was repugnant to him.
In contrast, I am grateful that God will bring justice. It
is one less thing that I will have to do. Meanwhile, I can concern myself with
His mandate to love.
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