Albert Einstein

without question a fascinating combination of theology, mathematics, and logic. . .always wondered how interesting it would be to have a conversation with him. . .

CastleBee's review seems to be right on with what I know of Einstein. To sum things up, Einstein didn't follow any particular organized religion, but he did believe in the existance of God.

Three stars means that I find it extremely hard to decide if Einstein was in any way religious.

From everything I've read about this - and I admit it has not been a huge amount - the worlds of both science and religion seemed to be trying to claim Albert Einstein throughout his lifetime. Almost 50 years after his death, the debate continues to a certain degree. In reality I think he was stuck somewhere in the middle of it yet leaning heavily toward the purely scientific direction. To explain his own belief systems he once stated, 'Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.' He went on to say, 'A religious person is devout in the sense that he has no doubt of the significance of those super-personal objects and goals which neither require nor are capable of rational foundation.' As a scientist he was dedicated to the discovery and understanding of the laws of Nature. In the book, Subtle is the Lord--: the science and the life of Albert Einstein by Abraham Pais, Oxford University Press, Oxford & New York, 1982, he is quoted as saying, 'Subtle is the Lord, but malicious He is not' ('Raffiniert ist der Herrgott aber boshaft ist er nicht.'.'). When asked by a colleague what he meant by that, he replied: 'Nature hides her secret because of her essential loftiness, but not by means of ruse' ('Die Natur verbirgt ihr Geheimnis durch die Erhabenheit ihres Wesens, aber nicht durch List.'). I think he did have a very real faith of a certain kind but that God to him was more pantheistic in nature rather than personal. As the book above also states, His was not a life of prayer and worship. Yet he lived by a deep faith--a faith not capable of rational foundation--that there are laws of Nature to be discovered. As much as I admire Albert Einstein, I believe that simple things do confound the wise much of the time.

This is an error. Most people assume that because of his whole God does not play dice with the universe quip, that Einstein had religious beliefs. He was at most an agnostic. I use the term God damn it all the time, but that doesn't mean I believe. So Einstein really doesn't belong on this list.