(December 18, 2008 at 1:21 pm)Tiberius Wrote:I know Darwin was an agnostic. And I heard Carl Sagan was. But I've heard Einstein was basically an atheist...(December 18, 2008 at 10:01 am)Ace Wrote:Abraham Lincoln wasn't an atheist, he was a deist and at most a weak kind of Christian. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lin...d_religion
It is disputed whether Carl Sagan is an atheist; he was certainly openly agnostic and condemned religion, but that only places him in the same boat as Bill Maher, who believe in some spiritual aspects.
Einstein was also a self-described agnostic, and said on many occasions that he believed in a God, just not a personal one like the religions claimed. He could be best called a deist.
Charles Darwin was likewise a self-described agnostic, although he was probably a definitive atheist as he lost his faith in Christianity. He didn't tend to talk about his personal beliefs other than his agnosticism, so we'll never be really sure.
Thomas Jefferson was a deist, although his "atheist" status probably comes from misinterpreting his anti-religious stance against Christianity and his work on the separation of church and state. He did believe in a God though.
Benjamin Franklin was also a deist.
I'm actually quite annoyed that this posted has been made, seeing as 6/8 of the people on it are not atheists. I reckon we need a new one, and I'd include:
George Carlin
Richard Dawkins
Madalyn Murray O'Hair
Ernest Hemingway (like this poster)
Mark Twain (also like this poster)
Douglas Adams
etc.
Accorgin to dawkins Einstein was a patheist, his use of God was just a metaphor for nature or the universe. Not a deist according to Dawkins.
Hitchens has said Einstein was a deist - Dawkins has said he was a pantheist.
Whichever you believe, the distinction is important.
As Dawkins said: Deism is watered down theism. Pantheism is sexed up atheism.
Einstein described himself as " a deeply religious non-believer. This is a somewhat new kind of religion."
But yeah a lot of them weren't atheists. Still most of them are non-theists I guess? Just a lot of them aren't non-deists. Lol.
Perhaps it should be non-theism not atheism on that poster
