Iftheadvocatesofapartheidhadtheirwitsaboutthemtheywouldclaim-forallIknowtruthfully-thatallowingmixedracesisagainsttheirreligion.Agoodpartoftheoppositionwouldrespectfullytiptoeaway.Anditisnouseclaimingthatthisisanunfairparallelbecauseapartheidhasnorationaljustification.Thewholepointofreligiousfaith,itsstrengthandchiefglory,isthatitdoesnotdependonrationaljustification.Therestofusareexpectedtodefendo...[
阅读全文]
Here'saparticularexampleofoursociety'soverweeningrespectforreligion,onethatreallymatters.Byfartheeasiestgroundsforgainingconscientiousobjectorstatusinwartimearereligious.Youcanbeabrilliantmoralphilosopherwithaprizewinningdoctoralthesisexpoundingtheevilsofwar,andstillbegivenahardtimebyadraftboardevaluatingyourclaimtobeaconscientiousobjector.YetifyoucansaythatoneorbothofyourparentsisaQuakeryousailth...[
阅读全文]
Amusingly,Sagan'slastpointwasforeshadowedbytheReverendDrFultonJ.Sheen,aprofessorattheCatholicUniversityofAmerica,aspartofafierceattackuponEinstein's1940disavowalofapersonalGod.SheensarcasticallyaskedwhetheranyonewouldbepreparedtolaydownhislifefortheMilkyWay.HeseemedtothinkhewasmakingapointagainstEinstein,ratherthan*forhim,forheadded:'Thereisonlyonefaultwithhiscosmicalreligion:heputanextraletterint...[
阅读全文]
AnAmericanRomanCatholiclawyer,workingonbehalfofan
ecumenicalcoalition,wrotetoEinstein:
Wedeeplyregretthatyoumadeyourstatement...in
whichyouridiculetheideaofapersonalGod.Inthepast
tenyearsnothinghasbeensocalculatedtomakepeople
thinkthatHitlerhadsomereasontoexpeltheJewsfrom
Germanyasyourstatement.Concedingyourrighttofree
speech,Istillsaythatyourstatementconstitutesyouas阅读全文]
OneofEinstein'smosteagerlyquotedremarksis'Science
withoutreligionislame,religionwithoutscienceisblind.'But
Einsteinalsosaid,
Itwas,ofcourse,aliewhatyoureadaboutmyreligious
convictions,aliewhichisbeingsystematicallyrepeated.I
donotbelieveinapersonalGodandIhaveneverdenied
thisbuthaveexpresseditclearly.Ifsomethingisinme
whichcanbecalledreligiousthenitistheunbounded
adm...[
阅读全文]