Einstein's position on religion revealed in a letter

The Guardian reported that a little known letter of Einstein will be auctioned, and expected to fetch the price of £8,000.

The letter helps to clarify the misunderstandings in interpreting what he meant when he said "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

In the letter, he states: "The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this."

He clearly rejected conventional religion, although he is said to have a "cosmic religious feeling" which had permeated throughout his scientific works.
Being religious is very different from believing in a personal God: "I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty."

Related:

• Einstein and "The Old Man"
• The Hyperplanes of Science and Religion