PHYSICS TODAY’s celebration of the World Year of Physics, marking the centenary of Albert Einstein’s 1905 papers, got off on the wrong foot with your publication of “God’s Rays” by Bryce DeWitt in the January issue. The essay’s only mention of Einstein is his “The Lord God is subtle but He is not malicious” quote, but for Einstein, “God” was a poetic metaphor for Nature. Einstein wrote, “I have repeatedly said that in my opinion the idea of a personal God is a childlike one,” and “From the viewpoint of a Jesuit priest I am, of course, and have always been an atheist.” 1
DeWitt claims that “it is common knowledge that theoretical physicists often start out as amateur theologians,” but it is certainly not common knowledge, and is very likely untrue. His fellow religionists should express themselves in a journal other than Physics Today.
