The philosophy of religion and the quest for spiritual truth preoccupied Albert Einstein. Nevertheless, the extensive literature on his life and work does not provide an adequate account of his religious conception and sentiments. Einstein's ideas about religion have been often distorted both by atheists and by religious groups eager to claim him as one of their own. Here, distinguished physicist and philosopher Max Jammer offers a well-documented answer. He begins with a discussion of Einstein's childhood religious education and the religious atmosphere--or its absence--among his family and friends. It then reconstructs, step by step, the intellectual development that led Einstein to the conceptions of a cosmic religion and an impersonal God, akin to "the God of Spinoza." Jammer explores Einstein's writings and lectures on religion and its role in society, and analyzes his famous dictum "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."--Publisher description.