A magnifying glass lies beside two broken eggshell halves, one glowing warmly, on a wooden surface.

Original artwork, not a still

Albert Einstein

It was the experience of mystery – even if mixed with fear – that engendered religion.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker argues that religion began in the human encounter with mystery, even when that encounter was tangled up with fear. On this view, awe before what cannot be explained came first, and belief grew out of it. Faith is treated as a response to the unknown.

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