Einstein letter on God to be auctioned on eBay

The signature of Albert Einstein is seen on a letter displayed with other documents during a press conference at the Israeli Hebrew University in Jerusalem on March 19, 2012. AFP FILE PHOTO

LONDON – A letter in which Albert Einstein dismissed the idea of God as a product of human weakness is being sold on eBay for a starting price of $3 million.

The letter, handwritten in 1954, a year before Einstein’s death, was addressed to philosopher Eric Gutkind. In it, Einstein discussed his views on religion, including calling “the Bible a collection of honorable but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.”

An anonymous collector who bought the letter in 2008 is putting it on sale on online auction site eBay from Monday. The auction closes Oct. 18.

Eric Gazin, a spokesman for the sale, said Sunday: “With the interest in Einstein, along with the questions this (letter) touches on, we feel it is well worth the price.”