He called me one day, we were chatting away, and there was a pause on the other end of the line when he said, “Randi, I have to tell you something.” I said, “Yes?” and I thought, “What can this be?” He told me, “I’m a deist.” A deist is someone who has a basic belief in a god of any shape or form, someone who has an interest in a superior power of some kind.
He said, “I have no evidence whatsoever to support my belief in a god. None.” He said, “You have all the evidence to the contrary. I’ve read it, I’ve read what you’ve said, I’ve heard what you’ve said, I’ve read books and books and books on it. They have all the reason on their side, the people who say there is no god.” I interrupted, I said, “Martin, I’ve never claimed there’s no god because I can’t prove that.” He said, “No, I know that’s your stance,” and it always has been my stance. I don’t say there is no god because I can’t prove there is no god. I barely say, “I don’t see enough evidence in nature to believe in a deity.”
He said, “I’ll tell you again, you have the whole case in the bag. I have no evidence to support my view at all.” That’s the kind of guy that Martin Gardner was. He would state the whole case. I said, “Martin, if that makes you comfortable,” and he said, “Yes, it does.” He said, “That’s why I have that belief; it makes me a little more comfortable about my life.”
I said, “That’s all I need. You’re a good friend. You’re an excellent friend, long time friend. All I need to do is hear you say that, and I accept that that is your conviction and I won’t argue with you about it.” He just said, “Thank you.” That’s how Martin was. If it gave him comfort, I was all for it.
