Stephen Hawking: God didn't create universe

[Wry Catcher]

Stephen Hawking: God didn't create universe - CNN.com

Let the echo chamber begin. I can't wait to read the comments of CrusaderFrank, Si modo, Stephanie, and all the others who will argue Hawking knows nothing, and Glen Beck's word is the word of god.

 

[Madeline]

Haven't read his new book and don't plan to. But donca think it's a tad arrogant and a little disturbing for Hawkings to dedicate any significant portion of his life to undercutting the faith of others?

I mean really....why did he feel the need to try and "prove" there is no God?

I feel a little bit the way I imagine I'd feel if Einstein had developed a theorum that Love Is An Illusion.

 

[Wry Catcher]

Haven't read his new book and don't plan to. But donca think it's a tad arrogant and a little disturbing for Hawkings to dedicate any significant portion of his life to undercutting the faith of others?

I mean really....why did he feel the need to try and "prove" there is no God?

I feel a little bit the way I imagine I'd feel if Einstein had developed a theorum that Love Is An Illusion.

Obviously I can't speak for Stephen Hawkings and having tried to understand string theory and chaos theory I likely won't read his new work.
However, my reason for posting this link is a result of reading so many arrogant posts by people who profess faith in God and based on their faith feel they can lecture others on Gods plan.

 

[Madeline]

Well, when I read the story about Hawking's new book, my thought was "gee, this guy's a world class genius. With a disability that makes communicating incredibly hard for him. And rather than add to the world's body of knowledge (of stuff that I have no chance of ever comprehending) he decides to detour and slam the religious? Why?"

It may be annoying to read the 1,001th Neubarth thread on "The World Is About To End" but I don't grieve over the loss of world knowledge when I do.

 

[Wry Catcher]

Well, when I read the story about Hawking's new book, my thought was "gee, this guy's a world class genius. With a disability that makes communicating incredibly hard for him. And rather than add to the world's body of knowledge (of stuff that I have no chance of ever comprehending) he decides to detour and slam the religious? Why?"

It may be annoying to read the 1,001th Neubarth thread on "The World Is About To End" but I don't grieve over the loss of world knowledge when I do.

As I said, I can't speak for Hawkings. I can guess though, however my bias will be clearly evident.
First, I was raised Catholic, and because it was important to my mother I attended church every sunday and was 'confirmed'. However, even before I knew the word hypocrisy, something about the whole process bothered me.
In preparing for confirmation, we had to go to confession and take communion. I was, 12 or 13 I think (it's been 50 years) but I recall very clearly the priest in confession bringing up the subject of masturbation. Of course I had masturbated, but a light bulb went off and I realized the priest was nothing more than a man, and this man had an agenda I wanted no part of. So I lied. That was the last time I went to confession.
Now, what Hawkings may have in mind is religion, not God per se. For Hawkings and I and likely you have lived long enough to recognize that evil is done in the name of God, and has been since history has been recorded.
Without religion wouldn't our world be a nicer, safer, less violent place?

 

[Madeline]

I dun think religion per se is the problem, Wry Catcher. I was raised catholic too, and have my own issues with the RCC and christianity....

Some people are more comfy in groups, especially groups they were introduced to as children. Some need religion to cope. Some have long, ponderous spiritual quests that have taken up much of their life's energy. There are prolly as many reasons for people to belong to a religion as there are such people...and 99% of them are completely benign.

But clearly, some see religion as a control mechanism, or a means to acquire power, etc. They do a great deal of harm, but if religion disappeared tomorrow, I bet they'd just move on and bang on a drum about something else.

 

[HUGGY]

It is a public service to tell the truth. I does not matter that many people do not want to know the truth. Hawking studies the universe and the components that make it up. He is probably fed up with idiots that constantly subvert knowledge with fantasy. "Oh Steven? all that genius is swell and everything but how does any of it fit into God's Plan?" I think it is totally fitting for him to draw a line. This is real..That is not. If you want to understand the knowledge he has to share you must be intellectualy honest. Hawkings efforts to advance human understanding of the universe obviously comes at a price. These truths and theories do not allow any room for your fantasies. It's his call entirely. If you don't like his rules then go ahead on with your pea brain and figure the shit out for youself.

 

[Madeline]

It's hard for me to believe that Hawking is frustrated by the likes of Franklin Graham or Joseph Ratzinger. Why would they even be on his radar?

 

[hjmick]

It was GOD's lesser known brother, Buddy, who created the universe...

 

[del]

It was GOD's lesser known brother, Buddy, who created the universe...

some call him a joker

 

[HUGGY]

It's hard for me to believe that Hawking is frustrated by the likes of Franklin Graham or Joseph Ratzinger. Why would they even be on his radar?

I don't blame him for being frustrated. He probably feels like the work he does is wasted on most of his fellow human beings. We are all just stupid. We are lucky he doesn't just keep all his genius to himself. I feel sorry for him. We probably just bore him with our infantile ways of thinking. It's a drag when you are the only one that "Gets it".

 

[Madeline]

Well, there can't be all that many people Hawking can relate to. But surely Ratzinger and Graham are not on that list.

 

[Sarah G]

I don't think being arrogant even enters into it with Hawking. The man is total brain and he talks about what he knows in the most efficient way possible just because of his physical limitations.

He's quite a human being and that he even exists in this form is amazing. I would guess that he feels whoever takes away what from his statements is ok with him.

 

[Madeline]

Mebbe so, Sarah. But science can never "prove" there is no basis for faith.

 

[Toro]

I am a Christian but what if there is no God? Why would a scientist such as Hawking, if he can mathematically prove that God did not create the universe, not do so?

If there is no God, humankind looks awfully stupid.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Stephen Hawking: God didn't create universe - CNN.com

Let the echo chamber begin. I can't wait to read the comments of CrusaderFrank, Si modo, Stephanie, and all the others who will argue Hawking knows nothing, and Glen Beck's word is the word of god.

Do you have any hobbies? Friends? An Animal Shelter or VA Hospital where you could volunteer your time?

 

[Yurt]

I am a Christian but what if there is no God? Why would a scientist such as Hawking, if he can mathematically prove that God did not create the universe, not do so?

If there is no God, humankind looks awfully stupid.

because you always get the same answer:

you can't prove a negative....

which is false

 

[HUGGY]

I am a Christian but what if there is no God? Why would a scientist such as Hawking, if he can mathematically prove that God did not create the universe, not do so?

If there is no God, humankind looks awfully stupid.

I believe it has been proven how the universe was created since the Big Bang. What we don't know is what the stuff of what we call the universe was prior to the Bang. How long was it in that form?

It is hard for the human mind to wrap itself around the idea of "forever". We need a start and an end to our concepts. My guess is that black holes eventually eat everything up until there is just one black hole. What remains is atoms so completely crushed that everything in the universe is condensed to about the size of a basketball. The basketball finally becomes unstable when the proccess of consuming all matter stops and the cycle is repeated over..and over...

Proving that there is no God is a little trickier.

There is a Christian God as well as other dieties other religions believe in. Those Gods are in the minds and literature of these religions. I see no harm in believing in a higher power as long as that belief is not pushed on others in any way. The trouble starts when people believe they are obligated to spread thier beliefs to "save" others from thier own belief sets.

 

[Toro]

I am a Christian but what if there is no God? Why would a scientist such as Hawking, if he can mathematically prove that God did not create the universe, not do so?

If there is no God, humankind looks awfully stupid.

I believe it has been proven how the universe was created since the Big Bang. What we don't know is what the stuff of what we call the universe was prior to the Bang. How long was it in that form?

It is hard for the human mind to wrap itself around the idea of "forever". We need a start and an end to our concepts. My guess is that black holes eventually eat everything up until there is just one black hole. What remains is atoms so completely crushed that everything in the universe is condensed to about the size of a basketball. The basketball finally becomes unstable when the proccess of consuming all matter stops and the cycle is repeated over..and over...

Proving that there is no God is a little trickier.

There is a Christian God as well as other dieties other religions believe in. Those Gods are in the minds and literature of these religions. I see no harm in believing in a higher power as long as that belief is not pushed on others in any way. The trouble starts when people believe they are obligated to spread thier beliefs to "save" others from thier own belief sets.

The Christian God as literally described in the Bible does not exist. We know that God did not create the world in six days, and we know that God did not create the earth before He created the universe. That has been scientifically proven.

As for some other supernatural being or force in the universe, I have no idea. Hawking is saying that gravity created the universe. Did God create gravity? No clue. I am nowhere remotely smart enough to know if Hawking is correct. But if Hawking is right, I do not see any place in physics for a God who listens to our prayers, has a plan for each and every 7 billion people on earth, and who cheers for sports teams.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

What difference does it make if its God or anything else?

One things for absolute certain, whatever it is, it was not a old white guy with a long beard