God did not create the universe, says Hawking

[Brock Landers]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100902/lf_nm_life/us_britain_hawking

LONDON (Reuters) – God did not create the universe and the "Big Bang" was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics, the eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen [COLOR=#366388 ! important][COLOR=#366388 ! important]Hawking[/COLOR][/COLOR] argues in a new book.
In "The Grand Design," co-authored with U.S. physicist Leonard Mlodinow, Hawking says a new series of theories made a creator of the universe redundant, according to the Times newspaper which published extracts on Thursday.
"Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist," Hawking writes.
"It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going."
Hawking, 68, who won global recognition with his 1988 book "A Brief History of Time," an account of the origins of the universe, is renowned for his work on black holes, [COLOR=#366388 ! important][COLOR=#366388 ! important]cosmology [COLOR=#366388 ! important]and [/COLOR][COLOR=#366388 ! important]quantum [/COLOR][COLOR=#366388 ! important]gravity[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR].
Since 1974, the scientist has worked on marrying the two cornerstones of modern physics -- Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which concerns gravity and large-scale phenomena, and quantum theory, which covers subatomic particles.
His latest comments suggest he has broken away from previous views he has expressed on religion. Previously, he wrote that the laws of physics meant it was simply not necessary to believe that God had intervened in the Big Bang.
He wrote in A Brief History ... "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason -- for then we should know the mind of God."
In his latest book, he said the 1992 discovery of a planet orbiting another star other than the Sun helped deconstruct the view of the father of physics Isaac Newton that the universe could not have arisen out of chaos but was created by God.
"That makes the coincidences of our planetary conditions -- the single Sun, the lucky combination of Earth-Sun distance and solar mass, far less remarkable, and far less compelling evidence that the Earth was carefully designed just to please us human beings," he writes.
Hawking, who is only able to speak through a computer-generated voice synthesizer, has a neuro muscular dystrophy that has progressed over the years and left him almost completely paralyzed.
He began suffering the disease in his early 20s but went on to establish himself as one of the world's leading scientific authorities, and has also made guest appearances in "Star Trek" and the cartoons "Futurama" and "The Simpsons."
Last year he announced he was stepping down as Cambridge University's Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, a position once held by Newton and one he had held since 1979.
"The Grand Design" is due to go on sale next week.

[milwaukee mike]

makes more sense than that "god" created everything (if so, then who created god, how can you explain dinosaur bones, etc etc...)

most of the "gods" were invented because neanderthals didn't understand science, weather, etc so it had to be some act of god to make rain or waves
then of course the churches ran with it to make $$$$$

[pat venditto]

makes more sense than that "god" created everything (if so, then who created god, how can you explain dinosaur bones, etc etc...) most of the "gods" were invented because neanderthals didn't understand science, weather, etc so it had to be some act of god to make rain or waves then of course the churches ran with it to make $$$$$

Winner

[stealthyburrito]

Stephen Hawking is my god

[ProfaneReality]

religions only purpose was to control a society.

[KingKolzig]

religions only purpose was to control a society.

completely disagree. right now 5% of the population could crush the other 95%, or whomever from that 95% they choose too. the only thing that is keeping them back from super genocide is they feel they will be judged. hawking just wants to sell this book he isnt sure if God exists

[unde0087]

right, so now gravity creates matter. So now anything can just appear from nothing. Right, anyone have this guys number because i would love to try the shit this guy is on. What does gravity have to do with creating things from nothing? what a ******* idoit.

am i now supposed to believe that because there is gravity that 0 + 0 = 4 then? if you start with nothing, you have nothing.

And all this blackhole shit is just funny. Almost everything scientists have to say about things millions of miles away from the earth like blackholes are and will continue to be all speculation. All they can do is guess about origins of the blackholes and what they might actually do until someone goes into one and can actually tell us what happens, amazingly the same is true of religion, you don't know until you pass away and find out for yourself. Anyone can say whatever they want about blackholes or anything else millions of miles away because they know in their lifetime they will never be proven wrong.

[unusialsusp5]

i don't think anyone believes that some guy stood on a platform and in 6 days created the universe. milwaukee mike the smartest person to ever post here has it correct.

[podunk]

i back hawking

[Albert Pujols]

Hawking's an idiot.

[keyboarding]

Guys, let's be fair and give God a chance to respond.

[pavyracer]

Would someone post the plans and the specs God used to create the universe?

[unde0087]

Hawking's an idiot.

I dont care if you believe in God or aliens or whatever. I just can't stand when a scientist throws out a "theory" which is all speculation and tries to deny religion. If he is so smart he would realize that his theory has the same principles as religion, and that is they both can't be proven. Sure he can look through a big telescope and say whatever the hell he wants to because he is respected in the scientific community so then it must be true but at the end of the day man kind is at the same cross roads because whether you believe this guy, or you believe in the bible, or anything else no one can prove it until each of us pass away.

[Albert Pujols]

Anyone wise can see that there has to be a supernatural Creator.

[unde0087]

Anyone wise can see that there has to be a supernatural Creator.

no albert it was the gravity that made everything and then made it work in perfect harmony

i agree, this is a complete joke

[Brock Landers]

Captain America: [reading inscription] If god did not exist it would be necessary to invent him.

[Metalhead]

"Theories" are what drive scientific advancement, they aren't always correct, but they definitely aren't always wrong.

Hawkings gravity comments are very valid and have to do with star formation.

[TONY MONTANA]

Would someone post the plans and the specs God used to create the universe?

where would he apply for the permit?

[Salmon Steak]

The odds that life exists on earth are incredible. The odds that a god (which can not be proven in any way) created life are infinite.

[THE PROFIT]

Captain America: [reading inscription] If god did not exist it would be necessary to invent him.

and invent him we humans we have done. He has had to be recreated more than Britney Spears & Michael Jackson to be kept relevant. But this shit is getting old. God better give me some fukin football money 2nite

[THE PROFIT]

Hey Brock, CFB starts 2nite, lets quit worrying about that fukin robot Hawking & deities. I've been praying to Joe Pesci all day for some fukin winners

[Bluehorseshoe]

Guys, let's be fair and give God a chance to respond.

Thank you for that introduction keyboarding.

First let me say that a lot of people say I don't exist because Adam Sandler makes a ton of money. NOT TRUE!!!!!!!

[Snowball]

Stephen Hawking has turned into a bitter fool
due to his debilitating disease.

[JDizzel]

Attempting to explain everything with pure since is incorrect since science don't have the answers to everything..yet. If you ask to a real scientist he will explain the origins of the universe starting with the big bang, elements, inflation, gravity, and the effect on gravity on the space elements until star and planet formations. You ask him "well what about before the big bang?" -Is unknown. Differently a religious fanatic will try to implement divine interventions into what science is unable to explain. (Lets remember that the church imposed earth as the center of the universe until Galileo prove them wrong) Basically atheists that claim god isn't there because scientific documentation and theories are wrong; Because denying something that you cant prove is there on the first place would be using the same arguments that religious people use to prove there is a god.The same goes for creationist. Implying a divine creation on what science cant explain is just plain ignorant.

You just give humanity long enough to evolve and work out the elements holding us back (religion, politics and fake economic system) and you will see that sooner than later we will be exploring space like if it was an star trek episode.

[unusialsusp5]

also we never went to the moon. radiation would have fried those 1969 fraudulent astronauts. and dinosaurs never existed. where did they come from and what did they eat and why did it take until 1870 to discover their bones. cottage industry creation is the answer to that.

[TCC]

If what Hawking says is true, then why didnt the Big Bang stop 9-11?

[JohnGalt2341]

completely disagree. right now 5% of the population could crush the other 95%, or whomever from that 95% they choose too. the only thing that is keeping them back from super genocide is they feel they will be judged. hawking just wants to sell this book he isnt sure if God exists

I'm not even exactly sure what you are getting at here but lets look at some facts... Over 99% of the U.S. prison populations believe in God. God judging them didn't seem to have an impact on them or else they would have never committed their crime. Now, you might say "they didn't find God until they got to prison". If this is the case, then Prisons should be a pretty safe place, right? How come they are not? Now, lets look at a couple countries where less than half of the population believe in God, Sweden and Norway. Crime is virtually non-existent in these countries compared to the crime in the U.S., especially the cities that are very religious. Look at any Country or City in the world, the more religious they are the more crime they have. What does that tell you?

[JDizzel]

I'm not even exactly sure what you are getting at here but lets look at some facts... Over 99% of the U.S. prison populations believe in God. God judging them didn't seem to have an impact on them or else they would have never committed their crime. Now, you might say "they didn't find God until they got to prison". If this is the case, then Prisons should be a pretty safe place, right? How come they are not? Now, lets look at a couple countries where less than half of the population believe in God, Sweden and Norway. Crime is virtually non-existent in these countries compared to the crime in the U.S., especially the cities that are very religious. Look at any Country or City in the world, the more religious they are the more crime they have. What does that tell you?

Yes but then you would have to consider whether or not they are real Christians so to speak. And the criminality in European countries come from the unemployment rates which are minimum.

[Bluehorseshoe]

A guy who has ALS and is trapped to a wheel chair till he dies doesn't believe in God.

I'm shocked.

[EmmaLee]

God? Don't make me yawn. I grew up believing...in God and Santa and shooting stars. Then I grew up, I guess.

[wtf]

his next book he will proclaim "I am god"

also he insists humans must live on another planet in the next 200 years or they will be extinct, this guy has lost it totally, i know all the other big brains idolize him but they do this to justify their big budgets to have the middle class pay for their toys-see super collider, etc.

why dont these fukin KNOW IT ALLS INVENT A CAR THAT RUNS ON SALT WATER, fuk them all and their bullshit

if they did this humans can hang around this planet for a few more centuries

[JohnGalt2341]

Yes but then you would have to consider whether or not they are real Christians so to speak. And the criminality in European countries come from the unemployment rates which are minimum.

Please define "real Christians". Or at least name 10 people that you consider "real Christians". It's just curious to me that criminals are so drawn to Christianity and or Islam. If these same people were drawn to Reason and Logic they wouldn't be committing the crimes in the first place.

[Z_Wipf]

When I come in here and see people calling Hawking an idiot I lose all respect for society. You guys are ******* morons if you think you know more than this guy.

[bigbank]

When I come in here and see people calling Hawking an idiot I lose all respect for society. You guys are ******* morons if you think you know more than this guy.

[JDizzel]

Please define "real Christians". Or at least name 10 people that you consider "real Christians". It's just curious to me that criminals are so drawn to Christianity and or Islam. If these same people were drawn to Reason and Logic they wouldn't be committing the crimes in the first place.

But just by proclaiming you believe in Jesus,Ala or Thor doesn't mean that you follow the specific doctrines of an specific religion.


Of Course:
Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Martin Luther King, Jr
My Grandparents
Galileo Galilei
Monsignor Georges Lemaître - First scientist to propose the theory of the origin of the Universe or the big Bang.
G.W Bush (kidding)

Don't get me wrong i am an atheist my self and i am very aware of the number of Christians and atheist in the prison population but saying the someone is more prompted to crime for their religious beliefs is ridiculous when morality and law is not based on religion but by consensus.