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Stephen Hawking: God did not create Universe

12174 Views 203 Replies 49 Participants Last post by  Ti Dominant, 
S
There is no place for God in theories on the creation of the Universe, Professor Stephen Hawking has said.

He had previously argued belief in a creator was not incompatible with science but in a new book, he concludes the Big Bang was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics.

The Grand Design, part serialised in the Times, says there is no need to invoke God to set the Universe going.

"Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something," he concluded.

'Planetary conditions'

In his new book, an extract of which appears in the Times, Britain's most famous physicist sets out to contest Sir Isaac Newton's belief that the universe must have been designed by God as it could not have sprung out of chaos.

Citing the 1992 discovery of a planet orbiting a star other than our Sun, he said: "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 as evidence that the Earth was carefully designed just to please us human beings."

He adds: "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.

"It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going."

The book was co-written by US physicist Leonard Mlodinow and is published on 9 September.

In his 1988 bestseller, A Brief History of Time, Prof Hawking appeared to accept the role of God in the creation of the Universe.

"If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason - for then we should know the mind of God," he said.
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BBC News - Stephen Hawking: God did not create Universe
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I
Thats going to upset one or two people, although i believe he's right.
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T
The law of gravity allows something to come from nothing? Since when does gravity create matter?

I'd be interested to see what his justification is for that statement.
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S
The headline seems to be a b it misleading given Hawking's actual statements. Saying invoking God is not necessary to explain the creation of the universe is not the same thing as saying "God did not create the universe." Granted, I don't think Hawking believes God created the universe, but just because God is not necessary to invoke the creation does not mean that God cannot exist or couldn't have created the universe, it just means modern science rejects most creationist myths.
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T
jesus christ! how old is this guy? it took him this long to figure this out?! geez :dry:
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S
Human beings are not necessary to explain the existence of this computer I'm typing at.

It just sort of randomly and spontaneously put itself together and works very well. All just a coincidence, of course.

What a ridiculous statement by Hawking.
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Stars said:
Human beings are not necessary to explain the existence of this computer I'm typing at.

It just sort of randomly and spontaneously put itself together and works very well. All just a coincidence, of course.

What a ridiculous statement by Hawking.
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But a computer is man-made, not natural.
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S
If a computer is man-made, why isn't the natural universe God-made? Specifically the Earth, which has seasons, rain cycles, tides, and naturally regulatory predator-prey relationships that are necessary for sustainability and for life to flourish, all of which are evidence that the Earth is well designed for life. It operates according to specific rules, just like a human creation. Most people who try to argue against the "Watchmaker argument" for God seem to think has the exact same attributes as His human creation. Not so. The way God is described in The Bible, there ARE some similarities but there are also enormous differences.
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A
Him and 90% of the internet believe this. Why should I care?
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M
If you claim that the universe is God-made or intelligently designed you create another question: Who or what made/created God?

Simple stuff.
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Molock said:
If you claim that the universe is God-made or intelligently designed you create another question: Who or what made/created God?

Simple stuff.
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Heard this one thousands of times. If God is who He says He is in The Bible, He has always existed and was also responsible for the creation of time. He is literally the Alpha and Omega. While He can reveal Himself in propositional statements that we as humans can understand, His true nature is something that is literally beyond human ability to fathom. At least in our current form.

Simple stuff.
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Vaka
Stars said:
Heard this one thousands of times. If God is who He says He is in The Bible, He has always existed and was also responsible for the creation of time. He is literally the Alpha and Omega. While He can reveal Himself in propositional statements that we as humans can understand, His true nature is something that is literally beyond human ability to fathom. At least in our current form.

Simple stuff.
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I don't mind people who have certain beliefs(I don't even know what I believe about certain things), I just don't know why you think that's less ridiculous than what Stephen Hawking proposed.
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M
Stars said:
Heard this one thousands of times. If God is who He says He is in The Bible, He has always existed and was also responsible for the creation of time. He is literally the Alpha and Omega. While He can reveal Himself in propositional statements that we as humans can understand, His true nature is something that is literally beyond human ability to fathom. At least in our current form.

Simple stuff.
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Right, so God, a complex "being" does not require creation but the universe does.

:mellow:
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T
^Supposedly, such a being would not be bound to the normal rules of the universe and thus does not have to be "created". At least that's what I would argue as Devil's Advocate.

But really, this is pretty ridiculous of Hawking. We don't know what happened before the Planck epoch other than that there was a singularity at some point. What came before this singularity, how it formed or who perhaps created it is not knowable with our current technology and methods, so how can Hawking really rule out that God did? Does he have concrete evidence that a supreme being could not have (theoretically)? This just defies logic to me.

Also, how can gravity create matter?
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Molock said:
Right, so God, a complex "being" does not require creation but the universe does.

:mellow:
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You cannot argue about God and creation with a creationist.
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P
*Walks out, promptly avoiding a shitstorm*
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Psilocin said:
*Walks out, promptly avoiding a shitstorm*
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Best thing you have ever posted. :proud:
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P
bionic said:
Best thing you have ever posted. :proud:
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Don't think I won't stir up a shitstorm.
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B
Psilocin said:
Don't think I won't stir up a shitstorm.
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As long as you do it with others and not me; I'm all down for watching the lulstorm.
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P
I usually avoid those kinds of shitstorms since it's me personal belief that God can neither be proven, nor disproven.

Saying "There's no need for God in creation" is different from "There is no God."
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