I just recently finished reading a bestselling book: A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking. It was a very good book on concepts such as the beginning of time (as viewed by most scientists today), and many other scientific concepts (such as Einstein’s theory of Relativity).
Throughout the book, Hawking mentions “God” quite a bit. As a matter of fact, he ends the main part of the “conclusion” with the following paragraph:
If we do discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable in broad prinicple by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people, be able to take part in the discussion of the question of why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason–for then we would know the mind of God.
Steven Hawking is one of our greatest scientific minds, and one of the most well known scientists around today. He is confined to a wheelchair due to a debilitating desease, yet that has not stopped him from becoming one of the leading scientists today.
Does Steven Hawking Believe in God?
Steven Hawking does not ever come out in his book (A Brief History of Time) that he does or does not believe in God. He makes several references to God throughout the book, but does not ever indicate a belief.
In my own view, based on reading the book, I get the impression that he does believe in the possibility of a creator (God), but not in the sense of traditional religion. I would think he maybe sees God as a first cause or creator, but not a “hands on” type of God that most religions seem to depict. But again, this is merely speculation on my part, as he never indicates belief in one way or the other. But I do also get the distinct impression that he has often pondered the existence of God throughout his life.
I wish I could have a personal conversation with Mr. Hawking regarding his personal views and beliefs. It would definitely be interesting to talk with someone of such understanding of theories and mathematics. I wonder what he does believe? But probably only Stephen knows for sure what he truly believes. Either way, he is a great scientist, a great writer, and has made tremendous accomplishments in his life despite his terrible battle with ALS.
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This post was written by Revelation on October 7, 2008
