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Professor Stephen Hawking says no God created Universe

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pgd
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03 Sep 2010, 10:41 am

Professor Stephen Hawking says no God created Universe (2010)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11172158

---

Is astronomer Stephen Hawking a Buddhist?



Sand
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03 Sep 2010, 10:52 am

pgd wrote:
Professor Stephen Hawking says no God created Universe (2010)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11172158

---

Is astronomer Stephen Hawking a Buddhist?


This information has appeared in two separate threads already but Iamnotaparakeek has already demonstrated (at least to his satisfaction) that Hawking is totally mistaken. So everybody can rest assured that Hawking is a fool and the status quo of religion is unaffected.



DeaconBlues
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03 Sep 2010, 10:52 am

Oh, for frak's sake...

I've tried to explain this to people at the local newspaper's website, and there's another thread on here about this already, but:

THAT IS NOT WHAT HAWKING SAID!! !

That's how the authors of various news articles want to frame the discussion - but what Dr. Hawking said was that the existence of God is not necessary for the creation of the universe. Given the concept of vacuum fluctuation, it is indeed inevitable that the singularity would eventually no longer be singular, leading to the Big Bang.

Similarly, given seismic activity and erosion, it's inevitable that eventually, a pebble on the lip of the Grand Canyon will fall in, meaning that it is not necessary for a person to come along and kick it in - but this does not then mean that there is no person who might have kicked said pebble.

Dr. Hawking is not yet senile, and is far too careful a scientist to make such an extraordinary claim as to rule out the existence of an entity existing outside the natural universe. He merely points out, correctly, that the universe would look the same whether or not such an entity existed. And contrary to what some self-proclaimed "religious leaders" want you to believe, noting this is NOT identical to declaring that "there is no God". Is it really so hard to find and read his actual words?


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Sand
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03 Sep 2010, 10:57 am

DeaconBlues wrote:
Oh, for frak's sake...

I've tried to explain this to people at the local newspaper's website, and there's another thread on here about this already, but:

THAT IS NOT WHAT HAWKING SAID!! !

That's how the authors of various news articles want to frame the discussion - but what Dr. Hawking said was that the existence of God is not necessary for the creation of the universe. Given the concept of vacuum fluctuation, it is indeed inevitable that the singularity would eventually no longer be singular, leading to the Big Bang.

Similarly, given seismic activity and erosion, it's inevitable that eventually, a pebble on the lip of the Grand Canyon will fall in, meaning that it is not necessary for a person to come along and kick it in - but this does not then mean that there is no person who might have kicked said pebble.

Dr. Hawking is not yet senile, and is far too careful a scientist to make such an extraordinary claim as to rule out the existence of an entity existing outside the natural universe. He merely points out, correctly, that the universe would look the same whether or not such an entity existed. And contrary to what some self-proclaimed "religious leaders" want you to believe, noting this is NOT identical to declaring that "there is no God". Is it really so hard to find and read his actual words?


In other words, God may exist but He is irrelevant. That's a comfort.



ChrisVulcan
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03 Sep 2010, 7:08 pm

pgd wrote:
Professor Stephen Hawking says no God created Universe (2010)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11172158


Just because Stephen Hawking says something is true doesn't make it so.

pgd wrote:
Is astronomer Stephen Hawking a Buddhist?


I don't think so. I think he identifies himself as an agnostic, but a lack of belief in God would technically make him an atheist. He could be a Buddhist, though.


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MrLoony
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03 Sep 2010, 7:18 pm

Stephen Hawking seems to identify most as a Deist or Agnostic, more likely the latter.


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Sand
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03 Sep 2010, 7:23 pm

ChrisVulcan wrote:
pgd wrote:
Professor Stephen Hawking says no God created Universe (2010)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11172158


Just because Stephen Hawking says something is true doesn't make it so.

pgd wrote:
Is astronomer Stephen Hawking a Buddhist?


I don't think so. I think he identifies himself as an agnostic, but a lack of belief in God would technically make him an atheist. He could be a Buddhist, though.


Perhaps I am over impressed with Hawking but I prefer to take his judgment over any ignorant idiot on this site.



iamnotaparakeet
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03 Sep 2010, 7:26 pm

Sand wrote:
pgd wrote:
Professor Stephen Hawking says no God created Universe (2010)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11172158

---

Is astronomer Stephen Hawking a Buddhist?


This information has appeared in two separate threads already but Iamnotaparakeek has already demonstrated (at least to his satisfaction) that Hawking is totally mistaken. So everybody can rest assured that Hawking is a fool and the status quo of religion is unaffected.


That would be iamnotaparakeet, Sand. Also, your quote stated something along the lines of "the law of gravity disproves God", in which case, not mattering who said it, they would be a nut. It's more likely the contrivance of the article's author, and perhaps a demonstration of the "critical thinking" which public school has endowed countless millions of idiots with, but whether that is what Hawking's meant to say or what the reporter interpreted him as saying, either would be wrong.



greenblue
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03 Sep 2010, 7:56 pm

Quote:
There is no place for God in theories on the creation of the Universe, the physicist and mathematician Professor Stephen Hawking has said.

Does that mean that it were?


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takemitsu
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03 Sep 2010, 8:19 pm

I think Hawking said this because he wanted to create some discourse...and to see if he could hit #1 on Google trends.



Sand
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03 Sep 2010, 9:13 pm

takemitsu wrote:
I think Hawking said this because he wanted to create some discourse...and to see if he could hit #1 on Google trends.


In other words Hawking was merely playing with publicity and didn't mean what he said. How do you come by the secret thoughts of Hawking?



iamnotaparakeet
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03 Sep 2010, 10:09 pm

Sand wrote:
takemitsu wrote:
I think Hawking said this because he wanted to create some discourse...and to see if he could hit #1 on Google trends.


In other words Hawking was merely playing with publicity and didn't mean what he said. How do you come by the secret thoughts of Hawking?


Isn't Hawking supposed to be one of the most intelligent humans to ever live? Could he say something so stupid intentionally, unless he were willing to see how many idiots would go for it?



Vexcalibur
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03 Sep 2010, 11:57 pm

Except he didn't say anything stupid.

His actual reasoning and statements (not what the news are buzzing) are sound and correct. It all points that a a god, or a group of gods are not necessary for the universe to exist.


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Sand
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04 Sep 2010, 12:43 am

iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Sand wrote:
takemitsu wrote:
I think Hawking said this because he wanted to create some discourse...and to see if he could hit #1 on Google trends.


In other words Hawking was merely playing with publicity and didn't mean what he said. How do you come by the secret thoughts of Hawking?


Isn't Hawking supposed to be one of the most intelligent humans to ever live? Could he say something so stupid intentionally, unless he were willing to see how many idiots would go for it?


Or perhaps, after considerable thought and long and difficult calculation he comes to the inevitable conclusion that God wasn't necessary for the creation of the universe and he announces it to see how many idiots would refuse to accept it.



ruveyn
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04 Sep 2010, 4:21 am

The Cosmos has always existed in some state or another. The Big Bang expansion was not the beginning of the Cosmos but an intermediate stage in the history of the Cosmos.

ruveyn



Sand
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04 Sep 2010, 4:28 am

ruveyn wrote:
The Cosmos has always existed in some state or another. The Big Bang expansion was not the beginning of the Cosmos but an intermediate stage in the history of the Cosmos.

ruveyn


Quickly! Get this vital information to Hawking and other cosmologists! For the better part of a century they have been puzzled and now that you have proof of this eternal existence there will be great sigh of relief from the scientific community.