On 2 Sep 10, BBC News reported that Professor Stephen Hawking has concluded in his new book that, “Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.” Hawking continues, "Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist.” Hawking subsequently concludes, “It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going."
The BBC News report noted Hawking's conclusions seem to reflect a new direction of Hawking's beliefs, which is away from previous writings where Hawking held that belief in God was not incompatible with science.
The opening statement of a 2 Sep 10, ABC News report, declared, “Famed theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking now says definitely that God did not create the universe or spark the Big Bang.” The up front assertion that God “definitely” did not create the universe, a conclusion based upon man's limited scientific observation of the universe appears to be a little strong. The word “definite” means there is no doubt as to Hawking's theory.
The statements attributed directly to Hawking expose a theory where God is not required, however, whether Hawking made the “definite” assertion may not be fully understood until Hawking's book, “The Grand Design” is released for sale.
According to a Random House promotion of the book, “Along the way Hawking and Mlodinow question the conventional concept of reality, posing a 'model-dependent' theory of reality as the best we can hope to find. And they conclude with a riveting assessment of M-theory, an explanation of the laws governing us and our universe that is currently the only viable candidate for a complete 'theory of everything.' If confirmed, they write, it will be the unified theory that Einstein was looking for, and the ultimate triumph of human reason.”
If the ABC News report is correct that Hawking “now says definitely that God did not create the universe or spark the Big Bang,” it seems odd that Hawking and co-author Mlodinow would mention that their theory still requires confirmation.
The opening to a Reuters article, published 2 Sep 10, reads, “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 Hawking argues in a new book.” The Reuters article noted, “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.”
The Reuters article quoted from Hawking's 1988 book, “A Brief History of Time,” where he stated, "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason -- for then we should know the mind of God."
The logic which must be reached from the excerpts presented in the various articles is that because gravity exists, God was not necessary to create the heavens and the earth or anything else in the universe. The logic must also assume that gravity was not created by God as the glue God might use for the grand design of His creation. Gravity and the multi-variant interactions it generates between independent and recombining physical masses is only one small component of that required to explain the mysteries which surround us.
It may be one thing to conclude that gravity exists, but it is a much different thing to “definitively” declare that God has nothing to do with gravity. Even still, there are still a few minor details to explain beyond the ingredients of the universe such as how it all fits together and generates the eventual order of consciousness and limited intellect through which we attempt to analyze our existence.
(In my mind, it requires more faith to believe that a universe prone to chaos could produce the beauty of the world around us as and the complexity of life by pure accident than to believe that what is exists is by the hand of God. Perhaps for a moment, some random order might occur, but then, how could it sustain itself without the power of God? -- Prayer Soldier)
Cited Articles and Posts
BBC News (2 Sep 10)
ABC News (2 Sep 10)
Random House (Not Dated)
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780553805376
Routers (2 Sep 10)
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6811FN20100902
