It is often been said that physicist Stephen Hawking is one of the most brilliant minds since Albert Einstein. Mr. Hawking suffers from the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. This illness has progressed over the past several years, leaving Mr. Hawking almost completely paralyzed. Mr. Hawking's statement questioning the existence of heaven, has created controversy enraging some and astounding others. Hawking states "There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."
The Grand Design
In his book "The Grand Design", Hawking offers the reader insight into his religious beliefs or lack thereof. Mr. Hawking does not attribute the creation of the universe to God, but to the Big Bang Theory. The Big Bang Theory which has been debated for decades,suggests that 10 or 20 billion years ago the universe was created by a catastrophic explosion of small matter affected by high density and temperature.
Spontaneous Creation
In his book, Mr. Hawking argues "Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing," he writes. "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."
Faith & Religion
In late 2010, a study was released by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life that found that 86% of Americans believe in God or a higher power which is not that surprising. Many Americans have grown up in homes where religion was a daily staple. Whether it was Sundays at church with the family, Baptisms, Christenings or Bar Mitzvahs, many of us grew up with exposure to religion in one way or another. It is those very memories that sustain so many of us in difficult times.
There are of course those skeptics, who see religion as nothing more than blind faith. However faith and a belief in something bigger than ourselves for some of us, is an essential part of our very lives. Religion much like politics, has always been a rather contentious subject. What is indeed truly wonderful is that we all have the ability to believe whatever we choose. After all, didn't someone once say that one person's heaven is another person's hell?
