Heaven Is a Fairy Tale Says Physicist Stephen Hawking

[c.d.]

Heaven is a fairy story ...

[Chris]

Heaven is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark, the eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking said in an interview published on Monday.

I wonder how Hell fits into this theory ...

[Robert]

He's at a meeting with George Osborne. Question answered.

[c.d.]

It was absolutely amazing to read the comments on msn.com that this article generated. Hawking was simply stating his personal opinion, nothing more, nothing less. Yet he was attacked without mercy with many good "Christians" hoping that he will go to hell and others deriding him as a complete fool. A few even stated that he was a demon trying to lead people away from God and that his illness was God's punishment for his disbelief.

c.d.

[Sister Hyde]

the term "going to hell" always make me laugh, strangely Hell is more likely to exist right down here than heaven. and no need to search through the cosmos to find it. anyway...Charlie churches (or holy water frogs as we call them), will always make me laugh my pants off. They kind of received John Marco Allegro the same way back in the days.

[Robert]

Americans never go to hell - they wouldn't be able to find it.

[Sister Hyde]

ahahahah more ike they would keep looking without ever finding what's right under their nose

[Fleetwood Mac]

Heaven is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark, the eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking said in an interview published on Monday.

Ah yes, the idea that faith and reason must be mutually exclusive, and reason alone can explain human existence and behaviour. The odd philosopher here and there has done a very good job of deconstructing this enlightenment idea, and no one has managed to reconstruct it with any degree of confidence.

Surely a scientist should be the first to say that nothing is certain; it's merely probable based on our experience (limited or otherwise) of the world.

[Robert]

In my opinion, there is no such thing as "explaining" the universe, either scientifically or religiously.

To borrow a phrase of Mr Spock's, "It simply exists."

[DVV]

CD is right saying SH is merely expressing a personal opinion.

[Garry Wroe]

How dare Hawking question a religion founded upon creationism, talking serpents and virgin births? He'll be doubting the existence of the tooth fairy next.

[sdreid]

I don't care if Hawking believes in heaven or not but he did seem to go out of his way to express his views rather rudely. Why didn't he just say that he didn't believe in heaven and if the interviewer asked what he thought about people who did believe then he could have simply said - they're wrong.

[The Grave Maurice]

Agreed. I've often thought that people who protest too loudly that there is no heaven believe, in their heart of hearts, that there is, but that they probably won't be going.

[Steven Russell]

Influential people like Professor Hawking should speak out against religion. Not only is it the biggest load of guff ever invented, it's dangerous.

Steve

[Errata]

Stephen Hawking believes in miracles. Otherwise he never would have left his first wife, nor acquired a girlfriend so soon after ditching the second wife.