is Dr. Stephen Hawking atheist?

Question

WellTraveledProg

who said i was believing what everyone else was believing?can i not just ask a simple question?think before you talk!

Answer 1

Yes.

Answer 2

I read his book A Brief History Of Time, he freely invokes the concept of a Creator throughout the book so no, he is not an athiest at all. In fact a lot of scientists are blown away by the majesty of the universe--the very big, the very small, life itself...and come away believing that there must have been a creative consciousness behind it all. That does not mean that any of the religions of today or of the past have the right idea, just that there may have been a creative intelligence behind all of this. That is why prayers are seldom answered, why the evil are seldom punished, why good results for good people is hit and miss at best.

Answer 3

At a physicist's conference Hawking was attending after his book A Brief History of Time was published, a reporter approached him to ask if he did in fact believe in God, given the "mind of God" reference near the end of the book. Hawking responded quickly (suggesting his answer was pre-prepared) "I do not believe in a personal God."

His books are riddled with references to some sort of creator, but it does not seem to be any specific one, and definitely not one based on the Bible. God seems more like poetic license and a placeholder to fill the unknown before the big bang in lack of any evidence in any direction. Hawking's ideas share certain traits and the phrase "personal god" with Einstein's comments about religion., especially if you read more of the material at the website.

"I have repeatedly said that in my opinion the idea of a personal God is a childlike one.You may call me an agnostic, but I do not share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from religious indoctrination received in youth."

http://atheistempire.com/greatminds/

Answer 4

Of course. Like most cosmologists Hawking is an agnostic atheist with a slight tendency to neo-platonism. He is careful about maintaining at least a small amount of public ambiguity because of all the religious hate groups out there.

Answer 5

Wrong , I disagree with what he says, "If we know everything God knows" .. He is totally off understanding of GOD/ Heavens .. it is just arrogant to think you are anywhere close to the smartness or understanding of the heavens.. Let me put it in perspective for the "high IQ's " and the normal people, God is the Alpha and Omega, he is not a person, he is here before ETERNITY and will be here after ETERNITY , Do you understand now ? and I am not even religious and I understand that.. geezzee

Answer 6

No
http://www.cosmicfingerprints.com/audio/newevidence.htm

Answer 7

He believes in God but is not a Christan. Of course to some narrow-minded people that is an atheist. One man's zealot is another's pagan.

Answer 8

Yes.

Does it matter what anyone else believes or doesn't believe? Shouldn't you find out the truth for yourself? Don't become a christian because Bush (or anybody else) is a christian...and don't become an atheist because Hawking is one. Study, learn, open your mind -- make your own rational decisions.

Answer 9

whether it have been authentic, he has the intelligence to maintain faith break free his artwork. Of what I even have study from the quran, he isn't dumb adequate to agree that the solar rises out of a puddle of airborne dirt and dirt.

Answer 10

He is more likely deist or agnostic. He has never stated anything atheistic. His wife of several years was openly Christian.

Adherents.com classifies him as deist.

http://www.adherents.com/largecom/fam_deist.html