Hawking on Religion

It is true that if the Christian God is the infinitely wise and powerful Creator of our meticulously designed (to support advanced life forms) planet, solar system, galaxy and universe, then he must be transcendently different from us. And yet, the biblical revelation tells us that we are like him in significant ways, made in his "image and likeness" as personal beings. And this means at least that both God and we can think, choose and act, and love.

Stephen Hawking recently contrasted science and religion (see paste below) and said that religion is based on authority, science on observation and reason. This kind of statement suggests first of all that we should not passively accept his authority when he speaks on subjects outside his field of physics. And then, we must point out that Christian faith is based on reason and observation as well. For example, eyewitness John the Apostle begins his first letter, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Fathher and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:1-3).

While I would agree with Stephen Hawking that the Universe (the Book of the Creation) appears to be about 14 billion and the earth about 4.5 billion years old. On the other hand, I believe that the Bible is, as it claims to be, the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16) and is therefore true when correctly understood.

The other essentials on which all Christians agree is that Jesus of Nazareth is the eternal God manifested as a man, that he died on the cross for our sins and was raised again from the dead. We are saved by believing this and confessing him as Lord, the Master, our final Authority. So again, Hawking has a point about authority, by faith in Christ we come into submission to and personal relationship with the final Authority, God the Creator and Redeemer, the Holy Trinity.


Hawking on God, Huffington Post, Nicolas Graham, 6/10/10
Stephen Hawking, known for his groundbreaking work in physics, told Diane Sawyer that when it comes to reconciling science and religion, there is only one outcome: "science will win because it works." He also elaborated on his views about God.
"What could define God [is thinking of God] as the embodiment of the laws of nature. However, this is not what most people would think of that God," Hawking told Sawyer. "They made a human-like being with whom one can have a personal relationship. When you look at the vast size of the universe and how insignificant an accidental human life is in it, that seems most impossible."
When Sawyer asked if there was a way to reconcile religion and science, Hawking said, "There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, [and] science, which is based on observation and reason. Science will win because it works."