https://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/may/15/stephen-hawking-interview-there-is-no-heaven
Stephen Hawking dismisses belief in God in an exclusive interview with the Guardian. Photograph: Solar & Heliospheric Observatory/Discovery Channel
The belief that heaven or an afterlife awaits us is a "fairy story" for people afraid of death, Stephen Hawking has said.

In a dismissal that underlines his firm rejection of religious comforts, Britain's most eminent scientist said there was nothing beyond the moment when the brain flickers for the final time.

Hawking, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at the age of 21, shares his thoughts on death, human purpose and our chance existence in an exclusive interview with the Guardian today.

The incurable illness was expected to kill Hawking within a few years of its symptoms arising, an outlook that turned the young scientist to Wagner, but ultimately led him to enjoy life more, he has said, despite the cloud hanging over his future.

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"I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first," he said.

"I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark," he added.

Hawking's latest comments go beyond those laid out in his 2010 book, The Grand Design, in which he asserted that there is no need for a creator to explain the existence of the universe. The book provoked a backlash from some religious leaders, including the chief rabbi, Lord Sacks, who accused Hawking of committing an "elementary fallacy" of logic.


Sign up for Lab Notes - the Guardian's weekly science update
Read more
The 69-year-old physicist fell seriously ill after a lecture tour in the US in 2009 and was taken to Addenbrookes hospital in an episode that sparked grave concerns for his health. He has since returned to his Cambridge department as director of research.

The physicist's remarks draw a stark line between the use of God as a metaphor and the belief in an omniscient creator whose hands guide the workings of the cosmos.

In his bestselling 1988 book, A Brief History of Time, Hawking drew on the device so beloved of Einstein, when he described what it would mean for scientists to develop a "theory of everything" – a set of equations that described every particle and force in the entire universe. "It would be the ultimate triumph of human reason – for then we should know the mind of God," he wrote.

The book sold a reported 9 million copies and propelled the physicist to instant stardom. His fame has led to guest roles in The Simpsons, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Red Dwarf. One of his greatest achievements in physics is a theory that describes how black holes emit radiation.

In the interview, Hawking rejected the notion of life beyond death and emphasised the need to fulfil our potential on Earth by making good use of our lives. In answer to a question on how we should live, he said, simply: "We should seek the greatest value of our action."

In answering another, he wrote of the beauty of science, such as the exquisite double helix of DNA in biology, or the fundamental equations of physics.

Hawking responded to questions posed by the Guardian and a reader in advance of a lecture tomorrow at the Google Zeitgeist meeting in London, in which he will address the question: "Why are we here?"

In the talk, he will argue that tiny quantum fluctuations in the very early universe became the seeds from which galaxies, stars, and ultimately human life emerged. "Science predicts that many different kinds of universe will be spontaneously created out of nothing. It is a matter of chance which we are in," he said.

Hawking suggests that with modern space-based instruments, such as the European Space Agency's Planck mission, it may be possible to spot ancient fingerprints in the light left over from the earliest moments of the universe and work out how our own place in space came to be.

His talk will focus on M-theory, a broad mathematical framework that encompasses string theory, which is regarded by many physicists as the best hope yet of developing a theory of everything.

M-theory demands a universe with 11 dimensions, including a dimension of time and the three familiar spatial dimensions. The rest are curled up too small for us to see.

Evidence in support of M-theory might also come from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at Cern, the European particle physics laboratory near Geneva.

One possibility predicted by M-theory is supersymmetry, an idea that says fundamental particles have heavy – and as yet undiscovered – twins, with curious names such as selectrons and squarks.

Confirmation of supersymmetry would be a shot in the arm for M-theory and help physicists explain how each force at work in the universe arose from one super-force at the dawn of time.

Another potential discovery at the LHC, that of the elusive Higgs boson, which is thought to give mass to elementary particles, might be less welcome to Hawking, who has a long-standing bet that the long-sought entity will never be found at the laboratory.

Hawking will join other speakers at the London event, including the chancellor, George Osborne, and the Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz.

Science, truth and beauty: Hawking's answers
What is the value in knowing "Why are we here?"

The universe is governed by science. But science tells us that we can't solve the equations, directly in the abstract. We need to use the effective theory of Darwinian natural selection of those societies most likely to survive. We assign them higher value.

You've said there is no reason to invoke God to light the blue touchpaper. Is our existence all down to luck?

Science predicts that many different kinds of universe will be spontaneously created out of nothing. It is a matter of chance which we are in.

So here we are. What should we do?

We should seek the greatest value of our action.

You had a health scare and spent time in hospital in 2009. What, if anything, do you fear about death?

I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first. I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.

What are the things you find most beautiful in science?

Advertisement

Science is beautiful when it makes simple explanations of phenomena or connections between different observations. Examples include the double helix in biology, and the fundamental equations of physics."

Heaven or hell, God or no God, just do good. Thats my own. Have a blessed day.

StandardJohn:
Heaven or hell, God or no God, just do good. Thats my own. Have a blessed day.

What is "Good".?

What does that mean?
Is it GOOD to kill Abubakar Shekau?

He should die first...then resurrect before making claims.....

yanabasee:
He should die first...then resurrect before making claims.....

That logic applies to those who say there is heaven EVEN MORE

In fact they should be in a hurry to die
His point is simple humans occupy a body that dies and decomposes. Just like a phone or TV.

Where does resurrection come into it?
Once a machine stops working THE END.

The parts may be recycled

omonnakoda

Matthew 13:44

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man has found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field."

RIDDLE
Why did the owner of the field sell it so cheap?

MrPRevailer:
omonnakoda

Matthew 13:44

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field."

RIDDLE
Why did the owner of the field sell it so cheap?

Which field?

omonnakoda:

Which field?

Matthew 13:44
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a FIELD; the which when a man had found, he hid it, and for joy thereof went and sold all that he had, and bought that field."

MrPRevailer:


Matthew 13:44
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a FIELD; the which when a man had found, he hid it, and for joy thereof went and sold all that he had, and bought that field."

Who is Matthew and what field are you talking about?
Guy you quoted me to start talking of field, is it football field or what?

What are you talking about?

omonnakoda:

Who is Matthew and what field are you talking about?
Guy you quoted me to start talking of field, is it football field or what?

What are you talking about?

Ok, let me help your understanding.
It's a parable. The kingdom of heaven is like a field full of hidden treasures. Which when a man found the treasure, he went and bought it.

He bought it from a man, the initial owner, who didn't know the value of the field/land. He never saw the hidden treasures that could CHANGE HIS DESTINY FOREVER.
His name is Stephen Hawking and any unbeliever who die in their sins are as the initial owner of the field who sold away his field. Yeah, he sold it for personal or immediate gratifications and lusts for money that would soon be exhausted. But had he known or believed he had hidden treasures in his field, he would NEVER have sold it off.
Heaven is an invaluable treasure no money/riches in the world combined can ever buy. But unbelievers like Stephen Hawking sold it away inexchange for filthy lucre's sake, lustful freedom, immoral pleasures which are temporary.

MrPRevailer:


Ok, let me help your understanding.
It's a parable. The kingdom of heaven is like a field full of hidden treasures. Which when a man found the treasure, he went and bought it.

He bought it from a man, the initial owner, who didn't know the value of the field/land. He never saw the hidden treasures that could CHANGE HIS DESTINY FOREVER.
His name is Stephen Hawking and any unbeliever who die in their sins are as the initial owner of the field who sold away his field. Yeah, he sold it for personal or immediate gratifications and lusts for money that would soon be exhausted. But had he known or believed he had hidden treasures in his field, he would NEVER have sold it off.
Heaven is an invaluable treasure no money/riches in the world combined can ever buy. But unbelievers like Stephen Hawking sold it away inexchange for filthy lucre's sake, lustful freedom, immoral pleasures which are temporary.

How do you know all this?

omonnakoda:

How do you know all this?

Because it's all in the Bible.

MrPRevailer:


Because it's all in the Bible.

Why should I accept stuff because it is in your bible ? Who wrote it?

Heaven simply means the place where spirits dwell, though most human have the credulous idea that there dead goes there but the reality is spirit beings differs from the dead.
It's this spirit beings that are behind all the happenings that's not ordinary, the dead are gone for good!

Maximus69:
Heaven simply means the place where spirits dwell, though most human have the credulous idea that there dead goes there but the reality is spirit beings differs from the dead.
It's this spirit beings that are behind all the happenings that's not ordinary, the dead are gone for good!

Spirit?

What is that?

omonnakoda:


Spirit?

What is that?

They are higher unseen intelligent beings, they have intentions like humans but without physical bodies.
They're faster than light and powerful enough to control natural forces.

Though some don't agree they exist and they're pleased with that because once you don't believe in their existence then you can't believe in the most powerful of them all (GOD).

So you won't have any business with them, but you will notice other humans that are under their control!

Maximus69:


They are higher unseen intelligent beings, they have intentions like humans but without physical bodies.
They're faster than light and powerful enough to control natural forces.

Though some don't agree they exist and they're pleased with that because once you don't believe in their existence then you can't believe in the most powerful of them all (GOD).

So you won't have any business with them, but you will notice other humans that are under their control!

How do you know this?

StandardJohn:
Heaven or hell, God or no God, just do good. Thats my own. Have a blessed day.

Doing good can not make you enter heaven by the way.

omonnakoda:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/may/15/stephen-hawking-interview-there-is-no-heaven
Stephen Hawking dismisses belief in God in an exclusive interview with the Guardian. Photograph: Solar & Heliospheric Observatory/Discovery Channel
The belief that heaven or an afterlife awaits us is a "fairy story" for people afraid of death, Stephen Hawking has said.

In a dismissal that underlines his firm rejection of religious comforts, Britain's most eminent scientist said there was nothing beyond the moment when the brain flickers for the final time.

Hawking, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at the age of 21, shares his thoughts on death, human purpose and our chance existence in an exclusive interview with the Guardian today.

The incurable illness was expected to kill Hawking within a few years of its symptoms arising, an outlook that turned the young scientist to Wagner, but ultimately led him to enjoy life more, he has said, despite the cloud hanging over his future.

Advertisement
"I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first," he said.

"I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark," he added.

Hawking's latest comments go beyond those laid out in his 2010 book, The Grand Design, in which he asserted that there is no need for a creator to explain the existence of the universe. The book provoked a backlash from some religious leaders, including the chief rabbi, Lord Sacks, who accused Hawking of committing an "elementary fallacy" of logic.


Sign up for Lab Notes - the Guardian's weekly science update
Read more
The 69-year-old physicist fell seriously ill after a lecture tour in the US in 2009 and was taken to Addenbrookes hospital in an episode that sparked grave concerns for his health. He has since returned to his Cambridge department as director of research.

The physicist's remarks draw a stark line between the use of God as a metaphor and the belief in an omniscient creator whose hands guide the workings of the cosmos.

In his bestselling 1988 book, A Brief History of Time, Hawking drew on the device so beloved of Einstein, when he described what it would mean for scientists to develop a "theory of everything" – a set of equations that described every particle and force in the entire universe. "It would be the ultimate triumph of human reason – for then we should know the mind of God," he wrote.

The book sold a reported 9 million copies and propelled the physicist to instant stardom. His fame has led to guest roles in The Simpsons, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Red Dwarf. One of his greatest achievements in physics is a theory that describes how black holes emit radiation.

In the interview, Hawking rejected the notion of life beyond death and emphasised the need to fulfil our potential on Earth by making good use of our lives. In answer to a question on how we should live, he said, simply: "We should seek the greatest value of our action."

In answering another, he wrote of the beauty of science, such as the exquisite double helix of DNA in biology, or the fundamental equations of physics.

Hawking responded to questions posed by the Guardian and a reader in advance of a lecture tomorrow at the Google Zeitgeist meeting in London, in which he will address the question: "Why are we here?"

In the talk, he will argue that tiny quantum fluctuations in the very early universe became the seeds from which galaxies, stars, and ultimately human life emerged. "Science predicts that many different kinds of universe will be spontaneously created out of nothing. It is a matter of chance which we are in," he said.

Hawking suggests that with modern space-based instruments, such as the European Space Agency's Planck mission, it may be possible to spot ancient fingerprints in the light left over from the earliest moments of the universe and work out how our own place in space came to be.

His talk will focus on M-theory, a broad mathematical framework that encompasses string theory, which is regarded by many physicists as the best hope yet of developing a theory of everything.

M-theory demands a universe with 11 dimensions, including a dimension of time and the three familiar spatial dimensions. The rest are curled up too small for us to see.

Evidence in support of M-theory might also come from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at Cern, the European particle physics laboratory near Geneva.

One possibility predicted by M-theory is supersymmetry, an idea that says fundamental particles have heavy – and as yet undiscovered – twins, with curious names such as selectrons and squarks.

Confirmation of supersymmetry would be a shot in the arm for M-theory and help physicists explain how each force at work in the universe arose from one super-force at the dawn of time.

Another potential discovery at the LHC, that of the elusive Higgs boson, which is thought to give mass to elementary particles, might be less welcome to Hawking, who has a long-standing bet that the long-sought entity will never be found at the laboratory.

Hawking will join other speakers at the London event, including the chancellor, George Osborne, and the Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz.

Science, truth and beauty: Hawking's answers
What is the value in knowing "Why are we here?"

The universe is governed by science. But science tells us that we can't solve the equations, directly in the abstract. We need to use the effective theory of Darwinian natural selection of those societies most likely to survive. We assign them higher value.

You've said there is no reason to invoke God to light the blue touchpaper. Is our existence all down to luck?

Science predicts that many different kinds of universe will be spontaneously created out of nothing. It is a matter of chance which we are in.

So here we are. What should we do?

We should seek the greatest value of our action.

You had a health scare and spent time in hospital in 2009. What, if anything, do you fear about death?

I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first. I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.

What are the things you find most beautiful in science?

Advertisement

Science is beautiful when it makes simple explanations of phenomena or connections between different observations. Examples include the double helix in biology, and the fundamental equations of physics."

Hawkins was a fool

omonnakoda:

How do you know this?

Cultures, traditions, books and human behaviour!

Maximus69:


Cultures, traditions, books and human behaviour!

Have you ever met a spirit, perhaps you have a selfie?

omonnakoda:

Have you ever met a spirit, perhaps you have a selfie?

Have you ever seen air, perhaps you have a selfie?

the owner was not aware of the treasure. (it was hidden)

Maximus69:

Have you ever seen air, perhaps you have a selfie?

YOU DON'T SEE AIR YET YOU DON'T DOUBT IT...
So I got a PM yesterday and this fellow sought to know how I can be so foolish to not believe in the existence of God. He said to me, "That I can't see air doesn't in any way void its existence.... Trying to understand God before believing his existences will fry your brain....so these guys only retire to their belief as they find it impossible to comprehend God."
I promised to answer him in a comment on this thread and here it is:
You can't "SEE" air, but you can observe it. There are many many tests to observe air. Scientists have observed air so well, they even know its make-up.
Evidence doesn't mean "SEE". It means "SENSE" by any means replicable: human senses or even with the help of technology.
Now no one alive and healthy today has ever SENSED God in a universally replicable manner.
For there to be a goat in a well, it's not enough for Olamide alone to see/hear it. He should also be able to demonstrate to Chidinma by telling him what steps he took to sense the goat, so that Chindinma can sense it himself and also show Audu.
If you are the only one who can sense the presence of this goat, then it's most likely all in your head (hallucination).
If you believe something so so so much and you managed to convince yourself it's there, guess what, your brain starts to see it in everything. But, my friend, it's still all in your head (delusion).
What religion has managed to do is get a whole lot of people deluded. They start seeing god in everything - they woke up today (must be god). Almost got hit by a car (God saved). Passed exam (God blessed). Didn't pass exam (God testing)... This is mass delusion my brother.

solite3:
Doing good can not make you enter heaven by the way.

Are you the gateman or caretaker ?

Heaven is the Orion nebula...that's where new souls are created.

omonnakoda:

Why should I accept stuff because it is in your bible ? Who wrote it?

The Bible's Old testament is the Jewish book. While the New Testament is an extension of the Jewish book/religion.

Everything written about the prophesied Messiah in the O.T was fulfilled by Jesus Christ which have birth to the new testament. The books of N.T were written by the disciples and apostles.

Example, the book of Corinthians, Colossians, Thessalonians were Apostle Paul's letter to the churches in those regions. Book of Peter was Peter's letters to the church. Book of Revelation was John's Revelation to the church (after he was cast to exile into the Wilderness of Patmos).

sonmvayina:
Heaven is the Orion nebula...that's where new souls are created.

*According to your bible

sonmvayina:
Heaven is the Orion nebula...that's where new souls are created.

Orion nebula is just one of the billions of galaxies in the first heaven. Souls are created when a man and a woman comes together.
Jesus said "Have i not said, You are gods".

MrPRevailer:


Orion nebula is just one of the billions of galaxies in the first heaven. Souls are created when a man and a woman comes together.
Jesus said "Have i not said, You are gods".

Lol...that's where new souls are created....I am not talking about sex..your last statement contradict your point.

odinson1:


*According to your bible

So which part of the Bible have you read..?..have you read the entire book of job?