stephen hawking: the afterlife does not exist

[flexmaster33]

It's sad to be that intelligent yet still a fool.

this

 

[jlee]

All people are fools, in one way or another. This fool has a respected voice in matters that involve the origins of the universe. Whether you trust him or not is your choice, but it makes his opinion no less credible.

 

[EarlSweatshirt]

Fool would hardly be a word worth applying to Stephen Hawking. He's not some random Oakley-wearing, Hamms-guzzling bar prognosticator.

Sam Harris said it well: "One of the extraordinary ironies of religious discourse can be seen in the frequency with which people of faith praise themselves for their humility, while condemning scientists and other nonbelievers for their intellectual arrogance."

"And yet, there is no worldview more reprehensible in its arrogance than that of a religious believer: The Creator of the Universe takes an active interest in me, approves of me, loves me, and will reward me after death; my current beliefs, drawn from scripture, will remain the best statement of the truth until the end of the world; everyone who disagrees with me will spend eternity in heck."

Wish Carl Sagan could send a message down here and tell us for sure.

I always trusted him.

"Who is more humble? The scientist who looks at the universe with an open mind and accepts whatever the universe has to teach us, or somebody who says everything in this book must be considered the literal truth and never mind the fallibility of all the human beings involved?" -- Carl Sagan

 

[service_gamer]

Fool would hardly be a word worth applying to Stephen Hawking. He's not some random Oakley-wearing, Hamms-guzzling bar prognosticator.

True, but no amount of intelligence will ever make someone qualified enough to decide the existence of God or the afterlife. Few people loathe the extreme, "Jesus loves me 'cause the Bible tells me so" evangelicals as much as I do, but they are no more overbearing than atheists; neither group really has any idea what the heck they are talking about, but that does nothing to deter their arrogant confidence in their beliefs.

If this makes me a naive pussy who turns to a fairy tale to numb my crippling fear of death, so be it, but I choose to believe that "something" exists beyond this world. In my mind, there's far too much unexplained phenomena for there not to be -- off the top of my head, this can range from Eucharistic miracles to experiences with a ouija board. I'm not saying I believe every bozo with a miracle story, but I simply don't think that every single one of these happenings is either made up or can be explained scientifically.

What's more, and this is where I think the people who view the Bible as a history book screw up, I don't understand why our knowledge of how the universe works and the existence of God are mutually exclusive. I don't think Noah's Ark happened, but I think God could flood the earth if He wanted to. Instead, I choose to believe that God created the universe and has watched its evolution play out from the great beyond.

 

[Oggiedoggie]

And then, there's the possibility that God created the world to play out some sort of weird fantasy league thing.

 

[deskslave]

No one cares about God's fantasy team!

 

[BYH]

No one cares about God's fantasy team!

It makes me smile to think of Spnited saying that upstairs.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

And then, there's the possibility that God created the world to play out some sort of weird fantasy league thing.

Any thoughts as to what God might name his fantasy league team? And who else would play - besides the Devil?

 

[playthrough]

This is as interesting a thread as I've seen here (or at least since the most recent ESPN thread). I struggle with this all the time, because frankly, I'm terrified of death. But I do consider myself a decent Christian (OK, probably a C-minus Christian) and believe that I will see my beloved relatives and dear friends at some point down the road. But in what form? Are we all heavenly ghosts? Will my favorite uncle see me as last knew me, as a 19-year-old, or as I am when I die? Can I play golf at the next stop?

 

[vicd]

So, if there is an afterlife, do I have to hang out with my cousin who never shuts up? I think I'd rather be in heck. Or do we get to pick which loved ones we want to spend eternity with?
My best friend is gay. Will I get to hang out with him in heaven? Or do I go to heck for having a best friend who is gay?

 

[Dick Whitman]

I think it's odd how angry people get when someone like Hawking comes out and makes a statement like this. It's like, cue up the "egghead" and "ivory tower" putdowns. And, of course, lots and lots and lots of snide talk about "theories" (quotation marks absolutely necessary).

 

[vicd]

Can I make fun of Kirk Cameron?
"Why should anyone believe Mr. Hawking's writings if he cannot provide evidence for his unscientific belief that out of nothing, everything came?"
http://www.tmz.com/2011/05/17/kirk-cameron-to-hawking-heaven-does-exist/