World-renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has made major news again. No, this isn’t the revelation of some new theory about the formation of the cosmos or the discovery of a phenomenon that supposedly proves the Big Bang. This time, he throws his hat into the theological ring. In an exclusive interview in The Guardian (UK) in May 2011, he said, “There is no heaven; it’s a fairy story.”1 This comes as no surprise given what he wrote in his 2010 book, The Grand Design, where he said that there is no need for a creator to explain the existence of the universe (see our refutation). In the interview, Hawking shared his thoughts on the non-existence of the afterlife, our purpose as humans, and why we exist.When atheists talk about theology, should we as Christians listen to them and take their word for it? Not at all. That makes as much sense as the mechanic listening to my diagnosis of the car.
It always surprises me when professed atheists try to tell Christians what we should believe. Hawking, like fellow atheist Richard Dawkins, is way out of his depth when it comes to theology. To give an analogy, I know nothing about fixing cars. Now, let’s suppose that my car breaks down and I have it towed to my local mechanic. When trying to diagnose the problem, he hears me say something like, “I think the main problem lies in the catalytic converter.” Since I know nothing about cars, should the mechanic take my word for it and attempt to fix the catalytic converter? Of course not. My words will likely, and should, go in one ear and out the other. Similarly, when atheists talk about theology, should we as Christians listen to them and take their word for it? Not at all. That makes as much sense as the mechanic listening to my diagnosis of the car. Hawking is a physicist, not a theologian. He has as much business talking about heaven as Billy Graham does about quantum mechanics.
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