September 8, 2010

Did God Create The Universe? Your Thoughts Wanted

Posted: 02:30 PM ET

Friday night Prof. Stephen Hawking will be a guest on Larry King Live.  In his controversial new book, The Grand Design, Hawking contends a new unified theory (actually, it's a collection of theories), concludes God was not necessary to create the universe and there are, in fact, an untold number of universes.  Oh, he also tries to answer the ultimate questions of life, why we're here, and light topics like that.

So we want to hear from you: Do you think God created the universe?

Leave your comment, and we might read it during Friday's show.

Filed under: Larry King Live • Stephen Hawking

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MS   September 8th, 2010 2:34 pm ET

Well, lets say no need for a God to create Universe.
It does not mean GOD did not create it.

Arash   September 8th, 2010 2:59 pm ET

In your new book you have mentioned that it is because of the "laws of gravity" that we are here, that there is something rather than nothing. My question is, would you not require a God (or a supernatural being) to put these physical laws in place?

Thank you, and I look forward to your show Friday night

FDA   September 8th, 2010 3:03 pm ET

It has taken most of Hawking's life to refute this truth. Do you think it is because the more he negate's God's existance the more he sees God's hand on everything? If you throw a bunch of gears, nuts, bolts and wrenches together in a box and leave it there for billions of years and then somehow add to it some chemicals will it ever become a Grand Father clock? Of course not! Even the simplest thing is too complex to muster. There is a God and everything has his stamp all over.

Richard   September 8th, 2010 3:05 pm ET

There is no doubt in my mind that only god can craete such a wonderfull world.Is it possible that black large elephent and red tiny aunt came ito this world automaticaly ? Any person who thinks will say that this world is a creation of the great and mighty god

Leslie Wile   September 8th, 2010 3:05 pm ET

No, from earliest times, people needed an explanation of why we live and why we die; an explanation of what creates the sun and planets and drought and floods. And so, each civilization created a super being or many super beings to explain things. As real knowledge developed, each of these explanations became untenable. And finally we arrived at the idea of one God–an idea shared by Christians, Jews and Muslims. And yet science, with all of it's incredible developments, has never been able to prove the existence of God. And so, people are now told that they must take "His" existence "on faith." Some scientists suggest that there is a"god gene." This sort of makes sense that such a belief over thousands and thousands of years would embed itself into brain chemistry. The twisted humor of all this is that Religion and its several Gods, have been the primary causes of wars, torture, burnings at the stake (Bruno), stonings, acid throwing, book burnings, pedophila,
9/11, forced conversions–just a quick sampling. As John Lennon said,
"Imagine..........a world with no religion...."

Candy°°   September 8th, 2010 3:07 pm ET

I do support the theory of the many universes, so far the unified string theory makes a lot of sense and can help explain a lot of the still "unexplainable".

But one or many universes, something/someone has to be at the origin of all that. Even that "nothing" should have come out from somewhere. We talk about formulas and probabilities, but how did those come to exist in that form anyways !??! Look at the extreme beauty and complexity of life and the Universe we know, does that really look to you as the result of a random phenomena? The more one explores the depth of math and physics and combines that with a bit of philosophy the more one realizes that there MUST be something behind all this, something that we are just to small and still too stupid to comprehend.

I would rather go for what Einstein once used to say about his idea of believing in a "God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings."

Question with your mind, believe with your heart 🙂

Cajazz76:24:8   September 8th, 2010 3:11 pm ET

Who can know what so many ignorant men are sure of? Let's consider for a moment that man, curled tight into a ball of fear, created his first invention, his God. He could talk to him, but had never seen or heard from him. So he made his second invention, an idol of his God, and he made many.

When the boldest in the newly formed clans fought the first wars, to gain control and leadership, the first political party was then born. One problem, the representative idols were threatening to the leadership and thus man's God had to go back to the unseen and imaginary heaven man created for him. Bible.. Acts10:34 "God is no respector of persons". Man would have been much wiser and better off if he made a choice between love and fear and chose love and hugged himself until it would dissipate that fear all the way to his next invention...his hell...caj

Bolan   September 8th, 2010 3:19 pm ET

We "have no need of that hypothesis". While it might seem much simpler to ascribe existence to a creative act by a higher power, than to understand the greatly powerful, the apparently random, and the complex interplay of massively parallel events over a very long time, positing a god requires another level of explanation, therefore is not simplifying, and is without any exclusive evidence at hand, meaning conclusive evidence that isn't explanable elsewise.

The main cause for belief in god is promotion of that idea by others, mainly parents, who bind it emotionally by tying it to self-esteem, and to honor of one's forebears. Our society needs to grow up, and take responsibility.

Candy°°   September 8th, 2010 3:21 pm ET

And by the way, I am 100% sure that what we call "aliens" do exist, would be really stupid of us to believe that in the largeness of this universe we are the only so called intelligent creatures.

But to expect them to look similar to us is just as stupid as to believe we are the center of the Universe.

Remember the time (hmm .. nice song 🙂 ) when people believed that Earth is like a plate and the sun spins around that plate? They were damn convinced about that at the time ...
Than Copernicus & Galileo came around, and they were distrusted and persecuted for daring to say that well, Earth is round, you know ...

So open your mind, explore your soul and you might get a step closer to the truth, whatever that truth might be.

Willy van Hamme   September 8th, 2010 3:25 pm ET

God is a personal matter and is interpreted in many ways. Science must be proven or disproved equally by all and has no import to beliefs. No the universe was not created by a god, it was before we became humans and will be after we shall long be gone.

MICHAEL SHANE SOFER   September 8th, 2010 3:29 pm ET

Steven Hawking God’s Gift to all of us !!!
I personally do not believe Steve Hawking is just trying to sell books as many are assuming. Dr. Hawking has led a very precarious life, to say the least, not only in his physical maladies but his intellect and research to find the answers to life. Like seekers of the past, this man again comes to the threshold of creations very existence and knocks on God's door, attempting to see if anyone is home. Are his inquiries so much different than us all in our desire to find answers? Some of us, like Steve, are given great gifts in this quests for those answers. What Mr. Hawking may not realize is that he, as such a profound individual, is, in itself, a very testimony to the fact that a great intelligence is behind it all. It's nice to have faith but faith without substance is empty and people like Steve realize this. This very fact is what drives the seekers like Steven Hawking to find answers, and thank the Creator he provides to us such men, because they are a blessing in disguise, causing all of us to challenge the integrity of our own belief systems. Sincerely, GREAT PRINCE MICHAEL (Daniel 12:1)

MICHAEL SHANE SOFER   September 8th, 2010 3:33 pm ET

I AM that I AM

Thanks for your question, I'm sure many would like the answer as to WHO God is. First of all, the word God is misleading in it's most common application because a god is an object of worship and one only becomes a god to those that honor it as such and like wise god becomes god at that point of adoration. But does the tree make a sound when it falls if none are there to hear? Most certainly by the preponderance of the evidence given that we are aware of, the tree indeed makes a noise. So again who and what is god. Or better yet what was god before He or it was considered god by the creation that came later to adore Him as the creator God. Alpha and Omega speaks to us of God (finite) to the creation, which we understand to be the God in creation and which has no beginning or ending of days. So what was before the manifestation of the creation, I say manifestation because the creation, like the SELF EXISTANT ONE, is ETERNAL without beginning or end. While all matter as we know it changes form, it’s never annihilated nor can be. Thus the creation, being also eternal without finite boundaries, IS THE MANIFESTATION OF THE SELF EXISTANT ONE, EXPESSED TO US IN THE AWARENESS OF THE CREATION BY THAT WHICH WE SEE AND REVEALING TO US THAT WHICH WE CALL GOD AND CANNOT SEE. Hope this helps if you like you can follow up on this same subject more in depth at my profile web: Sincerely, GREAT PRINCE MICHAEL of Daniel 12:1

ashley   September 8th, 2010 3:40 pm ET


Sharon   September 8th, 2010 3:46 pm ET

Did the universe create itself?

jenny cash   September 8th, 2010 4:00 pm ET

There is but one GOD!That GOD is father GOD!The only way to the father is through the son JESUS.If u seek him u will find him

Don Rutherford   September 8th, 2010 4:07 pm ET

Of course God created the universe and all that is in it. There is no other life eleswhere in the entire universe except on earth that God created for us. If there is life eleswhere, why have we not found it, why have we not been contacted? We believe because we fill and see his presents in our everyday lives. God is good, man second guessing God is bad.

Tom   September 8th, 2010 4:12 pm ET

As a physicist and molecular biologist, I have read all of Dr. Hawking's books and many of his papers. While he appears to have an answer for existence, he has failed to answer the greatest question that he himself posed: why is there something rather than nothing? Even if it is true that our universe and others permitting life are natural consequences of the laws of physics, why do those laws of physics exist? Ultimately it comes down to cause and effect. Our limited human minds can't grasp the concept of eternity, to exist outside of time, that's just how we are. God however inhabits eternity, and he is not bound by time or the notion of cause and effect, he instituted them.

Gordon Bane   September 8th, 2010 4:14 pm ET

Even the Lord, himself, doesn't know of any other gods "Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any ."
Isa 44:8

"The King of Kings" created the universe.

MICHAEL SHANE SOFER   September 8th, 2010 4:16 pm ET

Some of us believe and according to Jewish beliefs, see the original creation is but a prototype to what we anticipate in its full form to be the REGENERATION OF CREATION as it is looked forward to each year at this very time called the month of Tishrei. While many see creationism as a failed prototype, only awaiting to leave it for an ethereal place called Heaven, we do not. We believe that all the Eternal One is, that we can not see, is expressed to us in that which we are given to see in the creation. In other words the creation is just as infinite as the Almighty Himself with no beginning or end. The Final cap to the creation is The Almighty that will be expressed in the Promised One, we call the Messiah! In scientific terms,His coming, is called CONVERGENCE, the same scientific theory that brings forth procreation of anything. Follow up to this profound Issue:

Sincerely, GREAT PRINCE MICHAEL of (Daniel 12:1)

Kathie   September 8th, 2010 4:34 pm ET

God said it, I believe it, that settles it! Mr Hawking is wrong. I know my God is real and loves unconditionally. I pray you embrace His love and compassion and know He is real.

REBECCA W SMITH   September 8th, 2010 4:37 pm ET

Do you think the Big Bang created us? I believe Intelligent Design (GOD) created the Universe and mankind, right down to the tiny hairs in your nose, and pupils in your eyes, etc. Big Bang could not have designed this! Only a Blueprint and Intelligence.

Dawson   September 8th, 2010 4:59 pm ET

This is a silly topic, and taking the God equation out of it, well, we can see what happened to our school system. Oh...and Larry your replacement...very bad choice...will for sure kill the show, mark my words.

John H   September 8th, 2010 5:10 pm ET

Of course God created the Universe. If you want that to be demonstrated to you, simply walk outside your home and look into the sky. Look at the color of the sky and the birds of all shapes and sizes flying freely through it. If you want to see the Universe so far as the human eye can perceive it, go to some dark area near where you live that is not interferred with by ambiant light and try and count the stars. Look into the face of a new born baby or the face of any new born creature and ask yourself, do you know anyone or anything that could have created such a thing? Look at yourself in the mirror and consider your eyes, mouth, ears, and so forth. Could you or anyone you know have created such things? You may say that there is no proof that God created all these things but if you do, it is you who are living in a world of make believe and not those people who are believers in the One And Only God!

Ron Jordan   September 8th, 2010 5:19 pm ET

Did God create the universe?

Each of us will truly know the answer to this after we die. God does love us so much that he has created a universe that perpetually creates more places for us to explore and live. He has created a set of rules and laws that he has to follow himself in order for our creation. Our sun will eventually consume us and of course God knows this. He has also given us the ability to save ourselves. We cannot create anything. We can only manipulate what God has given us.

patty   September 8th, 2010 5:26 pm ET

First define what is god. A phenomenon, a being, a force, nature?

Steven   September 8th, 2010 5:31 pm ET

Professor Hawking's theories really do not go further than familiar "big bang" models in explaining the origin of "life, the universe and everything" or why there is "something" rather than "nothing." The Biblical statement that it is in God that "we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts xvii.28) recognizes that both origins and meaning require more than simple observation of the properties of our physical universe (or universes).

Joe G. (Illinois)   September 8th, 2010 5:40 pm ET

When faced with questions such as “Did God Create the Universe?” One should be very thankful and appreciative for “Faith,” Faith in Christ” or “The Divine Gift and or option of Faith in Christ.”

Prof. Stephen Hawking has obviously never been Reborn in Christ.. Never really been terrified out of his wits, shaken to the bones.. Had he, he be thankful, very thankful for Faith.. And he really wouldn’t want to know everything, but the contrary.

He just doesn’t realize how much God loves him and all of us. See.. How can I put it.. God the Almighty can walk and chew gum at the same time while being in charge of everyone and everything with the best loving intentions.. Never being coerced or steered by the devil. Anyhow.. Not everyone will be reborn and enter Heaven.
Thank you and good day.

Smith in Oregon   September 8th, 2010 5:41 pm ET

Yes, the Creator created Outer Space which is infinitely larger than the tiny Universe within it around himself and then the Universe which is but a tiny pebble within that construction. There is an enormous amount of room for future expansion and additions therein.

There is only ONE immortal being, those that follow and exist only exist from the energy's emanating from that being. The Creator existed long before Outer Space and later the Universe were created.

Although it is impossible for any of the clusters of humanity to know the various reasons why the Creator embarked on such a great sacrifice, one reason appears to be an extension of the Creators LOVE.

It appears the clusters of humanity in the Universe are more than merely 'ant farms' viewed by a being which humanity cannot fully understand nor know. It appears the Creator like a parent is actively offering a professional relationship between the Creator's energy's and direction and those of the various clusters of humanity within Creation.

Perhaps in the new upcoming great cycle of time outlined by the Mayan's (beginning Dec. 23th. 2012) that professional relationship will be further explained, used and explored.

David Moore   September 8th, 2010 6:02 pm ET

'God' has always been an easy explanation from the minds of humans to explain something that is difficult or impossible to explain by the limited abilities of reasoning that we have. The work of many talented physicists in the last 100 years had given us a much better understanding of our universe and made it less necessary to believe in a mythical 'creator' to explain our existence. With better understanding of the concepts of 'time' and 'space' it may soon even become irrelevant whether the universe was created or has always existed – they may mean the same thing in the end. I do not believe that a god is necessary in the equation that may eventually provide the truth.

IyangeHenry Terhide   September 8th, 2010 6:04 pm ET

So far nobody has come to claim that he or she made the universe apart from God, and nobody has challenged that (not even the devil) so I believe God made the universe, Larry.

James Harris   September 8th, 2010 6:11 pm ET

There is no question or doubt in my mind. Of course God created the Universe by designating his son Jesus Christ as the physical entity doing the work. He had it all planned out before it was done. He did it in accordance with how the other various worlds were created in all universes of which there are numerous. If you opened your mind to feel the Spirit as strong as I and many other have, you would have received that witness and known it as well. Some people know but are too caught up in trying to promote their own agenda to be Christians.

threeballedalien   September 8th, 2010 6:24 pm ET

Unfortunately for must of you who think there was some devine creator: show evidence. Any evidence. Pointing to a book that was written 3000 years ago by multiple people, all of which explains nothing is not an answer or evidence.

On the other hand, physics in itself is based purely off evidence and logical thinking with derived solutions that are mostly testable.

Your belief system? Not so much.

amal   September 8th, 2010 6:25 pm ET

YES, God did create the universe, all of it and all other universes, the ones discovered and the ones that have yet to be discoverd. There is only one God and he's the only creator, nothing was made by humans or nature. It's all God's made.

Mike of Vancouver BC   September 8th, 2010 6:25 pm ET

First of all, humankind is very fortunate to have you moving humanity forward.

Mr. Hawking. Your explanation “Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing" makes sense but it doesn't answer the question as to how gravity came to be to set things in motion.

Do you believe that gravity does not require mass to exist?
Do you believe that gravity never had a beginning?

Thank you for the opportunity. Mr. Hawking

John Burns   September 8th, 2010 6:32 pm ET

The saying goes "God didn't create Man" ...."Man created God".
Since it is admittedly based on faith, which means having no evidence, it becomes suspect. I find it easier to believe that we don't know the answer and never will. It's like a ant looking at the space shuttle and trying to determine what it is. Humans are arrogant to believe they have a absolute answer to anything.

GoodGrief   September 8th, 2010 6:41 pm ET

One would think that Prof. Hawkings would finally shelf his big ego, go humble and finally read the Truth in the Bible instead of wasting millions of tax dollars all these years to find out his theories all went bust.

What a waste of gray matter.

NL   September 8th, 2010 6:43 pm ET

To amal
But who created God?

To say that something as complicated, intelligent and advanced as God has always been, and then specifically created everything fully formed is far more improbable than saying that gravity started the whole gradual process off. Any argument about where gravity comes from must be compounded many times over when applied to God being the magic trigger.

Nancy   September 8th, 2010 6:45 pm ET

I have to say I do not believe God created the universe. In my darkest moments, however, perhaps I do want to believe this. If we take away "faith" and replace it with science, what will we hold on to when we face the end of our lives? Why have we – the unique you, the unique me – why have we existed – and what did it matter? How can we live another day thinking that this is also a cosmic accident and nothing really matters?

Moh Kan Wu   September 8th, 2010 6:49 pm ET

please watch you tube, type " mokanwu6" in search bar

Michael Armstrong Sr.   September 8th, 2010 7:28 pm ET

No one created it its always been here growing from gases .

jon   September 8th, 2010 7:35 pm ET

stephen hawking is looking at this the wrong way...gravity and everything else needed to be created from

IKHAN   September 8th, 2010 7:56 pm ET

Hi Larry,
Hi folks.

This question would be answered as you would see from this blog, in many a different ways.
There are those who think logic & laws of physics govern all existence and there is nothing divine about the universe or that creation of the universe was an act of randomness by itself & then evolution took hold.
Those who follow organized religion would admit to a Creator but would then immediately jump on to promoting their faith or the way they have been brought up to perceive God,Yahweh, Allah, Parmatma, Bhagwan or whatever title they may chose to give their Creator.
All major organized religions though, have this commonality of belief that the universe is the creation of a Divine Being.
So Larry you would get as many different answers as there are faiths.

Grace   September 8th, 2010 8:27 pm ET

I feel sad for him. I pray that God will speak to him in a unique way for him to realize that indeed God created the universe.

Dave P   September 8th, 2010 8:31 pm ET

Dr. Hawking is a world class Physicist. Unfortunately, he has now left Physics for the world of Metaphysics, and I understand that Father Robert Spitzer will be on the show. Spitzer is a fine METAphysicist, and he will be the true expert (perhaps along with Mr. Chopra) on Friday night when one considers the topic.
Seldom do I tune in to CNN, but I will be there Friday!

Dan in China   September 8th, 2010 8:39 pm ET

God came to existence only with human beings. I believe the main reason is to answer the following 4 questions:
1. Who are we?
2. How did we get here?
3. What are we doing here? and
4. Where do we go after we die?
God was the easy answer.
Although it may be a correct answer, there also could be million other answers. If god did not exist, man would have invented him.

Kelly Banco   September 8th, 2010 8:40 pm ET

I don't think God created the universe. Here's why. We have no evidence of any specific God doing anything godlike at any time. Why not speculate on a hypothetical omnipotent creature called Zod? Or Mod? Or Cnog? Finally, an omnipotent being creating a universe out of nothing is even more complicated and less probable than what physicists propose. So why invoke it as an answer?

Dan in China   September 8th, 2010 8:42 pm ET

God came to existence only to human beings. If God created all animals, why only human beings are very much interested in defining him and worshiping him?
1. Who are we?
2. How did we get here?
3. What are we doing here? and
4. Where do we go after we die?
God was the easy answer.

Saverai   September 8th, 2010 9:09 pm ET

There probably is God. No man till now knows who or what is God. Through knowledge we know universe was created by a big bang billions of years ago, who or what caused it we do not know. We must relentlessly pursue the truth. Our intelligence is unique and after spending few billions of dollars and combing the universe we have not found any, I believe we carry the intelligent and it will carry on in the universe in different forms we do not know. The solar system we live in will become a Super Nova in five billion years and turn into dust and will travel in the universe some where and reform again. The intelligent will also travel and reborn again. We do not know what form. Let me conclude saying that the brain is the bridge that connects us to the origin and the science is the vehicle we must travel in, on that bridge to know the truth.
What is Stephen Hawking's openion on this,I will appreciate any material from him. Thank you.

michael lashley   September 8th, 2010 9:27 pm ET

is abdul rauf saying if he don't build he building he and his people are going to war with the united states who has help all of his people become free

Anita   September 8th, 2010 9:36 pm ET

Does you, believe in Sharia Law in USA?

PRABHU   September 8th, 2010 9:37 pm ET

The God who has created the "The Grand design" ( Read Universe) may not require a certificate from an insignificant human being in his creation. There is no doubt as of now that a human being is mostly insignificant in the vastness of Universe. There are still unseen parts of the Universe beyond our Perceptional abilities. This has been accepted by the Scientific community. Without a holistic view is it right to coming to a conclusion ?. At the best it can only be an opinion of an individual.

We always tend to forget that the Human beings are not the only species in this Universe and we may not know about the life that may exist in the remotest parts of the Universe which is beyond our grasp. It is right of an individual to explore but not to stop with the releasing of a book. Releasing of a Book is only a stop over. If we go on exploring we will end up with the truth.

This moment, for the believers of God is not to argue with the non believers. We all strive to be worthy of his creation, this is the requirement of this hour.

JasonM   September 8th, 2010 9:47 pm ET

it seems like Hawking is trying to come up with "the theory of everything", but its absurd because our universe could be a grain of sand in something larger, and that also could be a grain of sand in something even larger, and so on and so forth. he's acting as if he's figured it all out, without any humility, which to me is laughable.

its kind of ironic, actually. he's so so darn intelligent, yet he makes such a dumb statement that makes no sense. whats funny is that he himself is a blatant sign of God. probably one of the 10 most brilliant minds on the planet, and its housed in a useless body. i remember the first time i saw him, after knowing who he was for so long, and i smiled thinking of how amazing it was that God Almighty would give us such a clear example of His least for me it is. you know, in a way, deep inside, it seems like he's trying to convince himself that God does not exist....very sad.

interesting stuff.....

Gabriel   September 8th, 2010 9:49 pm ET

It depends on which God the question refers to. God is not a person or thing nor does he take the form of an old man with a white beard. God with the capital G is everything and continues to grow and evolve through each of us and everything that has a conciousness. There are higher beings throughout the universe that some religions here worship as "God"....but that is far from God itself. We are all connected by one grand consiousness, therefore how we treat one another affects our evolution here on Earth as a species. If we learn once more how to connect to the living conciousness within each of us, or "Spirit".....the question would automaticaly become clear.

mohd   September 8th, 2010 10:22 pm ET

well firstly, its obvious that god created the world and if we look closely there can be no other alternative......why?...the other alternative is the theory of evolution that something somehow happened and by chance boom we all came to existance....thats nonsence.....

and if there is no god and no life after death...... would life on earth really make sense... jst so that a kid is born and has to study and work his ass of to get good life for say 70 yrs and then he will die and nothing will be left from him... why would some one want to live such a life........

mohd   September 8th, 2010 10:28 pm ET

btw who ever believes in wat a human says over wat god says is stupid......its like an iphone sayin i dont know who steve jobs is.... there is no stevejobs and i jst poped out here on my own.... lol........

MzNomer   September 8th, 2010 10:29 pm ET

I feel that we are the surface of the earth and that life and all the things on this planet earth are remarkable. I don't really think there is a god. It would be nice if there were but I think people made one up to fight over something...(my god is better than yours) and to explain what human beings haven't answers for. I definitely do not think that this earth is ruled by any god.

Steve C.   September 8th, 2010 10:29 pm ET

I believe that as far as this universe is concerned, without God nothing makes sense. As for all the other universe Dr. Hawking mentioned, I quit drinking and drugging a long time ago and havent been to any of them in awhile so I'm not sure...

Bekim   September 8th, 2010 10:30 pm ET

What is the purpose of our life? Who made us think, talk, listen, see, and be creative, whilst in same time the animals can’t do the same?

MzNomer   September 8th, 2010 10:32 pm ET

Oh btw if there were a god then peirs morgan would not be getting that plumb job of Larry King's:) It is so funny...Trump takes credit for Morgan getting that job and morgan took credit for that fabulous little girl's singing talent....what a couple of jokes those two are. I am not impressed. Not as rich as either of them but nevertheless not impressed. Couple of uncultured crass narcissists as far as I am concerned.

Chagrined   September 8th, 2010 10:47 pm ET

Soledad OBrien should be reminded that many brave people, including mine, excluding Italians, Jews, Cubans, Irish Catholics, Asians, etc. fought, sacrificed and died for our Democracy and our Constitutional First Amendment freedoms, freedom of religion. Any insidious ingrate who is too fragile for our Democracy should not be in our country including the 71% who oppose the Mosque.
Such a display of contempt for our Constitutional First Amendment freedoms should not be tolerated in America!
Mussolini declared war on America and during WWll, over 50 million people died. This was colossal compared to 9-11! Should we have allowed Italian Catholics to build churches in our country! Especially Catholic churches that are used for sanctuaries for child-molesting perverts! I believe we should have expelled all Italians from our country when Mussolini declared war on America!

Rabbi Hier stated that it would be insensitive for the families of 9/11 to allow Cordoba House to be built. I wonder if Rabbi Hier has ever met a surviving member of the USS LIBERTY. Israel attacked the USS Liberty, a US intelligence-gathering ship in international waters off the Sinai Peninsula on June 8, 1967, killing 34 sailors and wounding 172. I had an occasion to meet a survivor of that war crime. Tears rolled down his face as he recounted that war crime and the valor of Captain William L. McGonagle and the crew in saving the LIBERTY. He said he could remember it as clearly as if had happened yesterday. We must not forget how America betrayed the patriotic citizens serving on the USS Liberty. They have suffered the pain of the 'war crime' by Israel, then the pain of betrayal by their country. I wonder if Rabbi Hier thinks that it is insensitive to extort the tax dollars of the survivors of the attack on the USS LIBERTY for Israel. Ten million American tax dollars are extorted per day for Israel. Now this is insensitive!
Timothy McVeigh an Irish Catholic, bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people, he was put to death. He killed more Americans than any one of the Muslims killed on 9-11

pam schmoll   September 8th, 2010 10:58 pm ET

Oh yes – without a doubt

Jim Crider   September 8th, 2010 11:00 pm ET

I Am The Universe BIG as BIG . I AM the Atom SMALL as SMALL . I AM THAT !!!! I AM. Dont Be a FOOL. !!! Mr. Hawkings

Peter   September 8th, 2010 11:02 pm ET

If Stephen believed in a God he'd be pretty damned mad at it for what it did to his (intelligently designed) body. But the 'Rubes for Jesus' parrot away anyway, criticising him for his lack of faith in a wondrous creator of the Universe...

Brode   September 8th, 2010 11:05 pm ET

Did God create the universe?

YES...Nothing else is possible..because NOTHING can come from Nothing.
NOthing that we know has always been for many scientific law only an eternal something is the cause.

Looking forward to Robert Spitzer S.J. Ph.D. making the points that will leave no other possibility clear.

Jason Dell   September 8th, 2010 11:16 pm ET

Hi Larry,

Gravity is something, not nothing, gravity has a cause.
Time is something, not nothing, time has a cause.
Matter is something, not nothing, matter has a cause.
Quantum mechanics, physics, finely tuned cosmological constants, all have a cause. Science can point us to empirical origins and causes, only metaphysics can point past them, and there is no empirical way of disproving what lays beyond.
As for those who point to attrocities committed in the name of monotheistic religion as an argument against it – that's what happen's when human nature distorts religion. For those who say we are better of without it – they should try living under Stalin, Mao or Pol Pot, they removed religion from public conciousness, and look where it got them.

Jeff   September 8th, 2010 11:16 pm ET

Hawking Questions..

Do you believe scientists will identify the Higgs Boson in the LHC?

Do you believe gravity is unifiable? (ex. with special relativity or quantum mechanics)

Do you feel in a similar position as Einstein did in the last couple decades of his life trying to find a unified theory of everything?

Bhante Sila   September 8th, 2010 11:16 pm ET

If God created the world he has done it to take a revenge from human beings. The most wonderful thing is that why the god created this kind of a world on which he also has no power to regulate. .

Cajazz76:24:8   September 8th, 2010 11:16 pm ET

@Jim Crider

Got your riddle...too easy!! You are Popeye the Sailor Man..toot..toot!!

FJ Nunn   September 8th, 2010 11:23 pm ET

There are only two choices- by God or by random mutational chance. Neither can be observed in action and neither can be confirmed as valid theories because neither can be confirmed using the scientific method. Evolution is only partially observable and testable using the scientific method, and even those arguments are a matter of semantics and fraught with frauds and corruption and distortion of facts. There is no difference between the java man fraud and the alleged relics of the nails that crucified Jesus and the head of John the baptist which allegedly proves Christianity. Both of these choices if objectively observed and analyzed are shown to be based on philosophical bias which requires faith. The Fact is that no one knows the answer to this question since no one has observed either in action or can re-create the circumstances that created life by either system of belief. Dawkins even stated that no one knows what brought everything into existence and even cited the possibility of creationism- (not by God but by aliens- panspermia- Semantics). We should teach only what we know and what can be validated using the scientific method and be intellectually honest by not presenting philosophy and faith as science. Neither evolution or creationism have a place in the schools and should be relegated as a matter of faith or philosophy. I have chosen God as the creator of the universe and believe that nothing can be intelligent by chance or randomness based on information theory. Let's stick to the facts in schools and let faith (evolution and creationism) remain with the individual.

Cajazz76:24:8   September 8th, 2010 11:30 pm ET

If God is responsible and the creator of all, he has such an odd sense of humor with all the birth anomalies and the suffering and disease and upon us all, our eventual deaths.. If he thought any of the tragedies...horrible deaths and lengthy suffering was enlightening or enchanting...he would have chosen them all for himself...caj

Cajazz76:24:8   September 8th, 2010 11:35 pm ET

Hawking is right on the nano-point..In the final proof of God's omnipotence to create or save us all, he need not to exist..caj

Cajazz76:24:8   September 8th, 2010 11:40 pm ET

A God of infinite wisdom, creator of all things, never had a beginning, nor never have an the greatest invention of man..caj

Cajazz76:24:8   September 8th, 2010 11:44 pm ET

Man is such a silly creature...he can make a lasting peace or cure all ills, yet he makes Gods by the scores...and the cartons..caj

Bhante Sila - Chicago Buddhist Vihara   September 8th, 2010 11:45 pm ET

There is no use of finding an answer to this question. Soem believers say that the God gave everything. But they forget that why did the god give old age, diseases and death. Or otherwise why did the god create an impermenent world? If so we would not be here and whoever would be fortunate to lead an eternal, tireless life.

We should open eyes to see what is there and from there we can move to find how it began. It would be more effective if we cultivate a skill to go wherever we want begining from the point whatever it is available in front of us. The world where we are living today can never be a creation.

Cajazz76:24:8   September 8th, 2010 11:47 pm ET

God is the Alpha and the Omega...and my puppy can't catch his tail..caj

Cajazz76:24:8   September 8th, 2010 11:55 pm ET

It is useful and necessary a God it is convenient, let those who find it equally essential and calming and assuring, believe he does..caj

Cajazz76:24:8   September 8th, 2010 11:58 pm ET

If we are made in God's image, we have more than responded..caj

Bal Patil   September 9th, 2010 12:52 am ET

A very hot debate will ensue on Stephen Hawking's Universe theory: but Jainism, an ancient religion of India and its theory of Universe holding that there is no Creator, Preserver or Destroyer of the universe is again confirmed as scientific.
The Jain universe is without a beginning or an end, being everlasting and eternal. The Utsarpini (ascending or progressive half cycle) and Avasarpini (descending or regressive half-cycle) follow directly upon one another, pendulum like, in unbroken sucession.


janet   September 9th, 2010 1:37 am ET

Of course, a mythological God did not create the universe. Let's hope for a return to the Age of Reason, this time based on 21st century scientific research. The need to believe in God is borne of ignorance and fear.

Saleem Saifi   September 9th, 2010 2:33 am ET

Obviously there has to be a supreme power who has created this universe and we call that power as God,i believe there is only one thing that can be created from nothingness and that is nothing itself so it sounds funny and sensless that universe has created itself from nothingness.

Rock With You Horsegirl   September 9th, 2010 2:36 am ET

Yes. I am a christian so I do believe that there was a Creator that created all things, the evidence is all around.

Sam Fisher   September 9th, 2010 2:57 am ET

Stephen Hawking, I'd like to start off by saying you are one of my favorite minds that have walked this earth. The way you transmit ideas and are able to grasp them and explain them is just phenomenal.

To answer the question, creation didn't happen just by chance. Either we are really lucky, or some intelligent being from the nether realms gave us intelligent design with the power of free will.

The problem we as humans face, is that we try to hard to understand the world around us. Its ironic, the pets we enslave for example dogs or cats seem to be more free then we are, they are satisfied with a simple ball of yarn or a simple treat.

We simple ask for way to much, we should be happy with our lives.

Sam Fisher   September 9th, 2010 3:33 am ET

Hi larry,

i also forgot to add,
Dr. Hawking, you said, i quote "Im not worried about the future of the universe, the universe will continue whatever happens, but the future of the human race and of life on earth is much less certain, we are in danger of destroying ourselves by our greed..."

Once again i believe such a chaotic race such as humans couldn't possibly be intelligent as an all mighty being such as god.

sinhalaya   September 9th, 2010 3:44 am ET

no god, (omnipotent one).
the god in the holy books, that is pure crap in many ways. utterly useless.

well we assume god exists.. then who created god. many people say there must be a creator for everthing.

and faith
every peoples vision is different, no one can think of a same god mentioned in some holy book.
and faith mind changes by time so the god concept.

people, the omnipotent god has not done any good, try understand..

Ali Kamran   September 9th, 2010 4:06 am ET

Hi ,

The Seience till now could not understand how big is universe then what could else.

Stephen Hawking has made big mistake. He is crazy or may be some thing else???.in this universe each and every thing is require source to process, without source is not possible to do any thing.
if thing about himself weather he could live without food and Air.then let him try???
if someone is dead no one or any source can bring him back to life Except the Allah.

Let Stephen Hawking try to do this.



Ali Kamran

Manideepa Patnaik   September 9th, 2010 6:58 am ET

The first question to answer this question- who is God? The answer is obvious – there as many as the religions. So whether God created the Universe or not depends on what gods of those religions have said. Gods and followers of Hindu religion says- Gods are the creators and destroyers of University. Hindu religious worships- especially the tantrik ones – can create rains to death. If there is no god then what is tantra that challenges science? What is occult then? I personally believe there is no god because I see there are too many sinners and sinners are always winners everywhere. Had there been Gods still, then sinners would not have been winners always. This is a very complex question anyways. Just look at Hindu religion to get to details. Manideepa

Jessie from Auckland, NZ   September 9th, 2010 7:46 am ET

God says..........I am the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end. I am the one true God. God never changes, stays the same. I am a jealous God. Have no other Gods before me.

Of course God created The Universe. It is all in the Book of Genesis. Need to get into the Holy Book to find out the true meaning of life. God is bigger than all of us put together, the whole universe. Afterall, he created it.

Each one of us is a miracle really, everything is a miracle really. So forth and so forth.

Ted   September 9th, 2010 8:01 am ET

If God created the Universe who created God?

The virus, that lives in our corpus, knows only the world he lives in, our beautiful physical presence. For that creature we must be God.
God is a creation of men, not the other way around.

Gwyn Hughes   September 9th, 2010 8:52 am ET

Something far more intelligent than us created our universe whether it is god i don,t know. Even today with all the technology we have, we still cannot understand how the brain fully functions it is a remarkable organ that continues to awe us, as is the whole body which has so many backups systems incorporated into it.

Malik Lendzondzo in Maryland   September 9th, 2010 9:00 am ET

The real question is not whether God created the Universe or not, the question should be who is God ? if you don't know someone how do you know his activities. Let me put this way, you so sure (the religious people) that God created the universe, now tell what he is doing wright now?

Gwyn Hughes   September 9th, 2010 9:07 am ET

Hopefully the particle accelerators around the world will come up with answer as to why we are here. Stephen Hawkins is a brilliant man who i admire but he flipflops on issues over and over again and even if he has opinions such as the one about God not making the universe i think it is an opinion he should have kept to himself as religion should not be mixed with physics.

Vlad Lung   September 9th, 2010 9:21 am ET

in fact is dificult to respond because we dont know who is GOD.
give me an answare and i give you an answare.

Vinnie in Albuquerque   September 9th, 2010 10:36 am ET

I have not yet read his latest book, but I study physics and I am curious about the statements reported so far. All I know is that the more 'modern' the civilization becomes, the less civilized humanity is. Religion has been the cause of the demise of humanity for thousands of years and it is only getting worse. If you take your beliefs of God, Allah, or whomever to the extreme, it makes you no better than pure evil in whatever form you believe that to be. We are all at the mercy of zealots and perhaps the way to eliminate the dangerous religous menace to humanity is to simply say there is no God.

Mary G.   September 9th, 2010 10:43 am ET

If the universe came from the Big Bang, what caused the Big Bang? There must be something that was the First Cause.

jimmy g   September 9th, 2010 10:48 am ET

The great thing about God having created the universe is that there was no need for Him to do it-He wanted to.

rey Mame of Manila Philippines   September 9th, 2010 10:51 am ET

Do u think nobody is behind any meticulous car? If that would not be so, there must be someone behind the far more meticulous universe!!

lilia dove   September 9th, 2010 11:00 am ET

Yes, he did! What he did not create was all the confusion and chaos that resides in our universe and ultimately our hearts. However, if you gave peace a chance and allow his word to cleanse us of all chaos and confusion you would know his divine will for us is to live a beautiful life that would entail peace with him and peace with all men. Before you open his book pray that you recieve this wonderful peace from beg- to- end. And then and only then you will recieve this wonderful gift call divine peace. And you will have no doubt who the creator is and why we are here. GOD BE WITH YOU,ALWAYS!

Kristy Lynn   September 9th, 2010 11:11 am ET

What if God is the one who created the Big Bang? What if the two go hand in hand? Perhaps God said “Let there be light” and the bang occurred. How can we disprove that theory? How can we disprove his existence? Science cannot fully explain all of the wonders of our world, our universe. Science can nether prove or disprove the Lord’s existence, we have to go on faith. Perhaps science cannot be measured and tested where God resides, there is only so far we can reach in our galaxy. The fact that there is no evidence does not mean He is not there; we have just been unable to find him thus far. Search in your hearts; believe and you will find him.

Gwyn Hughes   September 9th, 2010 11:16 am ET

Ask Stephen how he feels about many physicists and scientists dubbing the Higgs boson " The Gods Particle".

Mark   September 9th, 2010 12:04 pm ET

If you mean a personel God.............No

J.B.   September 9th, 2010 12:09 pm ET

It amazes me that people can believe in a book that they refer to as "god's word". It was written by man, printed by man, on a machine invented by man, revised by man, the books of which were either included or excluded by man depending on their discretion. Then it was interpreted, transcribed. translated into a variety of ideas, usually to the needs and desires of the reader. It's a body of work that contradicts itself in many ways. It's ambiguous, and at best a loose discription of ancient times in a very small group of outcasts. The old testament compiled from stories past along orally, embellished by the orator and the new testament containing no first hand account as they were written well after the time of jesus.
I don't know about you but I find it impossible to base my life on something as weak in substance as that. The most unforgivable sin is to lie to yourself !! Science is as close to knowing anything as we can attain. If there is a loving god why are 10'000 children starving to death everyday not to mention all the tragities we face around the world. If gods intention was a beautifull world he should have excluded MAN !!!!!

David   September 9th, 2010 12:11 pm ET

Believing in God is universal. Its seated deep in our collective minds whether through an evolutionary process of parental dependence or because there is in every living thing an understanding that something WILLED us to exist. I find the latter a lovely and cherished concept that nobody should be ashamed to admit.

Atheists doth protest too much....hmmmmm.

Bruce   September 9th, 2010 12:14 pm ET

One either has to postulate an eternal spiritual First Cause who is self-existing and self-sustaining being, as Aristotle did, or a self-existing and self-sustaining universe, as Hawkings does. Both are a "god of the gaps" when used WITHIN science as an explanation of mysteries, but perfectly appropriate to discuss under the banner of philosophy or theology.

Theologians are at least honest in stating that divine self-revelation believed by faith is the source of their knowledge about the cause of the universe's being. Philosophers are being honest when they propose a transcendant cause capable of producing the resultant effect, the existence of matter/energy and the laws which govern them. Scientists, however, are being disingenuous when they propose a self-causing universe, a non-empirical cause as irrational as the spontaneous creation believed in by biologists prior to microscopy.

Dr. Hawking, give us better natural cosmology and leave the philosophical and theological cosmology to others capable of it.

Melissa   September 9th, 2010 12:19 pm ET

It is hard to see the human body inside and out and see the complexity of the body and nature and not reach any other conclusion other than God with much greater intelligence did create the universe. Someone mentioned that birth defects, disease and so forth how could God do that? There is good & evil in the world, if there is God, there is Satan and evil who loves to torture man and warp God's most beloved creation. Not to mention sin in the world, which brings punishment also. Some things that also seem terrible to you God uses for greater purpose. Stephen Hawking is foolish not wise to deny God's place as the creater of the universe. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools" Romans 1:22,
It is perhaps the reason he is in the physical shape he is now, as well as others who ridiculed, persecuted God. A few come to mind umm, Madeline Murray Ohare, Sam Kinnison, & others, "It is hard to kick against the pricks" Acts 9:5-6, (meaning it is foolish to rebel against God, not to mention dangerous), people have such a problem understanding that God IS loving but the most powerful being as well and one to be reveared and feared as well as loved. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" Hebrews 10:31

Catherine   September 9th, 2010 12:21 pm ET

Yes, God created the universe. Ask Stephen Hawking where he got his intelligence? How does he explain something which can look at the past, present and project about the future things which are not present to him in the flesh at this very moment.

J.B.   September 9th, 2010 12:22 pm ET

If we were made in the image of god he must live on a similar planet . He must have legs to walk, ears to hear, a nose to smell, eyes to see. a mouth to eat and talk, fingers to hold. in other words all the equipment he needs to construct a universe.......Really??????

Bill Donaghy   September 9th, 2010 12:47 pm ET

Yes. The human brain is the most complex entity in the universe. Saying it came about without a Higher Intelligence, God, is like saying the Sistine Chapel is just a complexity of paint and fresco that happened to form a grand design over a period of four years. I think the brain is more complex and a quantum leap above the material art it creates. God is infinitely greater than and above the universe, as an author is outside his own story. I would suggest Dr. Peter Kreeft's books and podcast for more on this. Enjoy the journey this great question takes you on!

Meg   September 9th, 2010 12:58 pm ET

Yes, I believe God created the universe. Only He could create something out of nothing. Man cannot do so. Man cannot understand this concept and this is where faith comes into play.

Mr. Hawking's theory regarding gravity is somewhat preposterous. The force of gravity is an interaction of nature. It must have mass or objects in order to have the interaction. So, Who created the objects, Mr. Hawking?

God bless Mr. Hawking. He's really grasping at straws or more likely, grasping for more fame.

Bud   September 9th, 2010 1:22 pm ET

God does exist. The creation of God is around us and its up to each one of us to open our eyes and see it. Not only do we have eyes to see with, which in itself is a remarkable thing, but there are colors that exist for us to see. We all pretty much agree on the colors therefore we are all seeing the same thing. We also can hear sound and sound has many different effects on us. It can warn us of danger, aggravate us, and evoke emotions such as love or happiness from music. We will pray for Stephen H. that he will come to know our loving God who orchestras all of the universe (universes).

Michael D'Amico   September 9th, 2010 1:29 pm ET

Having been an admirer of Dr. Hawkins, I was puzzuled by what I read in his book relating that gravity is an irrefutable law, and therefore that law presupposes there not being a God; in other words something coming from nothing since the Christian view is that God is outside of time (i.e. eternal).

To obliviate the position of first-cause this way doesn't make any sense to me, in my humble opinion.

Candy°°   September 9th, 2010 1:37 pm ET

@threeballedalien same is valid for you > please provide EVIDENCE that God did not create the Universes.

Big bang? really? There are enough theorists at least as good as Stephen Hawking that claim the opposite.

Nothing? What is "nothing"? If we acknowledge that each particle has a corresponding anti-particle and each string a corresponding anti-string which on macro level sort of annihilate each other, than we all shall be already living and being part of a big "nothing" !??!

Neutron & positron, neutrino and anti neutrino, gravity and anti-gravity matter and anti-matter = Ying & Yang

Being or perceiving yourself as a "something" can you really imagine yourself what a "nothing" could be like?

And how can a nothing where nothing happens, give birth to a big bang !?! This means that "something" does happen inside that "nothing" and than comes the question – who defined that, who set that up, who (or what) created all that?

Personally I do not believe we will ever understand it, leave alone find a "scientific" explanation for it.

Besides, look at the history of science – any theory is valid until the next theory arises proving that the previous was wrong.
So why would we believe we have reached the "end" and found the right one?

I have great respect for Stephen Hawking and I think this is a very interesting point of view. But is definitely not to be seen as "the final conclusion" and the "absolute truth". And I do not think this was his intention either.

Atheist from Louisville, KY   September 9th, 2010 3:04 pm ET


Believe what you want, but to me God = Nothing so I suppose this makes them both correct.

Mustafa Saleem   September 9th, 2010 3:33 pm ET

God doesn't make things happen just like that, without any science and logic behind it. Each and every creation of God has a science behind it, a logic behind it and somehow in someway each n everything natural thing has a part to play in the whole system. Even accidents happen with a series of events, logic and science, but the fact that God decides what science to put in and what logic to make is what makes God's existence inevitable to believe that everyone and everything is bound to God's will. When people die, there is a reason behind it, but the fact we all mostly forget is that that person died because it is was time and God has to give his/her loves ones a reason to think about that exactly how he/she died. Accidents do not have perfection in it. Can prof. Hawking identify one major flaw in the accidental creation of the universe?

Prof. Stephen Hawking is not able to handle such recognition and power that he has, which is understandable, not everyone can handle such position.

Tom Hockel   September 9th, 2010 3:46 pm ET

Why would I ask a scientist to answer a question that is an issue of philosophy? Science deals with material cause. The question whether God created the universe (and what we even mean by "God") is a question of final cause or efficient cause, not material cause. That's the stuff of philosophy. Dr. Hawking is neither trained nor qualified to attempt to answer the question, "Did God create the universe?" This entire inquiry is a bit like asking a cardiologist to give romance advice simply because he deals with hearts. You're mixing up your authorities here.

Freedumb2003   September 9th, 2010 3:54 pm ET

All of it but Hoboken.

Joe   September 9th, 2010 3:54 pm ET

1. On the existence of God: Science is generally a poor excuse for atheism, which usually has its real roots in a certain (often well-justified) antipathy towards organized religion. That said, even the most cutting edge physics fails to prove the existence or non-existence of a prime cause; it simply reduces the debate to steadily smaller entities. If string theory is accurate, what generated and energized the strings? If loop quantum gravity is accurate, what wove the loops? Ultimately this crazy existence has either always been, or it has been created by Something. Call it God, Allah, or whatever you like, but claiming to have used physics to justify atheism is specious, at best. I choose to believe.

2. On the problem of pain, suffering, and a loving God: if God exists and loves us, then it follows that God enables us to experience goodness in life. If we do not have the freedom to choose a path that leads either directly or inadvertently to pain and suffering, then we do not have the freedom to choose at all- and we are not living; we are automated.

Geraldine Misquith   September 9th, 2010 4:08 pm ET

Look at creation from the tiny to the large and have no doubts that BIG BANG or MAN could put it together!!!! From the color of the flowers,to the little Hummers,to the apes and finally each individual so unique who but GOD could have woven this beautiful perfect work of ART!!!

James   September 9th, 2010 4:25 pm ET

Why is there something rather than nothing? Why is there order rather than chaos? These are the root questions of the cosmological and teleological arguments for God’s existence (which were, in essence, what Fr. Spitzer will say on this program).

Science has to assume something to study, and assume that it can be described through the scientific method. That isn’t bad – that’s just the a-priori starting point from which scientific inquiry occurs. But those two questions are NOT scientific questions. They are metaphysical questions.

To assume that science need not address these questions (or that at some point science will be able to answer these questions) isn’t rational. Think of it this way: if science were to discover that there were a cause for the Big Bang – something in the nature of the universe and the laws of physics that necessitated the big bang – we would still NOT have answered the question “Why is there something rather than nothing?” At that point, we’d be left with “Why is there X that caused the big bang?” In fact, it is not hard to imagine an infinite list of causes leading to effects stretching backwards into an eternity.

Of course, given the fact that “past” is a term which means “something completed” we know that past cannot be infinite because infinitude is inherently unbound, and “completion” is most certainly a bound. If the past were infinite there would be no present (you can’t ever arrive at a point after infinity). That means that at some point there MUST, logically, be a beginning.

But still, let us just posit that there WERE an infinite past with unlimited causes. We still have to ask the question “Why is there an unlimited list of causes rather than nothing?” There is no way for observation / inductive reasoning to answer the underlying question “Why is there something rather than nothing?” We have to posit what philosophers call a “necessary” being – something that exists without cause. The first cause. This cosmological argument on its own doesn’t prove that the first cause is what we call “God” (I’d have to rely on a lot of other arguments for that), but it is definitely a start. “I am that I am” (God’s name for Himself) comes to mind from the Old Testament.

The teleological argument runs along a similar course, and, alongside the cosmological argument, leads us towards a first-cause that seems to have had some intentionality (purpose) in creating. Why are the laws of physics ‘consistent’? (Or at least, consistent enough to make patterned observations about them). Why not chaotic? If I attempt to use the scientific method to answer that question I run into the road block that the scientific method depends on the a-priori assumption of consistency (i.e. that repeating a process will cause the same result). Any answer I get from that method will inevitably be circular reasoning as I have to assume my conclusion (that the laws of physics are consistent enough to make inductive observations about them) as one of the premises of my answer. Again, I cannot find a cause for the ordering of the universe using a system that assumes that ordering. However, I can posit that there exists some cause for that ordering. Again, this on its own doesn’t prove that the first-cause / orderer-of-the-universe is what we call God, but we’re getting much closer (since we do profess that God created all things and ordered them according to His will).

Ryan   September 9th, 2010 5:01 pm ET

God is not necessary for life to exist. If there is a god, it is one of indifference. The laws of nature are set in place, by what, no one knows, but life is possible from the star-stuff from which we are made. We are part of something we cannot comprehend. We are insignificant to the vast and powerful cosmos. Believing in silly fairy tales that humans are the center of the universe and could only be created after some mythical father figure only proves how primitive our minds really are.

Bo Gardiner   September 9th, 2010 5:17 pm ET

To Tom,


This book wasn't released until today, so how can you claim you're a physicist who's read all Hawking's books, and how can you say Hawking fails to answer your question? A few people had advance copies, but I suspect you weren't one of them.

It's amazing, all these judgments and final conclusions on this site, and NOT ONE PERSON COMMENTING HERE HAS READ THIS BOOK YET. Nor probably, ever intends to.

"why is there something rather than nothing... why do those laws of physics exist?"

You answer these questions in your next sentence:


But then you claim, with your limited mind, to know exactly the answer, and presume the answer is God.


You have no evidence for this. Humanity has made this up because, as you note, our limited minds can't really conceive of anything else.

Hawking's mind is considered arguable the finest in the world today, so perhaps it's, a tad less limited? So perhaps we should read his book and find out, before judging first?

As for those saying, something must have created the universe... that something must have made something out of nothing... why? Why must this be true? This is ancient Greek logic, who also used logic to deduce that the sun revolved around the earth.

If it were true, then why can not I simply ask you back:
"Then something must have created God. "
"Then something must have made God out of nothing."

If you answer that God always was, and was not created, then you can't use that argument against Hawking.

So adding God to the equation solves nothing at all.

Pat   September 9th, 2010 5:55 pm ET

Of course. Those who think it came from "nothing." How did the "nothing" begin?

doncolecartoons   September 9th, 2010 6:30 pm ET Hawking has changed his mind, or is he just contemplating new theories? I'm no match for Hawking, but what does the fact that there are untold numbers of universes, have to do with there being a higher intelligence, we call God? I await to watch the program, with keen interest. Did not all creation come from a single point, which scientists refer to as the "Big Bang"? If so, what banged? The book of Genesis says, ""In the beginning God..." My take on this, for now, is that Hawking is an outstanding expert in his field; but it is highly probable that he has not likewise yet ventured into the spirituality, or maybe even in much knowledge about the true nature of God. It may be that he has not seen God in his own life, or –that if there is a God, –'why must he be so handicapped ? ' I'll be watching... –dc

doncolecartoons   September 9th, 2010 6:46 pm ET Hawking has changed his mind, or is he just contemplating new theories?

joanne   September 9th, 2010 7:17 pm ET

Energy can be changed from one form to another but can not be created or destroyed; it just is, always. That in itself would explain the existence of God, the alpha and omega, no beginning or end. There is order in the universe, whether we "see" it or not. Energy and matter have properties and if an event is "random" it is only because the energy has changed in a way we do not know, we haven't seen yet.

John W. Morehead   September 9th, 2010 8:45 pm ET

This makes for an interesting discussion. I think part of what Christians need to do is rethink a number of issues, including that Genesis teaches a specific mode of creation. In the Lost World of Genesis 1 John Walton contrasts ancient nea...r eastern creation accounts and argues that the Genesis creation accounts refer to the religious function of the cosmos as the temple of God and not its material creation. Surely God is the creator and sustainer of the universe but our concept of this might be rethought in light of fresh cultural and theological perspectives on scripture. Perhaps then we won't find so much conflict in creation and evolution debates.

Randy Williams   September 9th, 2010 8:59 pm ET


Julia M. Fogassy   September 9th, 2010 9:30 pm ET

Yes, of course God made the universe–and everything in it. He made it for us because He is a generous, loving Father Who wants to give His children good things. Father Robert Spitzer will do a fine job of explaining the science behind this reality, but every man (including Stephen Hawking) should be able to look inside his own heart and know that he is loved and that world was made as a gift from his Father. How sad when that is not the case!

Malcolm E. Walker   September 9th, 2010 11:27 pm ET

Like the body you are in, You developed it. God developed it (Universe). God is not a man. God is light ( Energy)

Irene   September 10th, 2010 12:11 am ET

Yes he did, Gen 1:1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.That says it all.

Bill Asbury   September 10th, 2010 12:37 am ET

Hawking seems seems to suggests that since there are many solar systems they are not then remarkable. The world is full of people but does that then make a particular one of that set unremarkable? Surely not. Each one is remarkable.

Hawking and some of his peers claim they have studied the world and have concluded God did not make it. In order to make such a distinction, Hawking must have a firm grasp on what a world created by God does look like. How would they differ?

PRABHU   September 10th, 2010 12:50 am ET

The comments are very interesting. Every one comes out with some interesting point on the existence or Non existence of GOD. I am finding very healthy arguments with out offending others. This process of churning is what is called "VICHARA" (Reasoning). This process of Reasoning leads us to the truth. No doubt, Its great to know about the Universe. But It is vast and out of our comprehension. Let the process get going. At the same time "I am" that is me is very well with in our grasp. What is "I", who "I am", why I am born, what is the purpose of my creation, where I am going. This Nano reasoning may probably lead us to the truth.

Every one desires happiness. No body wants to be in misery. But its always elusive. Though seem to get it at one point of time, it vanishes at the very next second. If we stand under a tree we can have the cool glimpse of the rays of the moon through the shades of the tree every now and than. If the branches and leaves are removed we can get the cool rays / warmth of the rays of the sun with out any distortion. In the same manner If we can free our mind off all its impurities we can become the embodiment of happiness.

Let the God be there or not. Let the God be called Jesus, Allah or Siva or any other innumerable forms and names. Let us all become the embodiment of Love and affection and make the world a lovely place to live in. Let the happiness become infectious and spread all around. Love and happiness is the religion of every one.

Mary   September 10th, 2010 10:25 am ET

Happiness is fleating but "Joy" can only come from God. Yes, I believe that God created the universe....Why? Because I know Him and that sounds just like Him 🙂

Paul   September 10th, 2010 10:31 am ET

The idea of multiple universes seems contradictory... universe means everything. Besides that, yes of course there is God. A God. One true God. From whom all things come. Besides the physical realm, one must also consider the spiritual and intellectual realms. If not from God, where did human's rational thought come from? Where did humans personalities and individual spritis (souls) come from? From God. How do I know? I have a personal relationship with God and His Son Jesus Christ. My prayer is that everyone has these relationships.

Ferdinand   September 10th, 2010 10:43 am ET

Assuming the Big Bang theory is a pretty accurate description of the beginnings of the universe, which was founded by a priest, I question the Newtonian Laws which govern physical aspects of space and time. In order for the Bang to actually Bang, there would have to be a preservation of energy. In order for the bang to bear great kinetic energy as it did, there would have to be an initial energy that participated in this system of reactions. God was that force, I believe, science is real, and the Big bang is a good theory. Science is a TOOL to understand existing life that was CREATED by God. Nature took its course after God, as the architect of all life, placed it in its course. As an engineer, design is implemented with the assumption that you do not have to babysit it all the time. What you design you expect it to take its course.

Carolyn   September 10th, 2010 10:45 am ET

Look outside, look around, look under a microscope, there is an orderliness to everything. Look into your child's eyes. Of course the good God created the universe!

dandelionne   September 10th, 2010 11:11 am ET

How can Hawking assert that science can explain the universe when the only way he had done that was merely THEORIZE on it and yet he declares this as FACT . The universe is so vast and wide and yet how can someone with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis could assert that, when even the advances in understanding the pathophysiology of ALS, the mechanisms that lead to disease onset, which may be distinguished by use of term pathogenesis, still remains unknown by scientists, much less for an explanation of the entire universe?

Theresa   September 10th, 2010 11:43 am ET

God created the universe, God created everything but sin. Sin is the only thing we can create without God.

Robert   September 10th, 2010 11:45 am ET

I do enjoy conversations like this. But stop and think about it. No one will really have the answer until they die. Earth in of its self is so complex that we humans can't figure it out. How are we to truly figure out the entire universe or universes? We as a society can't agree on if life starts at conception or at birth(I say conception, but that is a completely different subject.) I do believe that God created it, but I will never say that I know how God created it. And I feel that once a person says "I know how it is/was done" they are placing themselves above God.

I could continue on endlessly on this subject. But I don't this think argument is going to end anytime soon so I will check back.

God Bless

VegasHank   September 10th, 2010 12:01 pm ET

"It is wrong always, everywhere and for everyone to believe anything without sufficient proof". – G.K.Clifford –

It is easier for most persons to embrace the sky God idea, than to ask difficult questions, even when they know that no proof for such an entity exists. Only a dozen or so past generations, the belief in witches was almost universal, except among some of the 'educated' classes. Now in the Western hemisphere few believe in them, even though their presumed existence has never been DISPROVED.

Why should that be? E-D-U-C-A-T-I-O-N !

The history and evolution for the tenacious God myth has long ago been traced and well documented by anthropologist, social scientists, and other scholars . As far back as August Compte, the three levels of human mental development for explaining such beliefs were outlined.

At least three quarters of humanity still remain on the 'religious' level, despite the vast marvels scientific thinking has brought them. Understanding science, and how it works is the key to ridding the world of divisive and destructive, mind wasting superstition and mythology.

Chris   September 10th, 2010 12:10 pm ET

The problem is that since the days of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Good and Evil we have eaten from the Tree of Knowledge and have been banished from the Tree of Life. It pains the woman to give birth to children and she is attached to the man forever. Man is forced to work by the sweat of his forehead and it pains him to labor. The tree of knowledge was created by God. Although we have knowledge of God and God and Evil we will never know the mind of God. Science will never prove God's existence because there is nothing to "prove". God does exist and mankind just needs to accept it. The sooner we accept it the sooner we can realize that only God will judge us at the end of this life. Unfortunately, many are living only for this life and God will not know them at the end of it. Ponder that for a bit.

Tim   September 10th, 2010 12:53 pm ET

Yes I do belive God made the Universe

Dalibor Stojicic   September 10th, 2010 1:05 pm ET

For me, there is nothning interesting in Stephen story. We know that, for sure but we don't want to belive in that. God is our only hope and we need religion becaouse we need rules and we need the order. We need god becaouse we are to small to figure out how things going on.
And maybe, the perfecet question is, who is the father of our god? Who is the creator of our creator? The fact is, everything existing must have own maker. Never ending story, and we are so far away to cath the true. Even a great Stephen...:)

Diane   September 10th, 2010 1:48 pm ET

Yes, I believe created the universe. I believe God gave us all the capacity to learn about the universe and how it was created. Perhaps there was a "big bang", but who created it? Some can explain things better than others. But to disprove the fact that everything was created by God or through God is not so. In the end, after we have gone to our final destination after this life on Earth, we will all have the proof. It should be interesting to hear what conversations there will be with God!!!! I can't wait!!! If I get that pleasure, I hope to see you there Mr. Hawking.
I would also like to add that figuring out how the universe was created and WHO created may be fascinating and important, but should we not instead try to figure out how to treat each other with kindness and help each other and better understand each other.

becky   September 10th, 2010 2:07 pm ET

Of course He did. No fancy mumbo jumbo, Just simply yes. I know it can be proved by some high thinking individuals. But even without all those degrees, and all that so called deep thinking, and "evidence", we know God just simply thought, and there it was, the universe.

Ali   September 10th, 2010 3:15 pm ET

Yes, I do believe God created the Universe(s)...I am an open minded person who likes to look at all possibilities, but it makes sense to me that God is responsible for the miracle of life.

Loren   September 10th, 2010 4:31 pm ET

It amazes me that believers in "God" argue that the complexities of life are proof of intelligent design, and that it is impossible to accept that everything we know just came about naturally. Yet, the most complex entity of all - their God - did not have to be created himself (by, presumeably an even more complex entity, and so on, ad nauseum). How can one argue the requirement for a supreme creator for us, but not for the creator himself? That makes no sense.

Anne   September 10th, 2010 5:01 pm ET

Who else? If it is created God created it. Some scientists keep trying to come up with a better explanation and will keep trying. That's OK. But what ever they come up with will not answer the question. It is not a scientific problem. It is a spiritual question.

LE   September 10th, 2010 5:02 pm ET


Arun Shroff   September 10th, 2010 5:17 pm ET

Here is what I would ask Stephen Hawking : In its pursuit of the ultimate secrets of the universe, science has always continuously refined its best theories to fit new observations and evidence: classical physics was overthrown by relativity and quantum physics. These new theories came about to explain anomalies that the old physics could not explain. Today even the best theories of science – including M-theory – cannot explain dark energy and dark matter which comprise 95% of the known universe. How can we be certain that a theory that can account for only 5% of the known universe, explain its origin ?

Rachel Cervantes Hollywood California   September 10th, 2010 5:28 pm ET

One one hand, I find this theory about the universe not created but God unfounded. There is no believable scientific proof that God did not create the universe. On the other hand, the creation of the universe by God is well documented in the Holy Scriptures. The question is: do you believe the God who created the universe?

Margaret   September 10th, 2010 5:43 pm ET

Yes! I believe God created the heavens and the earth. He said it, I believe it, that settles it.

Now, you who do not believe, prove your theories! You really can't, just as I cannot prove that God is the creator.. That is why we call it faith. If you had proof, there would be no need for faith. We would know for sure, and one day we will know for sure.

In the mean time I will live my life as if He is, you can live yours as if He isn't. In the end, if there is a God and a heaven and hell, I won't be sorry for the path I have taken, If I am wrong, it won't really matter, will it.

But, I have to warn you, He did do it. He is real and one day we will all face judgment whether we believe it or not.

Alex   September 10th, 2010 5:46 pm ET

I believe that, as a society, we need to let go of religious notions. Yes, at one time we needed it to explain what was happening all around us.
Any enlightened individual can look up at the sky and realise that the reality of the universe around us is infinitely more astounding than what religion tries to teach us.
Religions are Earth based and do not look beyond what is visible to the human eye.
People like Stephen Hawking are able to see beyond this and they realize Earth is a fraction of a spec in an infinite universe.
Religion was needed for a long time so people could make sense of things and be able to digest information in bitesize chunks. We've evolved beyond this now and it's time to let go.

Evan vulich   September 10th, 2010 6:24 pm ET

Q: The law of bio genesis states that life MUST come from life. Where did the first spark of life come from? Re "the Big Bang theory" WHO lit the fuse?

Neal   September 10th, 2010 6:59 pm ET

It's a difficult question, the ultimate problem is a philosophical one stemming from act and potency, how something can be the source of itself (this would take way to long to explain, read your Aristotle). If Hawkings means that the universe could have always existed without being created in time, I would agree with him from a philosophical standpoint. St. Thomas Aquinas taught that we must accept God as creating the universe in time on faith, but based on human reason alone God could have created the universe in such a way that it had always existed. God Himself being outside of time, this would not be absurd. For more information read Summa Contra Gentilies (Aquinas), Summa Theologica (Aquinas), Metaphysics (Aristotle) and Introduction to Philosophy by Jacques Martian.

mike   September 10th, 2010 7:39 pm ET

Yes I believe that God created the universe. Maybe God created the science which in turn created everything, but God is still the creator. Its about faith, not fact.

Ian Colte   September 10th, 2010 8:46 pm ET

I enjoy reading about and studying science particularly physics, and I have tremendous respect for Stephen Hawking, but its extremely arrogant of any scientist to claim that science can explain the origins of life, matter, or claim that God does not exist. An honest scientist, whether one who believes in God or not, will acknowledge that all science can do is speculate on these questions. For instance, how did the first living organisms come into existence? Science hypothesizes (with no viable explanation of "how" it happened) that this might have occurred in a primordial soup in mud, oceans, underground, but science is not close to an answer. Or was life on earth "seeded" from comets, asteroids, or, as I've heard some notable scientists speculate, brought here by extraterrestrials? How did matter come into being? Again, not close to an answer on that either.

Finally, science and religion occupy different fields of human experience and answer completely different questions. Science is rightly concerned with "how the universe works. Religion, specifically Jesus Christ's message, answers the "why" of existence.

Keith Henderson   September 10th, 2010 8:46 pm ET

This answer is YES!

Lorenna Arevalo   September 10th, 2010 9:19 pm ET

God created what exist. Whether one or one billion universes. You have to be very stubborn and foolish to not realize that GOD does exist. You might be a very brilliant scientific Mr. Hawking. In fact, you inspired me to study physics at university level. But you must understand that your mind is still very limited because of your human nature. So do not pretend to understand the infinite wisdom of GOD. I don't understand why GOD might have created one or many universes. But I can find proof of GOD existence in the wonders of THIS universe. And I know that GOD acts constantly and love human beings including you. I will pray for your conversion to the faith, the catholic faith. Because I believe it is the only church that holds the complete truth, and you seem to be starving for truth. God bless you.

Greg Jenkins   September 10th, 2010 9:22 pm ET

Did God create the universe? Absolutely! If you think not, then you believe that nothing, plus chance, equals everything. That takes way too much faith!

pamela robins   September 10th, 2010 9:26 pm ET

Who created God? At some point something had to come from nothing.

Randy   September 10th, 2010 9:36 pm ET

If God were merely the explanation of the universe, he would be a creation of man. God transcends our scientific theories and is the cause of the explanations we discover. Hawking has not deduced the alternative to God but has elucidated the way in which God creates.

Gary Carthy   September 10th, 2010 9:36 pm ET

Yes Sir, I believe God created the universe. People of faith have always been ridiculed for believing in a "bearded guy in the sky" but now we are being told the universe was created by "spontaneous creation". Professor Hawkins states "The universe didn't need a God to begin; it was quite capable of launching its existence on its own"
I believe any effect (e.g. the universe) needs a cause (e.g. a Creator) but the renowned professor has come to the conclusion that a universe that did not exist before, was in fact "capable of launching its existence on its own" This is, quite frankly, embarrassing, something that did not previously exist cannot create itself. It sounds like Harry Potter.
Professor Hawkins also states that "given the existence of gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing" Given the Professor's theory that the existence of gravity allows "spontaneous creation" I would have to say that before the universe began it did not exist, ergo gravity did not exist. His theory must fail, as a non-existent gravity is incapable of anything. Full stop (period)
Finally, I would like to thank the Professor for strengthening my Faith. I place God the Creator above this magic "something from nothing" theory. As a disabled man I have great admiration for the professor's courageous attitude towards life, but I am disappoiinted by his latest theory.

Thank you and God bless,

Gary from Lancaster, England.

Ligia   September 10th, 2010 9:39 pm ET

We are too obsessed with anthropomorphizing "god" - attributing to that concept/being/thing our own abilities. Now that we have knowledge of galaxies and the vast extent of the universe we need to move beyond our everyday thinking to attempt to encompass other possibilities and realms - not so traditional and archaic.

Peggy   September 10th, 2010 9:40 pm ET

Absolutely believe that God created the universe. Why can't you believe in all the scientific things that God is behind and that He let everything EVOLVE!!! How sad to believe in nothingness as everything!! Believe in nothing and you get nothing...believe in God and you get forever. Which will you gamble on? Eternity is beyond our comprehension, but that is what faith is. God is and always was...why does there have to be an answer to to "Why" was God always. Faith is our test and those who have faith will live forever. If we had an wouldn't be called "faith".

Shannon   September 10th, 2010 9:41 pm ET

Theologians are always looking for causality for everything. Quantum theory has proven to us that the need for causality is a human problem not something that is required by the universe. Scientists study the world through observation, theologians study the world through the way they feel that it is or the way they feel that it should be, often ignoring proven facts about the way it actually is.

Fuzzy   September 10th, 2010 9:42 pm ET

its funny everyone mocks god but everything is happening as it is wrote in revelations. i pray yall see this is not some joke before its to late..

Tim O'Donnell   September 10th, 2010 9:43 pm ET

Theology and Science and Philosophy all try to define reality. Do you think that at some point theology, science and philosophy will merge to create a sort of "theology of reality'?

Fuzzy   September 10th, 2010 9:45 pm ET

now this is a laugh not only is this a pole from the world of the world but its moderated on what is displayed by the world. you have to see only a few are going to make it as the path is nerrow... so the majority will always be on the side of the world...

Peggy   September 10th, 2010 9:47 pm ET

Another thought....perhaps God has a sense of humor or a wish to give many chances to life, so he created many universes to give souls the chance to make their own choices and then He could see who did the very best that they could. Why would he waste His talents on one universe?

Bonnie van Zoest   September 10th, 2010 9:48 pm ET

Religions are about extending mortality and so God exists to explain creation and extension of mortality through these beliefs

We only need God to belief things we cannot understand.

Creation of the universe is physically explanable but not understood.

Religion has always been used to try to explain the unexplainable.

Roland   September 10th, 2010 9:56 pm ET

Stephan Hawking, is challenging his own beliefs because he has blamed God for being in that wheel chair for a better part o his mortal life. God put a conscious in every man & women to know the difference from right and wrong and to be able to look and search for more understanding that God has a purpose and plan for it all.

Katy   September 10th, 2010 9:56 pm ET

Please ask the physist to explain FIRE.

Nur el-Masih Ben Haq   September 10th, 2010 9:58 pm ET

The atheistic scientists think that they can know how the Universe came into being by using the present principles of physics. But that is an anachronistic scientific blunder because:
(a) The principles of physics or the phenomenon of physics are defined or determined by the parameters which were non-existent before the universe came into being. So the Universe could not have come into being based on the principles of physics (The parameters include: gravity, time and space etc).
(b) Based on these post-universe principles of physics, matter (or energy) can neither be created nor be destroyed but can only change from one form to another. So, again, the present principles of physics could not have led to the birth of universe even if the parameters had been there.
Then What Likely Happened?
Logically the universe came into being based on unknown ( or extra-scientific or supernatural) principles—the principles known only to the possible intelligent author. But the intelligent author made its regulatory principles such that man can explore it (the Universe). Don’t you think so atheists?

Joos   September 10th, 2010 9:58 pm ET

The Universe is very well organized... But from all its creations, only the human being is capable to destruct all and everything, including its own specie... What a shame... Do never forget that gods, whatever their names are, are pure human being inventions... and in the name of some of them, human specie is jeopardizing its survival...
(PS: sorry for my English that is not my native language)

Veronica   September 10th, 2010 9:58 pm ET

To borrow a quote from Sheryl Crow, "God bless this MESS!"

conor   September 10th, 2010 10:07 pm ET

To believe that there is a GOD is the beginning of intelligence.

Jawad   September 10th, 2010 10:08 pm ET

Your show is a confirmation that our universe EXIST. What EXISTs can change forms (states, configurations) but will always EXIST. Humans are a component of this universe. A characteristic of humans is self-consiousness. If we consider the same characteristic at the level of the whole universe, we reach the concept of GOD.

Gilberto Ramos   September 10th, 2010 10:20 pm ET

Yes; God created everything: the Bible is the biggest related History that
the people the Jews, chosen by the creator, the passover from Egypt , the battles with other nations that are recorded by these other nations.

The recorded history of Jesus and his miracles and his death.

And the wars that one day after becoming a nation, defeated the bigger
and more powerful nations. the seven day war against six nations out gunned over powered out numbered ,the people of Israel won because
of their God.


Rashid Salahian   September 10th, 2010 10:27 pm ET

Yes, God create the universe. I seen his power
The universe, That's what God said in Quran We created universe by balancing, Magnetic field, Magnetic Tunnels,........
to support the earth! We do not see Nitrogen atom but, If we break it we know how much power has!
Force times distance to balancing point = other side of Force times distance to balancing point (F x D = F' x D')

Mary   September 10th, 2010 10:30 pm ET

The bible says the same thing as Stephen Hawking:


The bible saysthe universe came from nothingness, in the beginning only the word of God was there, the "laws" . Hawking says one can think of the "laws" as God, but it would not be a God one can talk to and ask questions. My question to Stephen is, Why can't it be both?

Dr. David Moore   September 10th, 2010 10:41 pm ET

All gods are inventions of human imagination. Religious people have delusional views that supernatural events are real, but not measureable. Rational people measure the universe and know that everything is natural.....including human stupidity.

John Burns   September 10th, 2010 10:47 pm ET

David says " Athest doth protest too much"...hmmm.
To David I say " You assume too much !! " . When you look at the last 400 years of history you'll find that the "protests" were directed at science, not to mention the torture and murder of anyone who disagreed with their dogma. You can't rewrite history although people of faith would like to.

David   September 10th, 2010 10:49 pm ET

All gods are creations of human imagination.

Cmon man   September 10th, 2010 11:11 pm ET

Who or what else could pull off one universe let alone multiple ones. We are all very special

al   September 11th, 2010 12:28 am ET

man created god,
i would like to ask you guest Spitzer if he has a problem with the universe not having a creator , then based on this logic and taking in to account "that god is greater than the universe , more powerful etc that religion teaches " then who created GOD

the only thing that came from religion is hatred of others and exclusivity , it is about time we get over the biggest lie ever told

Mark Clements   September 11th, 2010 12:40 am ET

Hello, of course God created the universe. Every night i look at the stars in the country and know that only a higher being can put that there, and for all of your theories, who made those theories and is to say that is what it is? You and this country should recognize God is alive and real and he shows us through numerous way everyday!

Troy Reiners   September 11th, 2010 12:52 am ET

What everyone fails to it is not about God, religion, physics, math, or devine intervention.....everything is all about can choose to listen to this.....that......or something entirely different then what anyone is listening to.....but it all boils down to choices! Do you not think that Einstein, Hawking, and a vast number of other scientists.....made choices in deciding what the answers or hypothesis's are.....the sooner everyone realizes that everything is based upon choices......the sooner we can make things right with everyone in this world.....universe......realm.....really.....just think about it.....define choice!

Troy Reiners   September 11th, 2010 12:58 am ET

I find it difficult to believe that so many people struggle with what everyone possesses.....that being the power of the mind. is entirely the power of the mind which determines the choices we all make. If someone would actually consider that this power is beyond the scope of what a physicist, mathematician, theologist, or any other rationalist is capable of comprehending.....we all would be much better off. Everything is about choice! The more choices we make.....the more we end up realizing how wrong we were in the is merely a validator of the choices we have made!

Sonya Schwieg   September 11th, 2010 12:59 am ET

It's simple. God created science. Everyone is right. Both sides argue that they are correct when in fact they are both right. Science and God are one.

roscoe w fields sr   September 11th, 2010 1:26 am ET

Have you looked at, or even, considered "The Holy Bible" as an answer, ???? The authindicated word that explains the existance of everything.

Chosen   September 11th, 2010 1:30 am ET

Entity is The Universe, all, without and within.


CCB   September 11th, 2010 1:39 am ET

Without God, our existence has no meaning and no purpose.
A person who believes in God values his and other people's life as sacred and humbly accepts that we as imperfect beings have been created by a supreme being who made all things seen and unseen.

CCB   September 11th, 2010 1:54 am ET

... and imperfect as we are, we experience trials and tribulations in this world to make us realize the very essence and existence of God.

julie moon   September 11th, 2010 2:19 am ET

I sat outside last Sunday afternoon on the edge of clearing at my parents farm feeling the cooling breeze compete with the late summer sun, listening to the rustling sycamore trees,as tiny busy ants and beetles maneuvered their way around my feet, a meadowlark and mockingbirds sang "their" songs , glistening spider webs floated by , lichens and Virginia creeper clung to the bark of the oaks and bois d'arcs, and Queen Ann's lace daintily moved with the wind. I could feel fall in the air and I was in awe of the simple beauty of the moment. Too much perfection, too much detail in EVERY thing, too much diversity, too orderly...perfect plan. I believe that God is the creative Creator and science is the study of his amazing creations. He made us curious and we want to know how He did it.

fate   September 11th, 2010 3:04 am ET

The fact that you can even think and remember anything prove the existence of GOD. Prove the existence of science

fate   September 11th, 2010 3:18 am ET

Candy has a lot of common sense. Bob and everyone else who question about the existence of GOD, just listen to your heart. Deep down, you know there is a super power. GOD=super power, or the highest of all power. I beleive that those who say that GOD do not exist only wants to be convinced and be reassured by others to support his real believe that GOD exists. Just be silence, look within and you will know....

Gail   September 11th, 2010 3:49 am ET

Something beyond our comprehension (which makes it difficult to accept) gave breath to all that is. Being the curious creatures that we are and the constant questions concerning whether or not a creator exist, what does it matter either way? Knowing one exist or not knowing one exist. How would that change us or will that change us? Also, concerning this 'nothingness'. If something developed from this nothingness, then how could there be or have been a nothingness. Something developing from it would attest to something existing within/around the nothingness. This type of thinking gives me a headache.

Be   September 11th, 2010 3:50 am ET

As much as I respect and admire Stephen Hawking, his view on the universe and God seems to be a little whack. God created everything. The more you search for answers on life: how things work, how things are put together to get life, how physics works, how physics is put together in the universe; you come up with more questions for every answer you get. That is because God is that great! The more we humans try to understand how things work, the more we see how little we know. Stephen Hawking has to remember Einstein's E=MC2. Nothing can be created or completely destroyed. It just changes form. I believe Stephen Hawking is on that miracle marijuana prescription.

Ryan   September 11th, 2010 3:55 am ET

God does exist because I've had a visit by an angel that was sent by God to comfort me after my cat died and I felt an invisible hand on top of my head and I felt God's love come over me and the angel said my child do not weep for your cat is with the Lord God and he is in good hands. So don't tell me that God doesn't exist because I know that God exists and no one will ever get me to stop believing in God.

Watley   September 11th, 2010 4:28 am ET

The real question...who or what is God. This idea that science can explain everything using the laws of nature will, I think, render the supernatural to be wholly natural. Science will then redefine what is God. If human intellect can perceive the N A T U R E of God, then we will know the limits, making us gods...and was that not the goal of being in HIS IMAGE, having that capacity of knowing ourselves and then knowing HIM? Freewill IS an illusion because everything is predetermined, whether it be by natural laws, the notion of Determinism, or that God is All-knowing and thus knows the future of everything AND every-nothing. 😉 In answering the real question of who or what is God, we must question the nature of His Conscience...If He knows the future, He must know His Own Destiny and God will then be a thing that is predetermined as well. How do you like that full circle?

Faison   September 11th, 2010 4:28 am ET

Life is a big Question mark. Man will never know his beginning; that's great. To Know; but yet not to know. Knowledge is a continuim; that event maybe a complete nothingness; but a whole alot of nothingness is a something.

Thought! the event of thought, our reality maybe no more than a thought. The event is more real than the tangible evidence. What is real cannot be define, touch nor felt. Existents; all things exist even non-existents.


True Perfection.

Abe   September 11th, 2010 5:42 am ET

It needs special knowldge , to know that God exisit. If one lacks that,...

John O'Brien   September 11th, 2010 6:10 am ET

The question is Do you believe that God created the Universe? My answer is yes If you would ask me how did God create the universe? I would answer you with a question. Who do you think I am, God?

Todd Schoedel   September 11th, 2010 6:18 am ET

Physics has not explained of what happened prior to the big bang. I think Hawkings has became carried away. Has he revealed the Unified Field Theory? He acts like he has. He is brilliant, but he has made errors previously and I think there is something obtuse and illogical about his statements about God. It is not science versus religion at this point. No one, practically no one, denies the existence of the big bang. I have preferred science my whole life. Still how can you prove the Great Spirit did not breathe life into the universe?

JUDE   September 11th, 2010 7:33 am ET

In Genesis chapter 1vs1, The Bible state it clearly that " In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" The Bible did not say God created the Heaven, but it say Heavens which means that other bodies like the earth surrounded the earth.In the Bible there is no word like universe.This means that, the word universe was only brought up by man for the understanding of what surrounds the earth.
If you study Genesis 1vs 16-17 which say"Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.He made the stars also. vs 17 says "God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth
Americans God created us and gave us the BIBLE as our guide, lets look towards it and know his plans for us.STOP USING YOUR HUMAN IMAGINATION IT WILL NOT HELP YOU MUCH.

Pieter W de Jong   September 11th, 2010 10:07 am ET

Divine intervention does not excist. Love does not make the world go around, Envy does. Religeon provides the phylosophical justification for all warefare. Pieter

Paul Leuenberger   September 11th, 2010 10:08 am ET

The central question: How was God created? A suggested reading:" A History of God" by Karen Armstrong, published by Ballantine Books, New York, 1993.

Trina   September 11th, 2010 11:26 am ET

yes, there is no other answer and never will be . OK lets explain miracles the mother who died and came back to life in minutes, or the people who are healed without any medical explanation, Prayer, yes to who ?GOD who is infinite. have faith Mr hawkinings you are a Blessed man you are here and have so manny wonderful gifts be thankful,God Is in you.

amelie   September 11th, 2010 12:38 pm ET

A ship in the middle of the ocean cannot heads itself it must have a captain directing this ship , HOW ABOUT THIS AMAZING UNIVERSE

God exists , otherwise how could you explain the mysterious incidents that happen all the time around ,

dont u see some pple die in younge ages sometimes after drinking water or sinking in the swimming pool while other survive from plane crasches ,HE decides and control everything for a reason he knows,

Elightened   September 11th, 2010 1:52 pm ET

The bigger the lie, the easier it is to believe.
Religion is a method of control. Control through the fear of "God".

Rick   September 11th, 2010 4:51 pm ET

Believing in Evolution or the "Big Bang" requires more faith than believing in Creationism. So called "Scientists" have tried to disprove Creationism for ages but come up empty. They can only offer alternative beliefs. The only explanation of our origin that has stood the test of time is Creationism. "A fool has said in his heart, "There is no God".

Marie-Therese   September 11th, 2010 6:14 pm ET

These supposedly super-intelligent mortals known as scientists have missed the point. Their superior intellect is causing them a great disservice by blinding them to the obvious. There is an order in every single detail in nature – how can this happen by chance? It is impossible! Of course, God is the Creator and Author of existence!

Marilyn   September 11th, 2010 6:35 pm ET

To Larry King and his esteemed panel,

Thank you for bringing this topic and discussion venue to your public. I have admired Prof. Hawking’s insight for decades. My own personal visions are probably closest to Tom, the physicist/molecular biologist responding above, as I also tend to view life within logical, molecular levels, making it difficult for me to intellectually ‘grasp’ matter 'evolving' from ‘nothing.’ I spent the last year developing a class curriculum on creation vs evolution for 5-7th graders, which forced me to study the Biblical account in depth. In my opinion, religion was initially organized centuries ago not just to satisfy man’s quest for the meaning of life, but more importantly, to set societal morality and ultimately, to solidify humanity’s survival. Therefore, it is only logical to assume its ancient words, if man driven, would be void of undiscovered scientific facts. Prof. Hawking does not claim to deny God’s existence; only that God’s existence was not required in creating the universe and hence, need not exist. I now feel confident in saying that a Supreme Life, who some of us lovingly call God, logically does exist, without conflict with scientific discovery. So, which came first, the chicken or the egg? I can’t logically answer that. But I do have a 6-page position paper if Larry, Prof. Hawking or the panel (Mlodinow, Chopra, Spitzer) would like to read it.

Heather   September 12th, 2010 4:46 am ET

"In my Fathers House there are many Mansions"
So the big is in the small ? or is the small is in the big??.....
How did He know back then .........2000 years ago?......
Stephen what do you think He means?????
I think you are wonderful ! and you can be more wonderful.

HOLLYROCK   September 12th, 2010 12:48 pm ET


tim griffin   September 12th, 2010 2:05 pm ET

Brilliant mathematician A. F. Whitehead, fifty years ago or so, was driven to the conclusion that God was necessary to explain the world. His arguments were sophistocated, but he took into account the physics and other scientifc studies of his day. He said tehre had to be a principle of limitation in the order ot events that he called actual occasions, the real things of the world, or chaos would result. His reponse to what Hawking and others are saying woud be, so what? Behind the apparent "spontaneous big bang" which created the universe had to be some kind of intital aim or purpose, the same aim or purpose which is present in all events in the world. This does not mean that Whitehead subscribed to an orthodox Christian or Jewish view of creation, but he did say that you cannot eliminate the idea of God in accounting for how the wrold works,

Cindy Braley   September 12th, 2010 3:31 pm ET

Please forward this to Professor Hawkins.

Dear Mr. Hawkins,

God is the master Scientist, and Physicist, and I would like to present to you that he definitely did create the universe.
Although, I readily admit that I have a minute amount of intelligence, compared to your gifted brilliance, I must say that you should provide yourself the opportunity to test his existence. I am simply proposing that any formula, or theory that you may need a solution for, you should ask God to provide the answer to you. Test his existence, and may be very surprised at the results.

Kay   September 12th, 2010 7:54 pm ET

I think it is a horrible way for Larry King to close his show, with a program about no God in the universe. He should have picked something positive, not controversial. The majority in the world believe in God. Despite Mr. Hawkings intelligent accomplishments in life, his lack of faith will not change the faith of others. We just feel sorry for him. Life without faith is extremely sad.

Kay   September 12th, 2010 7:59 pm ET

Do I think God created the Universe? Yes. Given the complexity of the human body itself, and the microscopic elements of the earth, it is amazing to me that anyone of a scientific mind would not believe! It is staring at them directly.

If the universe was created by random acts of particular collision, it certainly wouldn't look as patterned and precise as it does. Consider how one random gene in the human body can create all sorts of deformities in birth, and yet the majority are born WITHOUT deformities. That is a living miracle.

Hugh (Bart) Vincelette   September 13th, 2010 2:32 am ET

I grew up on the prairies, so I know for a fact that the world is completely flat! ...........sorry,.....I couldn't resist......

Silvia, South Africa   September 13th, 2010 3:31 am ET

listening to Mr Hapkings, all I heard was a man angry at God, why must He(God) get all the glory, why must He(God) be the one to be worshiped, we(man) with all our brilliance we can be small g(gods) also and worship our wonderful selves.
and I don't believe that a man living for 42 years with a paralyzing desease can say he has lived a full life, maybe that is the reason he is so angry at God, his state of health. I feel so sad for him because not only will he suffer in this life but in hell also.

JOHNNIE TRAVIS   September 13th, 2010 5:11 pm ET

I believe there is a God. I believe he created "man"as well as the Universe. From dust of the earth, he created them. I also believe in evolution to some extent, which is evident over the last few thousand years. God prepared the earth for us to inhabit which to me is evident by the very uniqueness of our place in the universe. I think I would rather die believing there is a God and finding out there isn't, than die believing there isn't and finding out there is!

manny   September 14th, 2010 1:17 am ET

At this point in time, the burden of proof that God created the universe or not, by scientist or theologians cannot be established without first solving the premise, beyond reasonable doubt, that God exist. Proofs that could be understood humanly possible. But the problem lies on the fact that our personal interests and biases affect our perceptions and judgement that we based on them. Stephen Hawkings is one of the great physicist in our time, but as a human being like anyone of us, makes his theories infallible.

ED   September 14th, 2010 9:27 am ET

Human beings have absolutely no concept of what God possibly is or what it possibly could be. All of the Religious concepts of God are all man-made & imaginary, founded in fear, ignorance & cultural traditions. God may very well be the accumulation of all knowledge that humans have yet to discover or maybe God is the sum of all natural laws & processes. The point is, we do not know & the only reasonable & logical pursuit of this question is through Science exploration & discovery. To remove the impediments of religion & ignorance is to expedite the discoveries & learn the knowledge that we have yet to imagine.

manuel lorenzo   September 16th, 2010 11:59 pm ET

I am looking forward to read the controversial book of Stephen Hawkings. Who knows it will reconcile with the late writer, Edgar Allan Poe's simple concept and premise that "The universe is but ONE stupendous whole, whose body nature is and God the soul." Prejudice, bigotry and fanatiscm in religion is the root of religious persecution and terrorism.

prince   September 17th, 2010 6:06 pm ET

Life is what it is ,meaning we are still all oraganisms mammals
still its a simulation and there is a creator to this simulation
recent studies and shown in discovery channel
called worm holes they say about holographic theory
meaning universe is a hologram and how time travel is posible

Next, you should know the stuff our Universe is made of isn’t very real at all. Sure, you can feel the chair underneath you, and see the monitor in front of you. But what we feel and touch and see in everyday life is actually a manifestation of some deeper, completely different kind of underlying reality.

One way to explore what matter is, is to take it apart. First, you’ll find tiny chunks of matter that are called molecules. Then, if you take the molecules apart, you’ll find the atoms the molecules are made of. And then, if you take apart the atoms, you’ll see it’s made of a nucleus, surrounded by a cloud of electrons. And what if you take apart that nucleus? You’ll be in for a big surprise. For inside an atom’s nucleus, reality as we know it actually ceases to exist.

An atom’s nucleus is made of tiny entities we call ‘particles’. But that’s just for lack of a better word. When you say ‘particles’, you think of little balls. But in quantum physics, there’s no such thing as solid `balls’ you can touch or see.

So, to wrap things up: we live in a place that’s not really a ‘place’, we’re made of stuff that’s not really ‘stuff’ and what we see is only a small part of what’s really there. Matter, time, dimensions, the Universe – it’s all lucid, unreal. And to make things even more bizarre, for some reason, our Universe is exactly preset to make our existence possible. Pretty confusing, don’t you think?

Gladly, you can cling to this one security: that you are here. No matter how weird the stuff around you is, you are definitely for real. No need to explain: you just know you are.

But do you really?

Let’s do an experiment. Speak out your name over and over and over and over again. After a while, you’ll notice something weird. Your name will begin to sound strange. It’s no longer something that is you – your name is just a word, a random sequence of syllables and sounds that other people utter when they want to catch your attention. If your parents had given you another name, you would listen to another sequence of sounds.

Most neuroscientists agree the same applies for your consciousness. The thing you call your ‘self’ is most likely an illusion, created by your brain. Your brain gives you vision, sound, speech, feelings, and thoughts. When you add all these things up, you’ll have some overall feeling of awareness you call your consciousness. But still, your brain is the thing running it. Your feeling of ‘self’ is best compared to a software program running. It looks very real – but it isn’t.

Of course, most people believe there is something like a ‘soul’ or a ‘spirit’ living inside of you. But when it comes down to facts, there just isn’t any evidence for that. Every thought you have, every move you make, every emotion you feel – it’s just brain, brain, brain.

There are actually experiments that prove it. When you disturb your brain in a certain way, your feeling of ‘self’ can get detached from your brain. Suddenly, it will feel as if ‘you’ are not inside your body anymore. You experience what is known as an ‘out of body experience’, or a ‘near death experience’.

But you don’t have to be nearly dead to feel it. The sensation can easily be created in a laboratory, by placing a helmet with rotating magnetic fields on your head. The magnetic field acts like a ‘jam signal’ on your brain. Suddenly, you’ll feel like you’re floating outside your body. But you aren’t. It’s just your brain going confused.
it could be all like a computer simulation or game
meaning if you play games like gta4 you would understand it
in this game there is a place there are people and charaters
in the game people make the choice to do what they want
the city inside that game is real and so is gravity real for the charaters but who really made this game is rockstars company.
life could be like that there would be a creator like aliens,your ancectors or yourselfs or god and the universe is a simulation
which never ends and when we look in universe it does not have an outside,and in which in this simulation we are oraganisms being mammals and animals thats why science works .

Lisa Fava   September 20th, 2010 10:29 am ET

Yes, I feel God created the Universe. I feel when all of us die, we go to the "other side". The other side to me means we live forever there until we along with God decide if each one of us wants to come back to Earth. We don't have to come back if we choose not too.

I believe feeling this way and living this way explains the way of life for me. I honestly would not want to think any other way.

Albert Kleiner   September 20th, 2010 4:51 pm ET

Its time to let go of religions (not knowing), Churches of all kinds (controllers and money powers) and move into experiencial spirituality to search for scientific truth.

prince   September 22nd, 2010 7:16 pm ET

and there could be thousands of this simulations which are parallel universes.

Dennis   September 29th, 2010 5:27 pm ET

No, because there is no god. It doesn't make sense to invoke a supernatural being to create a universe when there is no evidence for a supernatural being itsself. Simply put "when you have to believe something is always created by something or someone, you first need to establish the creator exists". I'm convinced that there's no god and the premise that someone always creates something is a false statement.

Ed   October 13th, 2010 3:11 pm ET

I often find this topic interesting. Why do we even need to know?
You are here because you are here. Why does there have to be someone or something of a higher power responsible for you being here. Just for the point of discourse? Yes it is nice to have an opinion. But everyone has one of those too.

People talk about this issue because they are afraid of dying and they don't want to think that there is nothing beyond this life.

Why are we here? Well it is a safe bet to say it is not to spin our wheels trying to figure out why we are here. Just be.

And how presumptuous of us to think we can even explain this topic. For crying out loud we cannot even figure out how to all get along.

"The Way that can be experienced is not true;
The world that can be constructed is not real."

Himangsu Sekhar Pal   November 13th, 2010 1:48 pm ET

Scientists have shown that total energy of the universe is always zero. If total energy is zero, then total mass will also be zero due to energy-mass equivalence. Now if there is a God, then scientists have calculated the total energy and mass of the universe by taking into consideration that there is also a God. In other words, if there is a God, then this total energy-mass calculation by the scientists is God-inclusive, not God-exclusive. This is due to two reasons. First of all, even if there is a God, they do not know that there is a God. Secondly, they do not admit that there is a God. So, if there is a God, then they have not been able to keep that God aside before making this calculation, because they do not know that there is a God. They cannot say that they have kept Him aside and then made this calculation, because by saying that they will admit that there is a God. At most they can say that there is no God. But we are not going to accept that statement as the final verdict on God-issue, because we are disputing that statement. So the matter of the fact is this: if God is really there, then scientists have shown that both the total mass and energy of the universe including God are zero. Therefore mass and energy of God will also be zero. God is without any mass, without any energy. And Einstein has already shown that anything having zero rest-mass will have the speed of light. In other words, it will be light. So, if God is there, then God is also light, and therefore He is spaceless, timeless. So from the point of view of existence God is zero, because he is spaceless, timeless, without any mass, without any energy.
H. S. Pal

prince   November 15th, 2010 7:43 pm ET

othere insteresting thing in bible
Chapter 5 in About God
by Ian B. Johnson.

I John 1:5-7 (WEB)

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