There is no divine creator responsible for our universe’s existence, award-winning physicist Stephen Hawking claims in his new book, The Grand Design.
The culprit responsible for our world? Gravity, argues Hawking. According to Hawking, “the universe can and will create itself from nothing,” thanks to the existence of gravity.
Man, that’s gotta make God feel pretty lame. He probably felt a blow similar to that of the apple Sir Isaac Newton dropped many years ago.
Hawking continues on this notion, claiming that due to the discovery of other solar systems outside of our own in 1992, the fact that Earth is perfectly suited for human beings is unremarkable, as is the likelihood of finding other planets similar to ours is only a matter of time as they surely do exist.
The biology major in me is saying, “Yeah, yeah, of course, Stephen!” while the philosophy major in me is a bit more troubled by this finding. I could go further into Hawking’s theory, but that’s really not the point of me writing this.
What gets me is how unsettling this finding could be for people who were fair-weather believers in the first place.
Look, I am a huge believer in science, to the extent that it is a daily struggle for me to believe in God. Yet, I do believe in God. And now this? A God that isn’t the divine creator? Doesn’t that sort of take away a large chunk of the job description labeled “being God?”
Now, Hawking’s arguments aren’t intended to erase God or the idea of God entirely from the picture. What Hawking seeks to do is to draw a fine line between God’s role in the creation of our universe — he’s pretty much an extra in that play — and in the purpose of the universe. Now he’s more of the protagonist, depending on what sort of play you’re into.
Hawking still believes that God plays a large part in the order of our universe, and that he is a key player in why and how our universe works, regardless of the fact that he may not be the catalyst of its creation.
But what would be the point of God or a god in our universe if he were not responsible for its creation? If that is the case, it just seems like a person could point to anyone and say, “Hey buddy, you don’t get any credit for the vast landscape in front of us, but guess what? You’re God!”
It all just seems like a big mess because in my opinion, God is the divine creator or he’s really nothing at all. The science of everything just makes so much sense that now I’m wondering if I should be upset at God for taking all the credit.
If God didn’t create the universe, then why does he get the authority to make all the rules? Why do we answer to him. How come he gets to be the confidant of our most intimate struggles? Why does he get to be the one who makes us feel like crap when we mess up, if he didn’t really do anything in the first place?
Anyway, now I’m just upset, confused and sweating. If this issue speaks to you as much as it does to me, you can pick up a copy of Hawking’s new book, in stores now.
Jessica Wood is a senior biology and philosophy double major and columnist for the Daily 49er.
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