He was a trailblazing theoretical physicist whose perceptive views on God and the afterlife enthralled many. In several speeches and writings, he addressed the possibility of an afterlife and the existence of a greater force.
When asked if he thought that God existed, Hawking gave a clear answer. He believed that there was no evidence of a higher power and that the universe could be explained by scientific principles.
The Spanish daily El Mundo quoted him as saying, “Before we understand science, it is natural to believe that God created the universe.” But science now offers a more robust answer.
Hawking did not have a monotheistic religious outlook. His assertion that the fundamental principles of all religions were the same was unsupported by any empirical data. He rejects the existence of God.
Hawking expanded on his beliefs regarding the origins of the universe in the book “The Grand Design,” which he co-authored with Leonard Mlodinow. He insisted that physical laws, not a spiritual creator, created the cosmos.
“The universe can and will create itself from nothing because there is a law like gravity,” he said in a piece. “The universe exists and we exist because of spontaneous creation; there is something rather than nothing.”
Hawking’s views on the afterlife were also supported by scientific evidence. For him, the notion of a hereafter was pure imagination. In “Brief Answers to the Big Questions,” his most recent book, he expressed this opinion.
“The universe and our fate were not created by anyone.” I come to the shocking conclusion that heaven and the afterlife are most likely nonexistent as a result. I think it’s wishful thinking to believe in a hereafter. There is no reliable proof, and it contradicts all we know about science.
However, Hawking doesn’t ignore other people’s viewpoints to support his own. He told me, “I think the simplest explanation is that there is no God, but we are all free to believe whatever we want.”
Stephen Hawking’s work as a mathematician and his quest for a physical logic-based understanding of the universe influenced his views on God and religion. Despite his differing opinions, science will recognize and appreciate his achievements for many years to come.
