“And we bring you good tidings of the promise made unto the fathers…” (Acts 13:32)

Vol. XXVIII March 18, 2018 No. 11

The Mind Of God (Jerry Fite)

e heard this week of the would know, if there were a to the people in England is the death of Stephen God…” then he added, “which fuse of the firecracker. If not Hawkin g. Mr. Hawk- there isn’t, I’m an atheist.” God, who lit the fuse? Wing, a renown theoreti- cal physicist and cosmologist, No understanding of the Steven Hawking replaced died Wednesday morning in his existence of the universe is com- God with “science.” He observed home in Cambridge, England. He plete without knowing how the that “God is the name people give was 76 years old. The fact he universe came into existence. Mr. to the reason we are here. But I lived into his 70’s is remarkable Hawking believed space, matter think that reason is the laws of in that at the early age of 21, he and time were essential elements physics rather than someone with was diagnosed with ALS, the neu- for the existence of the universe. whom one can have a personal re- romuscular wasting disease. In The Bible reveals in the first verse lationship.” His impersonal his last years, he was only able to that space, matter and time came “God” was the collective laws of twitch his right cheek muscle in into being at the same time. “In physics. The problem with this order to activate a digitized pro- the beginning, God created the reasoning, is that laws are observ- gram of letters and words with heavens and the earth” (Genesis able after something begins, not which he could communicate his 1:1). “In the beginning” – (time) “the force” bringing the universe thoughts. “the heavens” (space) and “the into existence. The belief in the earth” (matter) came into exist- creative force of the eternal om- Stephen Hawking was ence when “God” (the source) nipotent God does not contradict driven to discover the complete “created” (the force) the universe. the laws observable after the be- theory of the universe. He wanted Mr. Hawking affirmed the neces- ginning of the universe. The real- all to be able to know why we and sity for space, matter and time. ity of God fills in the important the universe exist. In his 1988 He believed the universe had a be- gap of the “first cause” that ob- best-selling book “A Brief History ginning. He also believed the servable laws of physics cannot of Time,” Stephen Hawking “big bang” was the singular event fill. writes, “…if we find the answer to for the universe’s beginning. But The New York Times hon- that, it would be the ultimate tri- He refused to acknowledge God ored Mr. Hawking with, “His umph of human reasoning – for as the reason for its existence. Mind Roamed the Cosmos.” But then we would know the mind of sadly, this brilliant mind had no God.” In Hawking’s mind, “God” room for God, the Creator, nor the was not needed to explain the rea- hope of heaven in the afterlife. He Stephen Hawking did not son for the existence of the uni- lived life roaming the cosmos in believe in the existence of God. verse. In terms of an Englishman, his mind, but he entered the after- He used the word “God” in a fig- Hawking opined, “It is not neces- life without excuse for not per- urative sense. What he meant by sary to invoke God to light the ceiving the power and wisdom of “know the mind of God” is, “we blue touch paper and set the uni- God behind the existing universe would know everything that God verse going.” “Blue touch paper” (cf. Romans 1:20, Psalm 19:1).