does god exist? an answer

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  • 7/27/2019 Does God Exist? An answer...

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    Does God Exist?

    19 September 2010 at 11:39

    Renowned English Physicist Stephen Hawking has been in the news lately for he published abook in which he explains his opinion (a very educated and well-considered opinion) thatScience has now advanced to the point where God is not necessary to explain the Origins of theUniverse... This opinion has be reported and opined about in turn such that one might not know

    exactly what Dr. Hawking actually said; It would be a good thing to go to direct quotes so as notto misunderstand him and what he's saying... As I cannot afford a copy of his book right now andthere are 59 people ahead of me on the Library waiting list, I must content myself with the fewdirect quotations that are included in reviews and articles. Here is a key passage:

    In his latest book, The Grand Design, an extract of which is published in Eureka magazine in TheTimes, Hawking said: Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will createitself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing,why the Universe exists, why we exist.

    He added: It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the Universe

    going.

    I have also heard an interview where he says essentially the same thing via his voice synthesizerand so I'm pretty sure that this does in fact represent his position.

    The interviewer I heard questioned him as to whether or not this means that Science hasdisproved the existence of God, and Hawking said that no, that's NOT what he means by this...

    OK... This just goes to show that that age old question, "Does God exist?" is still around and is ofinterest to folk. Of course, as a Theologian by training, calling and profession, it is a question ofgreat import to me... So, this morning I was thrilled when I found a print out of an answer to that

    question that I'd formulated at the height of my graduate studies at Boston Universities Division ofReligious and Theological Studies, but which I'd typed into a bulletin board on AOL and thoughtwas long lost to me... And so I will now type it in here and share it with you, hoping that you mayenjoy it as much as I have enjoyed re-acquainting myself with my own thought on this vital anddeadly serious matter. Enjoy!

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    Does God Exist?

    America On Line | AOL Religion & Theology Community Boards

    Subj: God & Our Religious Imagination

    Date: 96-04-03 20:14:43 EDT

    From: JNelson659

    Of course God exists.

    If God didn't exist in SOME manner we couldn't even be asking/answering this question.

    Of course the real interesting question is whether or not God exists as anything other than afigment of our religious imagination. Not that existing as a figment of our imagination isn't goodenough, but if there actually is an entity who corresponds in some manner to the concept of God,well, then we are in for a very interesting time aren't we?

    For me and my understanding, God is an individual being, greater than which cannot be

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    conceived. Therefore, if you tel me who/what God is and I can imagine something even betterthan what you've described, I cannot honestly accept your conception of God. You haven't founda piece of the "God Puzzle" then, in my not so humble opinion.

    I have yet to meet anyone who I believe actually has a real live God on their hands. Yes, I've metmany folk who believe in God, who talk to God, even some who say that God talks to them... ButI've never met anyone who as far as I can tell, talks with (WITH not to...) God and for whom Godmakes a difference in their lives that I can't manage to make in my life on my own. Because of

    this, as much as I'd like to have a personal relationship with God, to believe, have faith and all ofthe wonderful things I'm told would be the case if I were to have such a relationship with a reallive God, I am an agnostic. Not a hard, high agnosticism sort of agnostic (I wouldn't want to insistthat it is impossible to get to know God), but a sort of soft, low agnosticism (I suggest that we don'thave enough conclusive data to decide that such a being does or does not actually exist) for me.

    I do think however, that if God is merely a figment of our religious imagination, something shouldbe done about that to improve the situation; and I'm looking into it.

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    I got one appreciative response to my posting on the Message Board... They were giggling (asthey caught the wry humor in which I'd written) but understood what I was saying and found it"Well done."

    Looking back on it all these years, I too find it "Well done"... There are many hours of listening,reading, thinking, contemplating and experience that went into that answer and statement. Itremains strong and true to my experience; I stand by it - and would use it to begin teaching myunderstanding of Theology... I am still aware and intrigued by the "loose ends" involved in thissubject, and I'm pleased that there are deeper layers to my piece that allow for further thoughtand exploration of what I now call "Divinics"...a slightly broader area of study than mere"Theology"... Someday I hope that I can write my own book about "Gods, Goddesses and Other

    Divinities" in order to share what I've found and figured about the "God Puzzle."