Stephen Hawking passed away today at the age of 76. I share this 2007 post to remember him.
I'm taking a few moments this morning, the day after Stephen's weightless ride, to share a few of his quotes:
It was amazing, I could have gone on and on. (about his weightless experience)Stephen has suffered for many many years from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease). This flight was the first time in 40 years that Stephen moved freely beyond his wheelchair.
God not only plays dice, He also sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen.
I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.
Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.
The whole history of science has been the gradual realization that events do not happen in an arbitrary manner, but that they reflect a certain underlying order, which may or may not be divinely inspired.
To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.
When one's expectations are reduced to zero, one really appreciates everything one does have.
It matters if you just don't give up.
He looks really happy :)
ReplyDeletethis was so cool!!
ReplyDeleteLou Gehrig's disease is so hard it's a cool thing to see someone get to enjoy this. My aunt is now able to move freely from this disease with God.
ReplyDeleteI bet he is no longer an atheist!
ReplyDeleteI was sad to hear about his passing :(
ReplyDeleteSome final thoughts about Hawking. He once said:
ReplyDelete"No one created the universe and no one directs our fate."
The sentence is so revealing. I can really understand why someone who suffered so long with ALS could not envision an entity who directed his fate.
The sentiment also uncovers how unimaginative his view of God was. Many seem to embrace a similar view that sees God as the manipulator of atoms and an entity that stands by as folks suffer for years.
I am not one of those folks. I think that divine sovereignty is different than most think. Here is how I think God interacts with the world.
1) Firstly, he acts through creation. Natural laws of physics constrain much of what we do. Delegated sovereignty to humans also impact creation. The effects of Adam's sovereign actions (and humans since him) affect us still.
2) Secondly, history has proven that he also directly intervenes in the affairs of men. Miracles sometimes, albeit rarely, happen.
The existence of one form of sovereignty does not negate the other. In the end, God is more about influencing us and not controlling us.