Stephen Hawking says Heaven a "Fairy Story"

Q: So here we are. What should we do?

A: We should seek the greatest value of our action.

BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Does any educated person in the 21st century who has thought about it for more than five minutes seriously believe that it isn't a fairy story?

I certainly don't buy into the harps and angels business and the bible is just another book of stories, but there is a niggling thought that something of us survives beyond death...beyond that last spark...

Me too, mags. That's why I sometimes use Eeyore as an avatar. We are both very optimistic.

There is a thing called "gennetic memory" that we are only beginning to unrvel the significance of. Sans harps and other trppings, it seems to transcend mere shape and sizes of offspring. How much pf what we call genetic memory is carried from generation to generation?

yeah, something like that....something that carries on....genetic memory...going to check that out

Yeah, that does sound interesting.

BTW, in that Yahoo article, it says something like "Stephen Hawkings Surprising View of Death"

So....what's the surprise?

Can anyone name a person who would want to believe in a Heavenly afterlife more than this guy?

GOOD POINT!

I appreciate the point and the joke, but actually, the man depicted is far from the apex of human misery.

Also, to others above, I don't think believing in life after death is optimistic. Quite the opposite, and also self-delusional.

Thanks for posting, Eorl. Otherwise, all six of the most recent posts would have been mine. Would have made me feel kind of self conscious.

I agree. I've always thought that believing in some unknowable afterlife must raise all sorts of rather disturbing questions and be much less comforting than my own belief that my consciousness will simply not exist anymore.

I think the wishful thought that there might be something beyond death is the remains of an awful Catholic childhood, which left some big 'ol scars

I questioned String Theory when I first heard about it. I didn't make sense, so I looked up Stephen Hawking. When I did so, I bumped into his argument denying the existence of God. He based his argument on the Bible's interpretation of God. But it's faulty logic to conclude that we aren't spirits, that there isn't an afterlife, and that there is no God based on the literal interpretation of the Bible. That would be like saying that everything that your best girlfriend said is wrong because something that her husband said was wrong.

Welcome to A2K joyellen.

There are lots of other like minded people here who will enjoy your contributions on this topic and others.

All the best, I encourage you to free to post opinions, ask questions and instigate discussions.

Heaven is the Universe and all that it contains.

Believe God, not humans.