Stephen Hawking had a simple response when he was asked whether he believed in God or not.
Hawking, one of the world's most renowned scientists, left a drastic impact on the world of theoretical physics and cosmology thanks to his extensive research into black holes.
He was later also responsible for the discovery of Hawking radiation - a theoretical thermal black-body radiation released outside a black hole's boundary.
Despite passing away in 2018 aged 76, his legacy lives on through his work.
With so much of his faith in science and technology, many wondered whether Hawking believed in God.
And he had a simple response to the question.
"So when people ask me if a God created the universe," he said during a voiceover on his show titled 'Curiosity: Did God Create the Universe?' "I tell them that the question itself makes no sense."
Why?
Well, according to the scientist, it's because "time did not exist before the big bang."
"So there is no time for God to make the universe in," he continued. "It's like asking for directions to the edge of the Earth. [But] The Earth is a sphere. It doesn't have an edge so looking for it is a futile exercise."
"We are all free to believe what we want and it's my view that that the simplest explanation is: There is no God," he stated. "No one created the universe, and no one directs our faith."
He also added that this "profound realization" is the fact that "there is probably no Heaven and no afterlife either."
"We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe and for that, I am grateful," he concluded.
Hawking also delved into the matter in a passage in his final book before his death, referencing his disability too.
Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease when he was only 21 years old.
Despite continuing with his work throughout this time, his ability to move and communicate deteriorated and he later became reliant on an advanced computer system to connect with people.
The system was able to pick up on his cheek movements, which allowed the scientist to type out what he wanted to say before the computer managed to generate an audio version of the text.
“For centuries, it was believed that disabled people like me were living under a curse that was inflicted by God. Well, I suppose it's possible that I've upset someone up there, but I prefer to think that everything can be explained another way, by the laws of nature," he wrote in 'Brief Answers to the Big Questions.'
“If you believe in science, like I do, you believe that there are certain laws that are always obeyed. If you like, you can say the laws are the work of God, but that is more a definition of God than a proof of his existence," he continued before adding: “I think belief in an afterlife is just wishful thinking. There is no reliable evidence for it, and it flies in the face of everything we know in science.”
Do you agree?
