{"id":230,"date":"2011-05-24T16:00:35","date_gmt":"2011-05-24T20:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/catholicbychoice\/?p=230"},"modified":"2011-05-24T16:01:17","modified_gmt":"2011-05-24T20:01:17","slug":"forget-heaven-maybe-stephen-hawking-isn%e2%80%99t-real","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicbychoice\/2011\/05\/forget-heaven-maybe-stephen-hawking-isn%e2%80%99t-real.html","title":{"rendered":"Forget Heaven: Maybe Stephen Hawking Isn\u2019t Real"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

On Monday May 15, 2011, scientist\/cosmologist\/physicist Stephen Hawking gave an interview to Ian Sample, the science correspondent for the Guardian Newspaper of the United Kingdom. It was entitled Stephen Hawking: ‘There is no heaven; it’s a fairy story’.\u00a0There was nothing new contained in Hawkings\u2019 answers to the questions posed by Sample. That is why I was so shocked to see the number of articles generated by the comments.<\/p>\n

Hawking has one or several motor neurone diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Diagnosed at the age of 21, he was not expected to live this long. He is currently 69 years old and has had a life of many accomplishments, and much heartache. He has written several books wherein his choice to not believe in the existence of God is made clear. It does not change God\u2019s choice to believe in the existence of Stephen Hawking. In fact, if God failed to consider Stephen Hawking – to hold him in loving communion \u2013 Stephen Hawking would cease to exist. Thus the choice of my title for this piece, \u201cMaybe Stephen Hawkings isn\u2019t Real?\u201d<\/p>\n

He told the interviewer, “I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I’m not afraid of death, but I’m in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first\u2026 I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.” How sad. Clearly, this gifted man whose accomplishments have earned him so many accolades is viewed differently by his children.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the best indicator of the hollowness of heart behind Hawkings answer is found in this short exchange, \u201cSo here we are. What should we do?\u201d asked Sample. \u201cWe should seek the greatest value of our action\u2026 I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I’m not afraid of death, but I’m in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first. I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.\u201d\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It is precisely the search for value and meaning in our actions which has led countless millions to the exact opposite conclusion of Hawking. I am numbered among them. Belief in \u201cheaven\u201d is not about being afraid of the dark. It is the sure conviction that comes from living right now in a loving communion with the Lord. As my life unfolds, he is more real to me than I am to myself. In fact, I know that without Him I would not even be.<\/p>\n

When I read the numerous articles feigning surprise or expressing indignation at the atheist claims of Stephen Hawking, I felt only sadness. I thought of the great Western Church Bishop Hippo Augustine who also ran from the Lord for many years. A prayer contained within his Confessions offers these beautiful words to the Lord,<\/p>\n

\u201cLate have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would have not been at all.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Catholic Catechism affirms that science and faith are not at odds with these words, \u201cThough faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth.” “Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are.” (CCC #159)<\/p>\n

It addresses the search for value which Hawking mentions in these words \u201c Basic scientific research, as well as applied research, is a significant expression of man’s dominion over creation. Science and technology are precious resources when placed at the service of man and promote his integral development for the benefit of all. By themselves however they cannot disclose the meaning of existence and of human progress. Science and technology are ordered to man, from whom they take their origin and development; hence they find in the person and in his moral values both evidence of their purpose and awareness of their limits. (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2293)<\/p>\n

In the Pastoral Constitution on the Role of the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et spes) the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council made this claim, \u201c if methodical investigation within every branch of learning is carried out in a genuinely scientific manner and in accord with moral norms, it never truly conflicts with faith, for earthly matters and the concerns of faith derive from the same God. (6) Indeed whoever labors to penetrate the secrets of reality with a humble and steady mind, even though he is unaware of the fact, is nevertheless being led by the hand of God, who holds all things in existence, and gives them their identity. Consequently, we cannot but deplore certain habits of mind, which are sometimes found too among Christians, which do not sufficiently attend to the rightful independence of science and which, from the arguments and controversies they spark, lead many minds to conclude that faith and science are mutually opposed.\u201d (GS 36)<\/p>\n

The best reaction Christians can have to Stephen Hawking calling heaven a \u201cfairy tale\u201d is empathy. The best response we can make is prayer. Stephen Hawking is more than a computer. He is a person, created in the image and likeness of the One whose love for him keeps him in existence. The Blessed Pope John Paul II wrote a letter on the relationship between Faith and reason in 1998 which began with these words,\u00a0 \u201cFaith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth\u2014in a word, to know himself\u2014so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves (cf. Ex 33:18; Ps 27:8-9; 63:2-3; Jn 14:8; 1 Jn 3:2).\u201d<\/p>\n

I suggest that behind Stephen Hawkings denial of the existence of the God who fashioned him and gifted him so bountifully is an insatiable hunger for the source of all truth. Perhaps what is driving him to his continual repetitive denials of the existence of God is a malady even more disabling than the disease he has confronted with such heroic courage, a restless heart. Again, it was St. Augustine who offers the only remedy with which to satiate that hunger. These words with which he began the Confessions quoted above are the real answer, \u201cYou have made us for yourself Oh Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Monday May 15, 2011, scientist\/cosmologist\/physicist Stephen Hawking gave an interview to Ian Sample, the science correspondent for the Guardian Newspaper of the United Kingdom. It was entitled Stephen Hawking: ‘There is no heaven; it’s a fairy story’.\u00a0There was nothing new contained in Hawkings\u2019 answers to the questions posed by Sample. 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He is a widely recognized voice in the Catholic and broader Christian community. He is a member of the Clergy of the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia. In his fifteenth year of service as an ordained Catholic Deacon, he is currently assigned to St Stephen Martyr Parish in Chesapeake, Virginia. He is also authorized to serve the Liturgy of the Greek Byzantine Melkite Catholic Church. Deacon Fournier and his wife Laurine have been married for 34 years and have five grown children and six grandchildren. Deacon Fournier holds his Bachelors degree in theology and philosophy from the Franciscan University of Steubenville (BA), his Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Theology from the John Paul II Institute of the Lateran University (MTS), his Juris Doctor Law Degree Law (JD) from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and is a PhD candidate in Moral Theology at the Catholic University of America where he is currently writing his Doctoral Dissertation. Deacon Fournier also holds two honorary Doctorates, a Doctor of Laws (L.L.D. 1994,Honoris Causa) from St. Thomas University - Given for pro-life legal contributions, and a Doctor of Divinity Degree (D.D. 2005, Honoris Causa ) from the National Clergy Council and the Methodist Episcopal Church for his contributions to authentic ecumenical efforts toward Christian unity. Attorney Fournier is a constitutional lawyer who appeared as co-counsel in cases before the United States Supreme Court on Pro-Life, Religious Freedom and Pro-family issues. He served as the first Executive Director of the American Center for Law and Justice for seven years. He then served as a public policy activist for the causes of life, marriage and family issues for a number of years. He has extensive experience in nonprofit and for profit leadership. He has taught at the College level and served in Academic administration. He was a Dean of Students and the Dean of Evangelization at the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Steubenville, Ohio. Deacon Fournier is, above all, a communicator. His faith informs his passion to share the fullness of life which he has found in the heart of the Catholic Church. He has written eight books on matters of faith, family and the Christian life and is widely published in the broader Christian community on matters of life, faith, family, and cultural and social issues. He hosted two daily national radio programs, Purpose for Living, and Millennial Moment. He hosted several television series on Christian family and contemporary faith issues on EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network). He is actively involved in preaching and teaching in the Catholic Church and the broader Christian community. In addition to serving as the Editor in Chief of Catholic Online, Deacon Fournier is the John Paul II Fellow and special counsel for the National Pro-Life Center in Washington, D.C. and is the president of Third Millennium, LLC, a communications and consulting company. He views his role on Beliefnet as an opportunity to share his Catholic Christian faith in what he calls a new areopagus. The areopagus is referred to in the 17th Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the Christian New Testament. Also called Mars Hill it was there where the Apostle Paul shared the Christian faith with the early Greeks in their temple.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicbychoice\/author\/deaconfournier"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicbychoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicbychoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicbychoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicbychoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicbychoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicbychoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":235,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicbychoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230\/revisions\/235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicbychoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicbychoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicbychoice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}