Comments on: Stephen Hawking on the existence of God https://habitablezone.com/2011/08/09/stephen-hawking-on-the-existence-of-god/ Mon, 06 Apr 2026 09:05:36 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Eri https://habitablezone.com/2011/08/09/stephen-hawking-on-the-existence-of-god/#comment-4929 Eri Thu, 18 Aug 2011 18:41:44 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=3014#comment-4929 Learning not to judge others is one of the hardest things I've had to learn and it keeps coming at us repeatedly until we learn it well and thoroughly. Judging ourselves is almost as bad. We have to try to live according to the principles that Christ set out for us as well as we can. We all fail and must learn to forgive ourselves. Forgive = Give Over. We give it over to God and let Him/Her carry the burden for us. (This post will mean nothing to those of us here who are agnostics or atheists.) That was a magnificent dream, Johannes, very special that it was given to you in such a clear manner. Something wonderful to pass on, to teach others who are open to it. Learning not to judge others is one of the hardest things I’ve had to learn and it keeps coming at us repeatedly until we learn it well and thoroughly. Judging ourselves is almost as bad. We have to try to live according to the principles that Christ set out for us as well as we can. We all fail and must learn to forgive ourselves. Forgive = Give Over. We give it over to God and let Him/Her carry the burden for us.

(This post will mean nothing to those of us here who are agnostics or atheists.)

That was a magnificent dream, Johannes, very special that it was given to you in such a clear manner. Something wonderful to pass on, to teach others who are open to it.

]]> By: johannes https://habitablezone.com/2011/08/09/stephen-hawking-on-the-existence-of-god/#comment-4873 johannes Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:23:54 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=3014#comment-4873 Even with such a poignant philosophy given to me at a very early age, I still have a tendency to judge other people and condemn their actions based on my understanding of the right way to behave. Perhaps the right philosophy is not to judge or condemn, but to communicate, question, instruct, and teach if possible. Even with such a poignant philosophy given to me at a very early age, I still have a tendency to judge other people and condemn their actions based on my understanding of the right way to behave.
Perhaps the right philosophy is not to judge or condemn, but to communicate, question, instruct, and teach if possible.

]]> By: Jody https://habitablezone.com/2011/08/09/stephen-hawking-on-the-existence-of-god/#comment-4871 Jody Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:35:19 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=3014#comment-4871 Wow Johannes...I don't know how to respond to that but how extremely thought provoking! Thank you for sharing. Wow Johannes…I don’t know how to respond to that but how extremely thought provoking! Thank you for sharing.

]]> By: johannes https://habitablezone.com/2011/08/09/stephen-hawking-on-the-existence-of-god/#comment-4870 johannes Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:27:44 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=3014#comment-4870 Your reply to Jody reminded me of a dream I had when I was a very young child. In the dream I had a long robe on and was a sitting behind a large desk. I was asked to judge the faith of a person that was brought before me and was shown all the things that the person had done. I considered all the bad things that the person had done and quite arrogantly gave him a very severe sentence. I was asked if the sentence was fair, without much consideration I answered, yes. At that very instant I found myself on the other side of the big desk and two escorts started walking me away, it slowly dawned on me that I had judged and sentenced myself, I started to wonder if the judgement was too harsh. Hmm.. can’t recall how old I was at the time of the dream, perhaps it was not a dream and I’m serving the sentence right now. :-) Your reply to Jody reminded me of a dream I had when I was a very young child. In the dream I had a long robe on and was a sitting behind a large desk. I was asked to judge the faith of a person that was brought before me and was shown all the things that the person had done. I considered all the bad things that the person had done and quite arrogantly gave him a very severe sentence. I was asked if the sentence was fair, without much consideration I answered, yes. At that very instant I found myself on the other side of the big desk and two escorts started walking me away, it slowly dawned on me that I had judged and sentenced myself, I started to wonder if the judgement was too harsh.

Hmm.. can’t recall how old I was at the time of the dream, perhaps it was not a dream and I’m serving the sentence right now. :-)

]]> By: Eri https://habitablezone.com/2011/08/09/stephen-hawking-on-the-existence-of-god/#comment-4852 Eri Sat, 13 Aug 2011 17:30:20 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=3014#comment-4852 :-) I don't think there is any such thing as THE path. They all lead to the same place. That's the problem with religiosos. They think their path is the only one. And their denomination of is the only right one. Yeesh. Now, THAT is arrogance. :-)

I don’t think there is any such thing as THE path. They all lead to the same place. That’s the problem with religiosos. They think their path is the only one. And their denomination of is the only right one. Yeesh. Now, THAT is arrogance.

]]> By: Jody https://habitablezone.com/2011/08/09/stephen-hawking-on-the-existence-of-god/#comment-4848 Jody Sat, 13 Aug 2011 15:04:15 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=3014#comment-4848 I chose a very poor selection of words in my post. It does not reflect how I really feel. I just as soon trash the post. I do not like it. I am a die hard *whatever floats your boat * person. On this particular day I was feeling the spirit of the Universe..and I was in complete control of my path for a mere moment in time. Instead of praising the virtues of knowledge, I swept it all into my corner of understanding. I am guilty of arrogance. I have found a path...not the path. In my own way. I chose a very poor selection of words in my post. It does not reflect how I really feel.
I just as soon trash the post. I do not like it.

I am a die hard *whatever floats your boat * person. On this particular day I was feeling the spirit of the Universe..and I was in complete control of my path for a mere moment in time. Instead of praising the virtues of knowledge, I swept it all into my corner of understanding. I am guilty of arrogance.

I have found a path…not the path. In my own way.

]]> By: Eri https://habitablezone.com/2011/08/09/stephen-hawking-on-the-existence-of-god/#comment-4847 Eri Sat, 13 Aug 2011 06:55:04 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=3014#comment-4847 Something was bothering me about this and it is that you are trying to tell other people how to handle their path. Yours is yours, mine is mine and other people have their own. Be careful about judging other people's paths or how they walk them. That is one of the hardest lessons to learn and is never totally mastered (well, unless you are a Master and there are few of those). Something was bothering me about this and it is that you are trying to tell other people how to handle their path. Yours is yours, mine is mine and other people have their own. Be careful about judging other people’s paths or how they walk them. That is one of the hardest lessons to learn and is never totally mastered (well, unless you are a Master and there are few of those).

]]> By: Eri https://habitablezone.com/2011/08/09/stephen-hawking-on-the-existence-of-god/#comment-4832 Eri Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:11:10 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=3014#comment-4832 It means that God just exists regardless of what we think of God or God's nature. We cannot determine what God is and any limitations or excess of power that we associate with God do not mean God has that nature. We cannot change what God is, we can only change our perception of God. What we perceive may or may not be real. Our perceptions only change US, but never God. I do not perceive God as a little old man up in heaven. I perceive God as being a composite of everything that is, ever has been and ever will be. There is an intelligence in the Universe. However, my perception of that does not mean it is true. It is only MY perception. Truth lies inside each of us. Those of you who perceive there is no God, for you there is none which is sad to me because you have nothing for faith to rely on. Sometimes that is the only thing that keeps me going, knowing that God is there, loving me unconditionally. There are times I pull on that love and feel surrounded by it. It means that God just exists regardless of what we think of God or God’s nature. We cannot determine what God is and any limitations or excess of power that we associate with God do not mean God has that nature. We cannot change what God is, we can only change our perception of God. What we perceive may or may not be real. Our perceptions only change US, but never God.

I do not perceive God as a little old man up in heaven. I perceive God as being a composite of everything that is, ever has been and ever will be. There is an intelligence in the Universe. However, my perception of that does not mean it is true. It is only MY perception.

Truth lies inside each of us. Those of you who perceive there is no God, for you there is none which is sad to me because you have nothing for faith to rely on. Sometimes that is the only thing that keeps me going, knowing that God is there, loving me unconditionally. There are times I pull on that love and feel surrounded by it.

]]> By: VelociraptorBlade https://habitablezone.com/2011/08/09/stephen-hawking-on-the-existence-of-god/#comment-4828 VelociraptorBlade Fri, 12 Aug 2011 05:24:36 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=3014#comment-4828 Please explain. I've yet to see how this works. Please explain. I’ve yet to see how this works.

]]> By: Lee https://habitablezone.com/2011/08/09/stephen-hawking-on-the-existence-of-god/#comment-4790 Lee Thu, 11 Aug 2011 02:31:09 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=3014#comment-4790 I like how Lovecraft put it. <blockquote>The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age. H.P. Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"</blockquote> I like how Lovecraft put it.

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age. H.P. Lovecraft, “The Call of Cthulhu”

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