Stephen Hawking under fire for dismissing Heaven as “a fairy tale”

Renowned scientist Stephen Hawking is suffering the brunt of severe criticism for dismissing the idea of Heaven as "a fairy story."

In an interview, the 69-year-old scientist recently compared human brain to a computer and said, “There is no heaven or afterlife for broken-down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.”

Stephen Green, director of Religious group Christian Voice, condemned Hawking’s views, saying comparing human brain to a computer shows that the scientist is able to consider things in a materialist way only. He stressed that people who have belief in the afterlife do not do so because they are afraid of death.

Green added that belief in God drive out the fear of the dark. He expressed surprise why Hawking failed to comprehend the spiritual dimension.

It is not the first time that Hawking has made religious groups angry. Only last year, he caused a revolt with his book entitled “Grand Design” which dismisses God. The book states that the Universe was not created by God. It creates itself spontaneously.

Hawking is nearly totally paralyzed and bound to wheelchair due to motor neurone disease that was diagnosed when he was 21.

BEYOND: FIRE OF HEAVEN

BEYOND is an opportunity for people to explore spirituality through a variety of creative approaches. The aims of BEYOND are: • To help people to a deeper understanding of spirituality through the arts and other creative activities. • To explore non-traditional ways of being Christian. • To be a resource for church people who wish to further explore their relationship with God. The first event in our Elements series this summer was FIRE, which took place on 22nd May down on the seafront near Hove Lagoon. Billed as the relighting of Hove's beacon for the first time since 1988, alternative plans unfortunately had to be made due to the strong winds. Setting fire to the beacon proved near impossible, so red and orange ribbons were attached instead, making for a striking scene as the vibrant colours were blown vigorously and noisily above our heads. They remain in place even now, and look impressive from the roadside. Holy Space was marked out below the beacon with white tape, an area where visitors were invited to enter without their shoes. A burning bush had been created at the centre, ablaze with red and yellow cellophane. Visitors could contribute to this installation with more leaves/flames, having written on them one thing from the past they'd wish to set fire to, along with one thing they would like to be on fire for. There are multiple Biblical examples with references to God and Fire, so various quotes were handed out along with pictures to aid contemplation. There are numerous preconceptions that we tend to hold on to regarding Heaven and Hell, so this was a wonderful opportunity in a unique setting to really grapple with these ideas and why we may/may not believe such things. In one from Brighton based Pyro-performers, Circus Seen. Visitors were dazzled with some of the dangerous moves of these fire dancers, while the flames did well to hold their own against the windy conditions. Everyone was given a lighter as they left, to remind them perhaps of what they'd decided to set fire to, what they hoped to be more on fire for, or simply just as a reminder of some of the challenging conversation that took place. It was helpful to be in a relaxed environment, enjoying food and performance, whilst wrestling with some of our ideas of Heaven and Hell, where these ideas came from, and the notion that maybe, just maybe, those ideas aren't necessarily true.

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