LONDON (Reuters) – God did not create the universe and the "Big Bang" was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics, the eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking argues in a new book.

In "The Grand Design," co-authored with U.S. physicist Leonard Mlodinow, Hawking says a new series of theories made a creator of the universe redundant, according to the Times newspaper which published extracts on Thursday.

"Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist," Hawking writes.

"It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going."

Hawking, 68, who won global recognition with his 1988 book "A Brief History of Time," an account of the origins of the universe, is renowned for his work on black holes, cosmology and quantum gravity.

Since 1974, the scientist has worked on marrying the two cornerstones of modern physics -- Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which concerns gravity and large-scale phenomena, and quantum theory, which covers subatomic particles.

His latest comments suggest he has broken away from previous views he has expressed on religion. Previously, he wrote that the laws of physics meant it was simply not necessary to believe that God had intervened in the Big Bang.

He wrote in A Brief History , "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason -- for then we should know the mind of God."

In his latest book, he said the 1992 discovery of a planet orbiting another star other than the Sun helped deconstruct the view of the father of physics Isaac Newton that the universe could not have arisen out of chaos but was created by God.

"That makes the coincidences of our planetary conditions -- the single Sun, the lucky combination of Earth-Sun distance and solar mass, far less remarkable, and far less compelling evidence that the Earth was carefully designed just to please us human beings," he writes.

Hawking, who is only able to speak through a computer-generated voice synthesizer, has a neuro muscular dystrophy that has progressed over the years and left him almost completely paralyzed.

He began suffering the disease in his early 20s but went on to establish himself as one of the world's leading scientific authorities, and has also made guest appearances in "Star Trek" and the cartoons "Futurama" and "The Simpsons."

Last year he announced he was stepping down as Cambridge University's Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, a position once held by Newton and one he had held since 1979.

"The Grand Design" is due to go on sale next week.

(Editing by Steve Addison)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100902/lf_nm_life/us_britain_hawking

Favormi:

Its like dis man is mad. 4 sm1 2 say God did nt mk d universe or did nt exist. It is total Madness. He beta go 2 a psychiatric

Olamide Sowole:

God created all.

Tunmi:

The responses are simply funny. Hawkins is an established man, even with his disease. These are his works. You do not have to believe them. But insulting the man, come on. Really? He's a theoretical physicist, emphasis on theory.

People once used to believe the world was flat.
People once used to believe that people of color were inferior.

It is alright to believe what you want, just do not go forcing people to accept your beliefs. Hawkins is not. I actually like the guy. He has defied all odds, overcoming neuro muscular dystrophy to become an accomplished and featured scientist.

efisher:

Yeah we really dont have to insult him. There is no use.

On the other hand, the fact that he seems established doesn't make him right. There are millions of people more established than him. In this case he is completely wrong. Man has created so many things out of DELIBERATE DESIGN and nothing meaningful out of DESTRUCTION. How much more God. Before you support the man, just take a look at yourself and ask this question: AM I AN ACCIDENT? Let your heart guide you. These things are not hard to see.