Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: cjh@petsd.ccur.com Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: A Brief History of Time Message-ID: Date: 19 Dec 89 07:43:37 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Concurrent Computer Corporation, Tinton Falls, N.J. Lines: 20 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Somebody from San Antonio asked whether _A Brief History of Time_ was explicitly religious, in particular, whether it defended creationism. I read the book with some enjoyment, as a tour-de-force of explaining difficult ideas in modern physics without any equations at all. It never explicitly deals with religious matters. However, I got the impression that Hawking was laying the groundwork for a non-theistic view of the cosmos, as something which is self-sufficient and has no need of being created. His argument actually got rather technical (still without equations!); and I would take exception to it for technical reasons. I don't go into these because: (a) they are abstruse; (b) he is, after all, *Stephen Hawking*, and I am only me; (c) I am not sure I really know, from this book, what his model is; (d) I don't think that the physical issues control the theological issues. Peace, Chris (201)758-7288 106 Apple Street, Tinton Falls,N.J. 07724