Is cosmology ‘religion for intelligent atheists’?
In the film The Theory of Everything, Stephen Hawking introduces himself to his wife-to-be, Jane, as a cosmologist. When she asks what that is, he replies, ‘It’s a kind of religion for intelligent atheists.’
William Lane Craig, the analytic philosopher and theologian, says, ‘That remark is both provocative and revealing!’
In a recent lecture, ‘Cosmology: a religion for atheists?’ Craig examines this claim, looking at the dialogue from the movie and Professor Hawking’s own publications. Does a beginning to the universe entail a creator? Does Hawking’s latest ‘no boundary’ Big Bang model disprove it? What hope is there, in a universe without God, according to the science of physical eschatology? And is philosophy dead, as Stephen Hawking claims?
The complete lecture is coming soon to YouTube, but see the trailer above for the overall lines of debate.
Dr William Lane Craig’s Kalam Cosmological Argument is the most widely discussed argument for the existence of God in contemporary western philosophy. He is Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology and Houston Baptist University. He has written over 40 books, including Reasonable Faith. He is best known online for his lectures and debates with leading atheists and sceptics. For more information, visit the Reasonable Faith website
Clips from The Theory of Everything used in this trailer have been authorized for use on YouTube and online as part of the film’s publicity window (such as clips from The Theory of Everything trailer and brief scenes already circulated on YouTube, all available and acquired through EPK.tv, and confirmed as usable through correspondence with NBCUniversal). The publicity window lasts throughout 2015. This project is educational and non-commercial.
