STEPHEN HAWKING SAYS THERE IS NO GOD

A CRISP FALL MORNING, THE WATERS  SPARKLING IN THE SUN

THE MILKY WAY GALAXY...

...AND THE INFINITE UNIVERSE BEYOND

Sunday, 8:45 AM after setting the clock back, and  38 degrees F after a frosty night.  The wind is SW, with moderate gusts.  The sky is mostly clear except for some clouds on the eastern horizon.  The humidity is 67%, as the barometer continues to plummet.
   Well, I guess that settles it: there is no God.  After all, if Stephen Hawking, world famous British astro-phsicist and cosmologist says so, it must be true.  He is justifiably purported to be among the most intelligent of all contemporary human beings. He has been compared to Plato, Newton, and Einstein.  And, he has pondered the question of the existence of a Supreme Being for much of his illustrious career.  Very condensed, his current argument is thus: the Big Bang theory is correct; the universe was spontaneously generated from absolutely nothing billions of years ago, and if it came from nothing, God was not necessary to its creation.  And, if God is not necessary, then it is reasonable to assume that God does not exist.
   Now, pardon me if I missed something in the translation, but I think not.  Like all good theories, in essence it is very simple and straightforward, if its basic tenet is indeed true.  Not being an astrophysicist and probably not having half the intellect of Professor Hawking,  I will not debate his premises.  But I can show him that God does indeed exist, and where to find Him.
   You see, Stephen Hawking, for all his vaunted achievements, can't even tie his own shoelaces.  Can't for that matter feed himself,  take care of any of his own bodily functions,  or even communicate without the aid of electronic devises.  Confined to a wheelchair,  Professor Hawking has a form of ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease, and would not be able to exist for even a day without constant, dedicated care by family and professional medical personnel.  Stephen Hawking contracted that terrible disease at the age of 21, so has existed for a half century through the loving care of family and staff.  Love can be given, or withheld, through the free will of human beings. It cannot be demanded.  It cannot be purchased. Could Stephen Hawking exist without that love?  Survive for a short while, hours perhaps, but live, and reach the height of his profession amid worldwide acclaim, without love?  Not a chance.
   Professor Hawking, and all of us, need look no further to see the face of God and affirm His existance than in the eyes of those who love and nourish us.  The Gospel of John tells us, if we will but listen, that God exists, and what he is: "God is love."
                                                    
                                             Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.