What do you think of Stephen Hawkins theory?

First let me stress that science cannot give final answers in principle. (Hawking accepts this too, of course.) Nor can theology even if it tries.

Modern cosmology, Hawking included, show that we MIGHT explain the big bang, and NO explanation whatsover need a god for kick it off.

However, there is no uncontroversial explanation yet. There are many competing ones. Hawking's own is very lucid, but far from proven.

> Is where did the very first gases come from that started everything off???

There are models for explaining the origin of matter. E.g. inflationary theory. It states that matter is the result of the decay of a energy field (called inflaton) which caused the first rapid expansion of space. However, this is not certain yet!

> Where did the gravity kick in?

It was a product of a decaying superforce, so the story goes. But, yes, you can ask further questions.

It is even not clear whether the big bang was the beginning of everything or just a transition from an earlier state (or a collapsing universe) or something else.

I happen to think he's wrong on this one. Maybe there's no 'Intelligent Design', but nobody can explain why there is something rather than nothing, which to me is The Mother fo All Mysteries. Assuming the existence of ANYTHING, be it gravity or any law of physics, is a mistake because we already would have something. Even mathematics itself, which I personally consider the 'prime matter' of the universe, cannot be assumed to simply exist.

I think human intellect is insufficient to explain this mystery.

Either way, whether space spontaneously formed (Big Bang, or Creation), or whether it has always existed (Steady State), all theories raise more questions than answers. The fact that anything exists at all is mind-boggling, and the idea of a Great Intelligent Designer (eg, God) is just as believable, sensible, and logical as a universe creating itself or having always existed.

I have disagreed with a lot of what Hawking has said, and I never really thought his contributions to science warranted his popularity (ie he is overrated). On the premise that the universe does in fact exist, it had to have come from somewhere, but if so then where did the universe's parent come from? And its grandparent?

Having given the question considerable thought, and eventually given up hope of arriving at a sensible conclusion, I submit to you that it is turtles all the way down.

300 years ago you would have said the exact same things about lightning. We had no concept of electrons, it all made no sense. Now we do.

We only figured out the big bang 80 years ago, after observing the skies for 5,000 years. Can we have a little more time to find the origin of all things?

Just because you are very very smart doesn't mean that you can't be very very ignorant.

"Ignorant" means "seeing the truth, but choosing not to believe it"

In 1982 there was a song by Thomas Dolby called "She blinded me with Science". Wikipedia says:

"The song's chorus, "She blinded me with science", plays upon the colloquial British expression "to blind [someone] with science", meaning to deliberately confuse someone by giving the impression of highly complex knowledge."

That is what many scientists do today -- they try to make people "blind" to the truth by spouting "pseudo-science", and the result are thing like global warming, disaster in 2012, and statements like that from Stephen Hawkings.

Where did that gravity come from? where did that very first molecule (atom) which caused the largest explosion in the history of the Universe to bring everything into existence come from? Yes i think there is a God, something this beautiful, unique or any other way that you wish to put it was not just put here because of chance it just does not happen.

I believe in 99% of Steven Hawking's theories although this is not one of them, the fact is one just needs to have faith and know what the truth is when he/she sees the white gaits.

note: i am not a jesus freak or very religious, i just simply believe that there is so much to the universe and creation of everything as we no it than meets the eye.

@British guy. Thanks for that link. The list of cranks who signed thing, and their assorted nutty web sites make for hilarious reading. It'll keep me entertained for some time.

where did the very first gases come from that started everything off??? Where did the gravity kick in?? Where did the original ingredients come from??

They have always existed, no other opinion makes any scientific sense. To say that everything was suddenly created out of nothing is against the Law of Conservation of Mass and also against common sense. 100s of scientists and academics wrote a letter to the New Scientist recently refuting the "Big Bang" see below. If Hawking is a big banger he is wrong, I have always suspected he is a mathematician only and not a physicist. The Universe did not "create itself " it did not need to be created.

Particle accelerators are helping scientists work that part out.

not to discount or disagree with hawking but you have to realize that he makes money from his books.....i think he knows theres more to it then what he has claimed but for the sake of having a book that can become popular very quickly, he went with a more simple version instead of writing things that no one could understand and many people would disagree with....thats just my opinion though