War of Words Over Hawkings Claim
A senior Church Official has rejected a claim by atheist Stephen Hawkings that heaven is made up.
"Heaven is not just some kind of place for retired Christians" said Archbishop of York, Dr. John Sentamu, following publication of the Hawking theory.
"Heaven is where God's will is being done. In fact the Lord's Prayer talks about 'your will be done on earth as it is in heaven'. "So God is very much on earth as he is in heaven".
The Archbishop was responding to an interview with Professor Hawkings carried by the 'Guardian' in which he said "I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."
Speaking to the B.B.C's.Toby Foster, the Archbishop said: Hawking shouldn't paint a picture of some kind of sky stuff up there because the faith of God is not that kind of faith.
"The coming of Jesus in human flesh on earth was actually trying to say, 'When I look at you, you should be telling me more about what God is and about what it is to be human."
Dr. Sentamu told the B.B.C. that he would tell "that wonderful professor" not to portray a picture of heaven which most people do not have. Observing that Christianity had to contend not only with views from people like Hawking, but also other religeons as well. The B.B.C. asked what the challenge was for believers.
"The challenge is not to try and think that we're all in the market place where we're all looking for an easy bargain," Dr, Sentamu said.
CARING
"God becoming human in Christ was trying to say if you want to know the authentic human life, it is lived in a man called Jesus, and if you want to know God, it is not some kind of imaginary power out there."
"God actually takes upon himself our own nature that we would become more loving, more caring and Christlike. If we do God's will of loving and caring, supporting and rejoicing in the fact that human beings are made in God's image and likeness, I think that's a great thing to be done."
"So living with people with other faiths, I'm not so much pushing my idea to them, I'm more called to be loving and caring.
"It does not mean I should'nt tell them about God, by the way, I myself completely believe in the reality of the God that I've seen in the face of Jesus Christ."
A senior Church Official has rejected a claim by atheist Stephen Hawkings that heaven is made up.
"Heaven is not just some kind of place for retired Christians" said Archbishop of York, Dr. John Sentamu, following publication of the Hawking theory.
"Heaven is where God's will is being done. In fact the Lord's Prayer talks about 'your will be done on earth as it is in heaven'. "So God is very much on earth as he is in heaven".
The Archbishop was responding to an interview with Professor Hawkings carried by the 'Guardian' in which he said "I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."
Speaking to the B.B.C's.Toby Foster, the Archbishop said: Hawking shouldn't paint a picture of some kind of sky stuff up there because the faith of God is not that kind of faith.
"The coming of Jesus in human flesh on earth was actually trying to say, 'When I look at you, you should be telling me more about what God is and about what it is to be human."
Dr. Sentamu told the B.B.C. that he would tell "that wonderful professor" not to portray a picture of heaven which most people do not have. Observing that Christianity had to contend not only with views from people like Hawking, but also other religeons as well. The B.B.C. asked what the challenge was for believers.
"The challenge is not to try and think that we're all in the market place where we're all looking for an easy bargain," Dr, Sentamu said.
CARING
"God becoming human in Christ was trying to say if you want to know the authentic human life, it is lived in a man called Jesus, and if you want to know God, it is not some kind of imaginary power out there."
"God actually takes upon himself our own nature that we would become more loving, more caring and Christlike. If we do God's will of loving and caring, supporting and rejoicing in the fact that human beings are made in God's image and likeness, I think that's a great thing to be done."
"So living with people with other faiths, I'm not so much pushing my idea to them, I'm more called to be loving and caring.
"It does not mean I should'nt tell them about God, by the way, I myself completely believe in the reality of the God that I've seen in the face of Jesus Christ."
