Stephen Hawking, Meet John Lennon: "Imagine There's No Heaven"

Continuing this blogger's video criticism of Stephen Hawking's comment that Heaven is a fairy tale, one reason why the professor's receiving so much bad press over his take is it's mean-sprited presentation. For example, The Guardian UK's Michael Wenham writes "Hawking says some admirable things, but the idea that I believe in life after death because I'm afraid of the dark is insulting."

Wenham's point is essentially that Hawking's presentation is lacking in any nicety that would make it palatable. Instead, he hits us over the head with the idea that we're all, eventually, broken down computers. Thus, my statement that Hawking never achieved orgasm, for a computer is unfeeling, and certainly not a believer in God, or a God of any kind, and will not say "Oh God! upon reaching the great climax of sex.

Hawking not only fails to make the critical cognitive leap from science to spirituality, he doesn't stop to even consider the power of faith and feeling. In discussing Heaven, Hawking didn't consider the approach of that great Beatle, John Lennon.

In the classic song, "Imagine," Lennon famously sang "Imagine there's no Heaven. It's easy if you try.." What John was trying to convey is a picture of a World without religious or national barriers, and he did so without insulting anyone who believes in Heaven.

That Hawking chose to insult, rather than to persuade with allegory and song, is telling about his overall character. Does Hawking love humanity, or want it to just go the way of broken down computers?

I wonder.

Meanwhile, I imagine there's a Heaven, and it's easy for me to try.