41 - 50 of 51 Comments

1. Bulbajer

   2 years ago

   One of the reasons non-Catholics get mad at the church is that whenever the debate about science and religion comes up, the Church says that it has always been supportive of reason, an argument which is as false as many anti-Catholic lies. Galileo did have wrong proofs, and he had a big ego, you're right, Kevin, but the Church also had a big ego, and when Galileo refused to change his mind and stop spreading his ideas, what did the Church do? Jailed him. Made him read a confessional statement. Possibly tortured him. Of course, all this wa normal at the time, because someone was threatening Church authority, and that couldn't be tolerated naturally. Since it was common at the time to repress opposing ideas, one can't lay all the blame on the people of the time, but that still doesn't make the Church look like it defended reason! The Church defended reason when it happened to agree with its doctrines. It is much more open-minded today than it was centuries ago. To say otherwise is denying history.
   On another note, I disagree with Stephen Hawking about religion.

2. DLL

   2 years ago

   If life has no meaning than we are just material moving matter. We are organized to be socially constructive or destructive to the environments that we are a part of,as we struggle to survive in a hostile situation anyway,which is potentially destructive to life itself. Science and religion,physics,etc are organizational ways of coping through a system devised as education,so people are on the same page as they learn to work and act in formation,for the general good or evil to all. To be at war or peace doesn't matter,to love or hate,it is all the same. Who cares we all live until we die. The only real philosophy is to have none at all? To be alive is a Joke as death and the insignificance of everything,is in it's insignificance? Do I Have this right? Mr. Hawkings!

3. J. Bob

   2 years ago

   Dr.
   I don't know what you got, or how, or where you got your Doctorate, but maybe you should get your money back, as your comments seems you were "short changed".
   
   Your comment " What i do mind is a organization that presided over the Dark ages and being the largest incubator of ignorance in the known world trying to shrewdly claim itself as a righteous progressive organization of science and advanced thought! No you are not, please know your place.". The comment would indicate a lack of understanding history, especially the chaos following the collapse of the Roman Empire (unless you want to blame the Church for that to). In spite of all the invasions that hit Europe, and the Black Death, knowledge was preserved for the most part in the Church universities, monasteries, and yes convents. So when a measure of peace came, the Renaissance had fertile ground to grow from.
   
   If you knew science, you would know that many post "dark ages" leaders in science, were in one way or another connected with the church, such as Mendel, Copernicus, Kepler (Lutheran), and even Galileo. Even now, there are physicists who question some of Hawkins works, so in his case, the jury is still out on some of his scientific points..
   
   Above the door in one of the graduate departments, we had a sign "PHD, 10% brains, 90% sweat".. So having the title "Doctor" does not make one smarter, then others, but hopefully less ignorant.

4. Phil

   2 years ago

   Yeah and the world is still flat as the church once aggressively upheld locking up scientists and physicists that thought otherwise.
   Religion has slowed down scientific research for years. All religions offers hope as do stem cells. However science (stem cells) can and will cure diseases, religion is outdated and offers false hope.
   Like we were once told santa wasn't real it's time people woke up and realized religion was invented by man to keep people in line and maintain order.
   Enough with the fairytale stories.
   Let science do it's work unhindered so people can benefit from it's advances.

5. Kevin D.

   2 years ago

   Doctor,
   
   Your response betrays an absolute ignorance with regards to Catholic teaching. I suggest you do your homework. For instance, find out why all 700 or so bits of the Mosaic Law didn't make it into the New Covenant.
   
   Some further observations on your alphabetical points:
   
   a) What does "beauty" have to do with anything in a purely materialistic philosophical system? Sounds like more witchcraft to me.
   
   b) That's funny. Faith didn't stop Catholics from inventing the scientific method and thus birthing the discipline of natural science. And I can't find a single instance of the Church blatantly ignoring or suppressing convincing scientific research. And don't jump on the Galileo bandwagon. He got into trouble for incorrect proofs (not ideas) and an ego that simply wouldn't allow him to manifest virtues such as humility and tact. While we're dropping assumptions, let's assume that faith-less social experiments in the last century or so haven't murdered millions upon millions of individuals.
   
   c) What is this talk of "people's rights"? Sounds like absolutes to me. The very idea of rights is incomprehensible and baseless in a materialist system. It's more magic to make the people behave. What our faith does is free the idea of rights (and morality) from slavery to personal and communal whim.
   
   Cheers!
   
   Kevin
   
   

6. Andy Holland

   2 years ago

   Hawking also disparaged Sir Isaac Newton though he sits in his university chair. Dr. Seuss is far more brilliant, "A person's a person, no matter how small."
   
   Without Jesus Christ, we are nothing but dust.
   
   

7. David

   2 years ago

   Bill Donohue is a great hero and champion. Thank you so much Bill for your excellent service to our Lord. First of all for all the tireless service you have offered to our Lord and for speaking out on behalf of Catholics especially here in the United States. Thank you again for your crusade on getting Mother Teresa to be honored in lights in the Empire State Building (whether this is accomplished or not, personally I think that the difference between Mother Teresa's divine work to help the poorest of the poor is so completely incompatible with "money making Manhattan" that the ESB's refusal to recognize her courages work is so appropo I for one am quite satisfied, I, for one would not mind their embarrassing stance to remain a historical statement for the rest of time.). Thank you again for speaking so clearly on the absoulutely distorted thought coming from men of science like Stephen Hawking and for that matter Galileo regarding the centrality of the human soul and its pivotal place in the universe. How sad it is that a man so physically disabled would submit to be as equally blind spiritually. Again, thanks Bill. God Bless.

8. Annemary Phyllis

   2 years ago

   As I was reading the article only one thing came into my mind. And I feel I should share it with you all readers Catholics and non - catholic. God is the greatest scientist that ever existed. My faith helped me understand Science and Science helped me realize how great my father in heaven is and his creations are.

9. Earnest Bunbury

   2 years ago

   Reason, in this context, should be seen as philosophy and not just "reasoning'. Reason for the Catholic should be that union of faith and philosophy which is St. Thomas Aquinas.
   Ever since the denial of final and formal causality beginning with Bacon and Descartes, what passes for "love of wisdom" is that which "works". For a world bent on becoming "masters and possessors" of nature, that which works is of primary importance. They lose their soul for want of gaining the world.
   Aquinas has in many Magisterial documents been confirmed as the preeminent philosopher and theologian with his works being used in defense of the Catholic Faith at the Council of Trent. Higher praise cannot be given.
   

10. Doctor L

    2 years ago

    A.) yes stephen, and much of the scientific field, have a seemingly depressing view on life. Though many of us see beauty in life without having to assume we play a vast role of integral significance in it. Regardless of what you believe the fact stands that if human life ceased to exist on earth the vast expanses of the universe would go completely unaffected. The only impact on the universe we have had outside of our planet's atmosphere is scattering about little metal trinkets we call satellites.
    
    B.) Lets pretend for a moment religion, hasn't led to genocide, war, bigotry torture and death throughout the ages. Let us pretend like the crusades never happened, nor the inquisition. Let us pretend that no new scientific thought has even been stifled by the hand of the church. We will live in your world where religion has only helped people and never factionalized them and made them downplay the importance of any information that even hints on encroaching their dogma. Even if religion were a major fund of research around the world that does not take away the entire concept the religion is based on is taking something to be true in the void of evidence. Faith: a firm belief in an idea for which there is no proof. How can such an intellectually demonic value such as faith in any way inspire human minds to explore the possibilities of the universe? It literally forces your mind through indoctrination to repeatedly fall back upon the god of the gaps argument with steadfast belief and determination. I sometimes wonder how many brilliant ideas never came to fruition due to the "It must be gods work, we shall think into it no further." To spin Catholicism as a beacon of progressive light is no less than manipulative and derisive.
    
    C.) you claim things as if they were absolute truths in your little tirade, which embodies quite beautifully why science will eventually bring an end to these many modern mythologies. Science has the humility to admit that it never knows for sure an absolute truth and that upon the acquirement of new information the base of knowledge it encompasses will adapt and grow stronger with its addition. However you spout absolute truth and "immorality" and drip with the air of "here is the truth you are missing" when you speak as if you are merely kindly correcting one of the most brilliant men to ever grace the earth with his presence. No Morality is merely a subjective word that you faintly correlate to things to make them wrong or right, because in your world view of authoritarian doctrine, as stephen so kindly pointed out, there is no room for adaptation and the existence of correction and improvement everything is merely black and white did "god" say it or not. The Catholic way of adapting to changing times is merely to ignore parts of its religious text or we would be righteously stoning women to death for committing adultery and be marrying rapists. Your entire worldview is a warped brainwashing cult thats entire purpose is to condense all the magic and beauty of the universe into a fairy tale book of wizards and supernatural beings and be forced down children's throats to teach them what is wrong and what is right. I don't mind people living in a world that is entirely constructed off modified pagan folk-tales; I don't even mind when those same people try to interfere with other peoples rights by waving picket signs with anti-gay slogans on them. What i do mind is a organization that presided over the Dark ages and being the largest incubator of ignorance in the known world trying to shrewdly claim itself as a righteous progressive organization of science and advanced thought! No you are not, please know your place.

Leave a Comment