Before he died, Stephen Hawking expressed his thoughts on the afterlife.

He was a breakthrough theoretical physicist, and his brilliance piqued the curiosity of others in his ideas about God and the afterlife. He discussed the existence of a higher power and the possibility of an afterlife in several interviews and writings.

The Belief Problem
When asked if he believes in God, Hawking’s reaction was unequivocal. He held that there was no proof of a higher power and that the universe could be explained by scientific laws. “Until we comprehend science, it is reasonable to believe that God created the cosmos,” he said in an interview with El Mundo, a Spanish newspaper. But science now provides a more plausible explanation.” 1 Hawking’s religious views were not limited to a single faith. He held that all faiths were founded on the same foundations of faith and provided no empirical evidence. For all intents and purposes, he is an atheist.

The Master Plan
Hawking expanded on his thoughts about the origins of the universe in his book “The Grand Design,” which he co-wrote with Leonard Mlodinow. He claimed that the universe was created by the principles of physics rather than a divine creator. “Since there is a law like gravity, the universe may and will generate itself from nothing,” he wrote. “There is something rather than nothing, the universe exists, and we exist because of spontaneous creation.”

There is no afterlife.
Hawking’s beliefs about the afterlife were also scientifically based. He thought the idea of an afterlife was nothing more than wishful thinking. He wrote in his final book, “Brief Solutions to the Big Questions,”

“No one created the cosmos, and no one controls our destiny.” This brings me to a stunning realization: there is most likely no Heaven or afterlife… I believe that believing in an afterlife is wishful thinking. There is no trustworthy evidence for it, and it contradicts all we know about science.” 3

Nonetheless, Hawking does not discard other people’s beliefs in order to impose his own. “We are all free to believe whatever we choose, and in my opinion, the simplest explanation is that there is no God,” he said.

Conclusion
Stephen Hawking’s perspectives on God and religion were shaped by his experiences as a mathematician and his desire to understanding the cosmos through physical rules. While his ideas differed from those of others, his contributions to science will be honored and remembered for many years to come.