Creationist attacks Stephen Hawking: "The Bible says he's a fool"

Last month Hawking explained that he is an atheist

Published October 8, 2014 5:17PM (EDT)

  (Reuters/Kimberly White)
(Reuters/Kimberly White)

Stephen Hawking is one of the word's preeminent scientists. The physicist and cosmologist is known for many important theories including those on black holes and the birth of our universe.

However, according to creationist and evangelical minister Ray Comfort, Hawking is a "fool" committing "intellectual suicide." Why? Because the Bible says so. (Comfort, Metro points out, pursued no further education after leaving school at 16-years-old.)

"The Bible says he who denies God’s existence is a fool, and if we say the guy is intelligent, then we are denying what scripture said," Comfort said on his weekly YouTube show "The Comfort Zone."

Comfort's attack was in response to a recent interview that Stephen Hawking did with Spanish newspaper El Mundo. In that exclusive interview, Hawking stated that he is an atheist.

"Before we understood science it was natural to believe that god created the universe," Hawking said in a video interview. "But now science offers a more convincing explanation."

"What I meant by 'we would know the mind of God,' is that we would know everything that god would know if there were a god, which there isn't," Hawking continued. "I'm an atheist."

Hawking also spoke to El Mundo about the Starmus Festival, which took place at the end of September.

Watch Comfort's comments below via Best in World:


By Sarah Gray

Sarah Gray is an assistant editor at Salon, focusing on innovation. Follow @sarahhhgray or email sgray@salon.com.

MORE FROM Sarah Gray


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Atheism Bible Creationism Religion Science Stephen Hawking Video