[In this holy season of Christmas and Hanukkah, a refresher from November 15, 2018] I was disappointed to hear that Dr. Stephen Hawking – in one of his final statements – declared “there is no God.” Too bad he didn’t take a cue from one of his predecessors in science — Albert Einstein.

Einstein, born Jewish and somewhat pantheistic in later life, was once asked by a student if God existed. Einstein responded “What percent of the total knowledge of the universe do you suppose we as humans now possess?” The student thought – and speculated around two percent. To which Einstein replied “Now tell me – what are the possibilities that God exists in the other 98%?”

Parents are normally wiser than their children in making decisions. A child may want to eat only chocolate cupcakes for each meal – yet the parent knows better. What’s to say that we as adults don’t have a grander force that “knows better?” I am reminded of the continuous thread in the Bible that the wisdom of man is folly with God (see e.g. I Corinthians 3:19).

In 1660, Blaise Pascal offered “Pascal’s Wager” on belief. 
If you believe in God and there is no God – no problem
If you don’t believe in God and there is no God – no problem.
If you believe in God and God exists – peace now and eternal
If you don’t believe in God and God exists – big problem. . . . .

Sir Isaac Newton summed it up – “In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God’s existence.”  For me, I just open my eyes in the morning.  And I think Wow. . . . .