Posted on 03/31/2018 8:42:40 AM PDT by Simon Green
(Jane Hawking and her son Timothy arrive at Great St Marys Church, where the funeral of theoretical physicist Prof Stephen Hawking is being held)
Well-wishers filled the streets of Cambridge on Saturday for the funeral of British physicist Stephen Hawking, hailed by another leading scientist as "an imprisoned mind roaming the cosmos".
Hawking, crippled since a young man by a degenerative disease, beat the odds stacked against him to became the most celebrated scientist of his era. His work ranged from the origins of the universe itself, through time travel and probing black holes in space.
He achieved international renown after the publication of "A Brief History of Time" in 1988.
His coffin was topped with white "Universe" lilies and white "Polar Star" roses and carried by pallbearers from the University of Cambridge, where he worked. It was greeted by a large crowd outside the church who clapped as it was carried in.
The 76-year-old scientist was mourned by his children Robert, Lucy and Timothy, joined by guests including playwright Alan Bennett, businessman Elon Musk and model Lily Cole.
Eddie Redmayne, the actor who played Professor Hawking in the 2014 film "The Theory of Everything" was one of the readers in the ceremony and Felicity Jones, who played his wife, Jane Hawking in the film also attended the service.
The ceremony included space-themed music composed specially for Hawking called "Beyond the Night Sky", inspired by a poem and quotes from "A Brief History of Time" and whistling and "shh" sounds based on recordings of space.
Astronomer Royal Martin Rees, a personal friend, read from Plato's Apology 40, "The Death of Socrates", which talks of the search for knowledge persisting after death.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
Considering his beliefs, it must’ve been strange having a religious church service...
The churches in Europe are mostly like museums.
Not a typical funeral. Why have it in a church? Should have had the ceremony at a “Space Port.” Why bury his ashes at Westminster? He was an atheist.
In a related article, Neil Tyson is referred to as an astrophysicist....then, so am I! Tyson is a celebrity who has an interest in astronomy and a Carl Sagan copycat.
Presumably because:
Hawking's ashes will be interred at Westminster Abbey in June, among some of the greatest scientists in history, Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin
Darwin was an atheist and if evolution is right then the bible is wrong. I will go with the Word of God.
Well...as I told my brainwashed, 27 yr old LIB niece..."atheism IS a religion"...and she actually agreed.
Who were not atheists.
Incorrect. He was a self-described agnostic.
in 1879 he wrote that "I have never been an atheist in the sense of denying the existence of a God. I think that generally ... an agnostic would be the most correct description of my state of mind".
Darwin wasn't a Christian, though...he was actually an agnostic. He and Hawking are interred at Westminster because of their scientific achievements, not their faith or lack thereof.
A public celebration of his descent into hell?
It doesn’t matter if he died as an atheist or agnostic. He still went to Hell.
You may certainly believe that if you wish.
Liberal icon who would have enjoyed greater respect had he limited his public pronouncements to scientific matters.
What was the old joke about the epitaph on the atheist’s tombstone? “All dressed up and nowhere to go.” Too bad for atheists they are, in fact, going some place.
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