This is it right here. If they did question their religion, they'd be shocked at what they find. Better to remain in ignorance, and not question all of the shit that makes absolutely no sense.
By the way, of course this takes us back to the burden on proof dilemma... What evidence is there that god DOES exist? None, therefore I don't believe in god. Simply saying something along the lines of "we don't know how or why the universe exists, therefore god exists" simply makes no sense.
Plenty of evidence that God exists. All of creation, everything you see, hear, smell, taste and touch is a testament to Gods existence. A logical mind sees a painting and knows their must have been a painter. If the painting is not signed and you cant find the painter, do you say "the painter does not exist because their is no proof"? Isnt the painting a testament to the painter? Now your turn. What proof is there that God DOESNT exist?
Same with Atheism, right? I mean if an atheist really thought about the big bang and how nothingness created everything (shit that makes absolutely no sense) they would be shocked at what they find. Better to remain in ignorance..
yoo darn tootin' dares a God <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hnbVqwV8aw4?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hnbVqwV8aw4?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> HALLELUEHALEHEIM_EN!! Fer JEEEEZUS!
I'll sum up what you just said in this post: "God exists because the Earth exists." A six year old child would even know that this is not proof. Your analogy to a painting is not applicable, because we can watch the painter paint the painting, and therefore know the painting was created by the painter. We cannot watch "god" do anything at all. Again, how do you prove something doesn't exist? You might as well be asking me to prove unicorns don't exist. How do you suggest I do this?
The big bang theory is just that - a theory. I have researched the big bang theory to an adequate degree and would not consider myself to remain in ignorance, something of which I'm almost positive you have not. More still, if I am in ignorance, I certainly don't wish to remain in ignorance, as most religious believers do. Just because YOU don't understand the big bang theory, doesn't mean it doesn't make sense. I suspect the only thing you have gathered from the big bang theory is that "something is created from nothing", and then stopped your learning right there. Hard to debate the uneducated.
I think you know what comes next in this cliché dialogue. This is the part where someone asks you; "Ok, if everything that exists must have been created or designed, who created God?"
As the "great" Mr. Hawking's has already stated, there is no need for anything to be created. God can simply pop into existence out of nothing, for no reason at all. If that theory works for the universe in general, as Hawking's claims, then it works for God too. Round and round we go.
This really doesn't surprise me all that much. It seems that a man who takes a pessimistic view of any topic usually winds up doing more research on the subject. He is the one who is trying to disprove what the majority accepts as truth. I think that more people who believe in God are going to scrutinize and research the findings of this article than atheists will. It seems to be in our nature to want to disprove others more than to reinforce our own beliefs by questioning them. I agree with Peil when he discusses the hypothetico-deductive model and people not actually questioning the conclusions they come to. However, that is a two-way street.