Sharon, that's a rather uncharitable and unrealistic attitude to take. Everyone is part of our family tree, whether scientist or saint, rebel or patriot, lawbreaker or justice. Even more so when we collaborate on teasing out the connections of the global family tree to get at the truth: we are all related, each and every human being on this small planet that we share. Whether one believes a certain understanding of the Genesis narrative or not, we are all cousins. Our trees are replete with people, who struggle with real good and evil. As one of our unconnected cousins wrote, “If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?” ~ Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Indeed, they're part of us: they're family.
Second, I would like to offer you the chance to correct your understanding of science: It is not a conclusion of scientists (Stephen Hawking nor otherwise) that gravity "created the universe"; we still do not know what caused the universe (whether scientist or philosopher). We do know however how gravity has shaped the Universe, at least in part. Moreover, gravity is not a subset of light. Science has not yet advanced to such a "grand unified theory". Only 5 months ago the first direct observation of gravitational waves was reported to the public (a beautiful, open access paper, by the way!), so there is much yet to learn.
Stephen Hawking may be an atheist (or agnostic), but that's his personal conviction. You have your own beliefs as well. That's one of the wonders of learning about family (whether historical or contemporary): we enjoy the privilege of getting to know other people better! We learn how their experiences, their history, and their circumstances have shaped their life stories, their values, and their passions. You likely have other atheists in your family tree whether you know it or not. We, if you share my conviction, are called to love them no less on account of their beliefs. We are called to seek understanding and to feel empathy for others. Being "connected" to a great scientific theorist such as him, perhaps you will have the opportunity to grow in your understanding of his story, and to have some understanding of where he is coming from.
If you want to discuss this further, you're welcome to email me with your questions and thoughts, and I'll try to take the time to respond thoughtfully and with grace. After all, we're family... somehow. :)
