Hope everyone had a good Labor Day weekend. What better way to start off a short week with a big religion news question: what does Stephen Hawking mean, writing that God is “not necessary” to explain the Big Bang?

My hunch is that the God focus is more a (highly successful) marketing ploy to get folks excited about The Grand Design, Hawking’s new book about the origin of the universe, rather than the genius physicist officially throwing his hat into the atheist-provacateur ring with Christopher Hitchens and Co. What do you think?

Here are five links to the religious reactions:

• Religious leaders hit back at Hawking (CNN)
• God may want a minute alone with Stephen Hawking (Episcopal Cafe)
• Stephen Hawking’s answer to God question tiresome (The Seeker, Chicago Tribune)
• Hawking’s new book does not dismiss real God from creation, Jesuit scholar says (Catholic News Agency)
• Stephen Hawking decrees God away (Killing the Buddha)

Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.