I haven't read the book, but I watched Larry King's interview with Hawking and Mlodinow. It appears that the lack of any need to invoke god to explain the beginning of the universe is a minor point in the book. But, of course, it is the claim that is bothersome to many, since many consider their belief in the creator god to be foundational or fundamental. In addition, many people cannot really respond to the scientific claims in the book, since one needs to know a lot about the sciences, in order to do that. So, there is a tendency for many to focus their attention on the claim about god, since it does not require any scientific expertise in order to say something about claims about god. Why did the authors bother to make claims about god in a science book? I think that the authors are concerned with a trend among some scientists, religious philosophers, and theologians, who are taking seriously the religious implications of fine-tuning, goldilocks enigma, etc., which appear to