Physicists About to Come to Blows?

Stephen Hawking is still swinging for the seats.  This time he contradicted his earlier proclamation that "The Big Bang" and God can coexist quite nicely, (A Brief History of Time).

Now that he no longer cares what others think of him he states,

"Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing,"

But the Bard of Rob Whiteside's current town once said,

“Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind.”

Gentleman, back to your corners, let's keep it clean, and come out fighting at the bell.  (Who would win a fight between an ALS sufferer and a long dead heavyweight of his field?)