In a recent interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo, renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking declared his suspicion of the existence of God, rejecting the concept of religious miracles and affirming his confidence in science to more effectively explain the origins of the universe.

“Before we understand science, it is natural to believe that God created the universe,” said Hawking, in a video posted by El Mundo in response to questions from journalist Pablo Jauregui. “But now science offers a more convincing explanation.”

According to the Huffington Post, Hawking also clarified a reference he made in a passage of his 1988 book A Brief History of Time, in which he wrote that “scientists would ‘know the mind of God’ if a unifying set of scientific principles known colloquially as the theory of everything were discovered.”

“What I meant by ‘we would know the mind of God’ is, we would know everything that God would know, if there were a God. Which there isn’t,” said Hawking. “I’m an atheist. Religion believes in miracles, but these aren’t compatible with science.”

This is not the first time Hawking has discussed his religious beliefs, as he has stated that he was “not religious in the normal sense” several years ago to Reuters. “I believe the universe is governed by the laws of science,” said Hawking. “The laws may have been decreed by God, but God does not intervene to break the laws.”

NBC News reports that the statements came during the buildup to the Starmus Festival at Tenerife in the Canary Islands last week. “In my opinion, there is no aspect of reality beyond the reach of the human mind,” said Hawking in the interview.