....

So how much do these quotes have to do with religious background?

Well I found that Hawking falls much more into the lack-there-of category in religious background - his mom was a British communist and when his friends started to follow Billy Grahm (whose newsletters my aunt always sends me), he stood back and just observed with a sly smile. Here's the info I found:

"The principle influence in his early life was his mother, Isabel. Isabel Hawking was a member of the Communist Party in England in the 1930's, and her son has carried a good bit of that intellectual baggage right through his life.

(Original Post)