The reasoning behind the question is say for instance we both have an equal chance of being right (50/50 if you will). If you are right what have christians lost by being christians? Besides maybe living a lifestyle that in the end might have benefitted them the most. But if christians are right then what have you lost? Heaven, knowing a perfect, loving entity. Seems like quite a gamble to me. Just wondering about the reasoning from the opposing side
2006-06-20 06:53:38 · 17 answers · asked by Fatfree 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
wanna bet?
2006-06-20 06:58:12 · answer #1 · answered by Wiseguy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The problem with your question is that you got the odds wrong.
If I tell you I am the second coming of Jesus that statement is either true or false. This does not mean that there is a 50/50 chance that I am Jesus II.
As an atheist I see dozens of religious sects in the world each claiming they are the only true and correct religion. Even within Christianity there are dozens of different sects. So the odds of me picking the one correct religion that gets me into Heaven, making the unbelievably large leap of faith necessary to believe in a fictional place like Heaven in the first place, is slim to none.
If there is a God and Heaven when I meet Him I will ask for forgiveness. If He chooses to have me tortured for eternity in Hell because I didn't know who to believe due to lack of evidence, then I guess I just got unlucky. But frankly if God is so truly evil as to treat people in such a despicable manner, I have no desire to spend eternity with Him anyway.
2006-06-20 14:41:21 · answer #2 · answered by ZCT 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why do Christians assume that they are right? Or better yet, why do they think they've made the better choice b/c they prefer to live the "safe" lifestyle? Good and Evil are relative terms and highly subjective based on upbringing. Right and Wrong follow the same basic guide lines. I prefer to think I get plenty of lives to get it right, and maybe I'm here b/c I feel like it. I don't personally care if a distant "God" is watching or not. I have a life I want to live free from the resrictions imposed by a man-made religion. All theories I have found are at some level are subject to contradiction, lack of evidence, and a host of other logical issues. My questions is why do you care which direction I'm headed? Keep your eye on the road ahead of you and maybe you won't have the misfortune of running into me.
2006-06-20 14:10:11 · answer #3 · answered by akresus_bladeborne 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that If Christianity and God exists, then those who follow their true beliefs and do good, even thought they may not be sure about God, would be much more likely of getting into a heaven then those who pretend to be Christians just so they don't go to "hell".
Also the more common feeling about hell is that it is a place where you're seperated from god, not a place of torture and fire. Therefore atheists (like me) wouldn't mind being seperated from something we don't believe in.
Next, there are so many religions. Why choose christianity if you live in fear of going to hell. If that is the wrong religion then you will go to an equivelant of hell anyway
Finally, what would you prefer? Consider the fact that you only live once and can only experience everything in this life.
a)to go your whole life in fear of going to hell (which you have admitted there is a 50% chance doesnt exist)
b)enjoy life, not in fear.
2006-06-20 15:01:18 · answer #4 · answered by Jon 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A threat is not a rational argument. When you have a real rational argument for your god story, instead of a sick hateful threat of eternal torture, then get back to me. Why would an honest rational person hold a belief because of threats anyway. A belief is either true or false, (or meaningless) anyway. Threatening someone is not going to increase the likely hood it is true. If you really had a convincing argument you wouldn't need to try to scare people to get them to believe it.
What is amazing about this sick religion is that people can say on one side of their mouth that their god is a god of eternal love and forgiveness, yet on the other side of their mouth they can say it is a god of eternal torture, for simply finding it too irrational to believe in.
Personally I am much to honest to force myself to believe in an irrational hateful belief ( of course I couldn't believe in it even if I wanted to) simply because people threaten me.
And your estimate of a 50/50 chance is absurd. I would think you have a much better chance of having a genie appear when you rub a lamp than having a god exist. Yet you never hear christians use the same argument for lamp rubbing. After all, maybe your only chance of eternal life is in getting three wishes.
2006-06-20 14:14:53 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
50/50 seems off. On the side of being christian, there are multiple denominations of christianity. Plus, there are many other religions, like Buddism, Islam, Judaism, Wiccan, etc., that may be "the one right religion."
How about this- What if noone has the solution?
Sounds just humble enough to be right.
2006-06-20 13:58:16 · answer #6 · answered by matt s 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pascals Wager again?
If God does exist, presumably He'll know I don't really believe in Him, that I'm pretending to believe in him on the off chance that He might really exist. If He's willing to accept me if I just "Go through the motions" then I suspect just being a good person will also be enough. Pascal's own answer to this point was that this is why we have churches, to help us grow in faith. In other words, if I submit to a church-approved brainwashing program, they can make me believe. I do not find this comforting. -Rev. J. Huger
Cut-n-paste is all this deserves.
-SD-
2006-06-20 13:59:27 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Look, I choose to believe in my own self, not some nonexistant deity for which no one has any proof. I live my life the way I feel like it, I enjoy it like there is no tomorrow. Besides, it's not as if I have no morals. I do. You simply don't recognize them because mine were not dictated by a religious tyrant.
Mine come from what i have learned, what I have experienced, and what best fits me.
I think with my own head.
2006-06-20 13:59:05 · answer #8 · answered by bloody_gothbob 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A better more fruitful question would be to ask yourself "What am I afraid of?" "What is my blind belief shielding me from?" Belief systems are based on fear. Fear of the unknown. They were created by man out of superstition and fear. You want certainty. By it's very nature life is uncertain. By clinging to your beliefs you lose out. You close your mind and stop asking meaningful questions. You waste time listening to others telling you how to live instead of knowing yourself. There is no gamble when you have taken the time to know yourself. Keep an open mind.
2006-06-20 14:12:49 · answer #9 · answered by .. 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is the third time in a row a Christian has asked this Question, that I've seen(and I'm not on here all the time) in a week. You suck, go live you're own weird life!
2006-06-20 14:10:10 · answer #10 · answered by soulsearcher 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I simply do not believe that being a member of the Jesus Fan Club is the only path to heaven. Is your heaven such an elitist club that it may only be entered via one particular door?
2006-06-20 14:00:53 · answer #11 · answered by Cosmic I 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋