"If you believe in God and turn out to be incorrect, you have lost nothing -- but if you don't believe in God and turn out to be incorrect, you will go to hell. Therefore it is foolish to be an atheist."
This argument is known as Pascal's Wager. It has several flaws.
Firstly, it does not indicate which religion to follow. Indeed, there are many mutually exclusive and contradictory religions out there. This is often described as the "avoiding the wrong hell" problem. If a person is a follower of one religion, he may end up in another religion's version of hell.
Even if we assume that there's a God, that doesn't imply that there's one unique God. Which should we believe in? If we believe in all of them, how will we decide which commandments to follow?
Secondly, the statement that "If you believe in God and turn out to be incorrect, you have lost nothing" is not true. Suppose you're believing in the wrong God -- the true God might punish you for your foolishness. Consider also the deaths that have resulted from people rejecting medicine in favor of prayer.
Another flaw in the argument is that it is based on the assumption that the two possibilities are equally likely -- or at least, that they are of comparable likelihood. If, in fact, the possibility of there being a God is close to zero, the argument becomes much less persuasive. So sadly the argument is only likely to convince those who believe already.
Also, many feel that for intellectually honest people, belief is based on evidence, with some amount of intuition. It is not a matter of will or cost-benefit analysis.
Formally speaking, the argument consists of four statements:
One does not know whether God exists.
Not believing in God is bad for one's eternal soul if God does exist.
Believing in God is of no consequence if God does not exist.
Therefore it is in one's interest to believe in God.
2006-07-21 08:10:53 · 14 answers · asked by Atheist 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Pascal's wager is a childish method of explaining why one should worship a magic sky-pixie.
It is a thoroughly discredited idea for the exact reasons you have listed.
2006-07-21 08:14:59 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was a great mathematician once. At the age of 18 I constructed my own mechanical calculator. I helped to justify the axiomatic foundations of geometry. I created new insights on the binomial theorem. I proved, once and for all, the existence of a vacuum, and my work on hydrostatics was considered so important I had a scientific unit of measurement named in my honor. And Fermat and I practically invented the concept of probability. Yet what am I remembered for? Not my work in science, or mathematics, but for a theological treatise so deeply flawed it pains me even now to read it, nothing but the senile ramblings of an old man. I wish I'd never written that infernal wager.
Yours truly,
Blaise Pascal
2006-07-21 10:38:59 · answer #2 · answered by Pascal 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are better reasons to believe that minimizing the possible losses
I think God wants to be glorified by poeple leaning on Him in faith and Pascals wager might be a step in the right direction, but it doesnt go far enough.
I dont think it is actually saving faith
2006-07-21 08:15:42 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
One must understand that Paschal was Christian and therefore was referring to the true God of the Bible. Believing in Him is more than a mere acknowledgment of His existence, but trusting Him for your salvation through Christ and in His word, the Scriptures. So, therefore, his wager makes sense. If you believe in God, as described above, and are correct, you have lost nothing, and gained everything. If you don't, you gain nothing, and would lose everything.
2006-07-21 08:21:37 · answer #4 · answered by BrotherMichael 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pascal's wager made sense in the days when failure to act as if you believed resulted in severe punishment/death. Now that this is no longer true, it's one of the stupidest arguments imaginable.
...that doesn't stop faith zombies from promoting nonetheless.
2006-07-21 08:15:23 · answer #5 · answered by lenny 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's what's so cool about the Mormons! We don't believe you'll go to hell just for not being a member of the church. Basically good people, or people who have done their best with the information they had available, will not go to hell.
Pascal's Wager is so cool! I knew the principle, but couldn't come up with the guy's name. Thanks!
2006-07-21 08:18:58 · answer #6 · answered by MornGloryHM 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pascal's wager is a good bet (given that the God under consideration is the Christian God).
2006-07-21 08:13:23 · answer #7 · answered by John 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pascal's wager is a good bet (given that the God under consideration is the Muslim God).
2006-07-21 08:14:48 · answer #8 · answered by 自由思想家 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If there is not a God, the atheist loses nothing. If there is a loving and compassionate God, and a person does good works, simply because he knows that it is right, not because he is building points with the spirit upstairs then he will be accepted into heaven and receive the shock of his afterlife. IMHO - God does not care what you do in temple, church or mosque or whether you ever set foot in any of them, it is what you do the other 99% of your life that matters.
2016-03-27 02:16:30 · answer #9 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
since some versions of hell are eternal, no matter how close to zero the possibilty og God's existance is if its not zero then the odds are more in favor if you belive in one of the jerk gods that would damn you for eternity.
but i like to live dangerously so im not gonna go with any of those
2006-07-21 08:18:42 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋