If you're religious, do you live in constant fear of being wrong?

Question

Theists sometimes cite Pascal's Wager, saying: "If I'm mistaken about god, I have nothing to lose". This is wrong. If you believe in the Christian god, and it's actually the Muslim god who exists, you're going to burn in hell for all eternity - the Quran says so. If you believe in the Christian god and he's an evil sadist rather than a benevolent god (a reasonable assumption, considering the unimaginable suffering that he - supposedly - presides over in the world), then he will take great delight in sending the most fervent believers to eternal torture and keeping us atheists in paradise, just to make your torment that much the worse. If there is a god and he values reason over blind faith, he will reward atheists and punish believers (since they have no justifiable reason to believe that any gods exist).

Theists should spend their lives tormented by the fear of believing in the wrong god and ending up in another hell, or offending their own god and ending up in his. Do you?

Answer 1

I'm a little confused about your last paragraph. First you say, "Theists should spend their lives tormented by the fear of believing in the wrong god and ending up in another hell, or offending their own god and ending up in his.' then you say "Do you?" Are you asking if that is the way it is or are are you a saying that's the way it should be?
Well, i in any case i can only answer your question in one way. I am Christian, more specifically I am Catholic, so I believe in the God and the catholic faith, but I do not spent my time worrying if my faith is the true faith, nor do I worry about offending my God. I am human and as such I am prone to make mistakes from time to time through out my life. I only thing I can do (besides worry myself into grave) is live my life the best, and as morally as I can. Things will sort themselves out after death, because for the time being I have no prove whether or not my faith is the ONE, or if it's some other kind of faith, nor do I have any proof that there is even a heaven, or a hell, or even a God. I have chosen my believes, my faith and I can do nothing else except trust in it. Most simply put, "I believe what I believe, nothing will ever change that, so come what may; I have been true to myself."

What others believe is their own chosen path, if they chose to worry ever moment of their life then that is their choice.

I feel i should add that I'm not saying that I never question my faith nor do I follow it blindly, because I often do question it. To me it just wouldn't be worth following a faith that I couldn't question. There are aspects to the Catholic faith that I don't believe, however, it's still the faith that I trust in. The parts that I don't believe, well, then I follow what my heart says is true.

Answer 2

I have wondered that question many times, but all the facts point to Christianity. I have seen almost everything and I have found flaws of some kind in all of them, muslim, mormon, catholic, roman mythology, evolution, and just plain atheism. I think that it is important to ask this question and for just a moment, seriously believe that you could be wrong. Take a look at all the facts from every possibility. But I don't just say, HA! a contradiction! it must be false! you must look at it, can It be right? maybe it has been mistranslated.

I can give a couple points for every religion about why they are wrong, simply with logic. I don't need to point out which is more scripturally right, I use logic. And as wierd as it is to say it points to God, Think about it, evolution must not have ANY major flaws in how we came to be. You are allowed to not know what they are, but they MUST ABSOLUTELY exist. So far, absolutely nothing can explain it besides the big bang, not being able to go back farther simply because you cannot go back.
Christians know that God created reality and time itself. And if he can do that, why not be able to have the world started fully formed?

If you can seriously give me a good explanation to a few simple questions about how the big bang came to be, how there can be no start, or what started everything, I will seriously think on recanting my beliefs. I will listen.

Answer 3

Hmm, lets see...

a) have you read the Holy Bible? Some of the things you are saying about God are easily contradicted...
b) have you read the Quran
c) do you have a religion becuase then you biased
d) If you were a god would you reward people who didn't believe in you? I think not...
e) As long as you believe in the Christian god you can not offend Him...

Perhaps you should do a little study....as should I so I can answer this better than I already have.


Want to contact me email me @ [e-mail] or AIM SnowWFair

Answer 4

You ask: "If you're religious, do you live in constant fear of being wrong?" -- No, I hardly ever am as confused as you seem to be. I have my principles from my family, on what is right and wrong; added to this, now that I'm no longer a child, is my own set of principles. I add teachings as they are similar to mine and expand and fill my view of what is expected of me. I follow the laws of the community I live in, and have been lucky to have avoided mean/evil people. I leave the room when sermons at church, or coworkers, family set off my alarms I have set for illogical comments.
As I read your rant - I am tempted to not answer as you'll not read this or accept other people's view. GOD has his plan - which no human knows, or understands. You are part of his plan, which I know you know, and I can see your actively doing his work, more than I do. So I have no fear of being "wrong" or of GOD - I am helping his plan, whenever I am in communication with others. Either as a good example or a bad example, which is more likely.
You keep people thinking, and that's a great gift.
You seem to want to save people, but they are on their own, using their free will as they want. Being an atheist, you can't pray (but you seem to ? curious) Anyway - good luck making people think about their future with GOD.

Answer 5

My friend what all do you include in your word "religious" you used? I do read in your comments the fact that you included the word "god" in the word "religious".

Can I have a god and in your view and not be one who uses the bible or the koran? Now suppose I worship me, my money, my physical body, my wife, or anything else. For that I do not need a religious book as it seems you are referring to. I could just wing it and make up my own rules and guidlines as I go along. Yes, and I could change my standards any time I like.

I do perceive that you as an atheist [if I do read your words correctly] have no experience of being a "Thiest", another word you used that you did not define as to your thoughts or precise meaning.

Now just suppose by reasoning I can prove to you that there is a God? I did not say I could because you will believe what you want to believe and I do accept that. I not only accept it, but I also respect it as being your right if it is my right to believe what I want to believe.

Oh by the way I am a Bible nut just in case you had any doubts and I have no fear of being wrong. I do admit I may be wrong, but that does not make me afraid for I know My God knows me better than I do.

Ah yes, I do fear leading another down the wrong path so I am careful not to use that "if" word that you did use and I also try my best to allow other to make up their own minds as to what they want to believe, understand, and fear. I see it as something between them and their God even if the name of their religion is called Atheist and their God is named NO GOD exists. You see my friend the word I used in "exists" may mean there is a God who is named NO GOD that does exist.

Yes I am not a preacher or teacher. I am just a student trying to learn, thus I can not do as you did and go out headlong to try to clean up the houses and beliefs of others. I am too busy asking My God to clean up my own nest of garbage that I do live in. You see I feel when my own nest is spotless maybe then I can see the tiny, tiny speck of dust that is the only fault in your nest in the proper view.

With that do smile and have a great day now knowing you did hear from a "NO". Thanks for letting our paths to cross by asking your question OK.

Answer 6

ok, you recent an exciting aspect, Paschal's guess is weak and it really is used through those who merely %. up that snippet of philosophy and opt to parade it round and say, "Ha, ha, i'm smarter than all of you, because i understand some vaguely philosophical data for God's life!" in reality, Paschal's guess is weak, at maximum proper, and strong for a bumper sticky label or for tellign to an atheist who's onl;y an atheist after studying some pages of Nietszche or something. in reality, you're precise in affirming if we trust interior the incorrect God (YHWH as adversarial to Allah) we would nicely be in for lakes fo hearth and stuff. The theist ought to then go with the help of one among 2 paths. we've Ariostotle to thank for this expostition fo faith and philosophy. Aristotle beleived that no longer all adult men are capabkle of comprehending philosophy and complicated psychological Gordian Knots, so there is faith to point those adult men interior the way of a strong, moral, non secular life... Now, in Christian philosophy, thwere are many explorative proofs for God's life, demonstated beauifully through Thomas Aquinas (i.e. the first Mover, the Uncaused reason, etc.). even if, the theist is in a spread of bind the position he/she ought to finally hand himsel/herself over to a God. Now, philosophically speaking, the Hebrew God seems maximum life like and consistent, and so does the oming of Christ. now to not step on any feet, yet this takes a lengthy time period to communicate and, finally, calls for an inward openness to discovery and the existensial quest...

Answer 7

Fear has to do with judgement. Jesus took my judgement, so I have nothing to fear.

The Bible calls Satan "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4). And he would be more than pleased to have as many people burn with him in eternity.

Answer 8

I am not Religious, I am a Christian. I am not perfect, and will never be perfect. I am not always correct and seldom is wrong. I have found in Jesus teachings that it is best to keep my mouth shut untill I find out the correct anwser. But not being perfect that doesn't always happen either.

Answer 9

I do not fear being wrong in my religion, as I beleive each person choses what they can best accpet and understand, and therefore can not find a fault with what others beleive in. What is right for me may not be for another so why push?If I am wrong let it be so, if I am right let it be so. either way Blessed be for I have had the courage to beleive in something beyond myself, as had every other person with faith, regardless of which one it is.

Answer 10

Western religions yeah but in most asian religions there isn't a problem with that. What I love about hinduism is that it teaches that since one cannot concieve "god" then any view one has of a higher power is a correct view of "god" because it is the closest anyone can come to knowing him/her/it/whatever in this life.