If you believe God does exist, you lose nothing if he doesn’t exist. If he does, you may gain happiness and eternal life. Comments.
2006-10-30 04:18:29 · 19 answers · asked by Shawn_small 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yes this is homework for philosophy class.
2006-10-30 04:32:03 · update #1
Pascal's Wager. That's your argument. Look it up.
One of the many problems with that argument is that -- what if your god is the false god? What if you have chosen the wrong god to believe in? With the amount of gods in the world, who's to say the Christian god is the correct one (assumption that you are talking about the xian god). You go through life worshipping the wrong deity and all of a sudden, you're in the same boat as us atheists.
And, if I choose to believe in god but don't really believe in my choice, am I still covering my bases?
2006-10-30 04:25:11 · answer #1 · answered by umwut? 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A bad bet. How can you be sure that the god and path you choose is the correct one? Maybe the real god would damn you to some eternal punishment for following your current beliefs. If you have to bet, why not go for the best deal. If a religion offers eternal life + two weeks, wouldn't that one be better than one that only offers eternal life, not to mention the one that wants to give you 72 virgins. Me, I'll stay an Atheist and hope that if some sort of god does exist, it will have a sense of humor and respect intelligence.
2006-10-30 12:52:50 · answer #2 · answered by iknowtruthismine 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If there is no god, and you devote your life to a being that doesn't exist, you DO have something to lose. Your life!
Believe it or not, your life IS conditioned by such a belief. You go to church, or give money to it, or frame a whole set of values based on it. And if you spend your life working for a fantasy, and this fantasy turns out to be false, you've actually wasted your life for nothing.
Mind you, I am not saying now that there is no god. I'm only answering to your post. And my point here is IF there is no god, and you live your life believing there is, then you've lost your life.
2006-10-30 12:37:13 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I believe in God due to the evidence -- the main piece of evidence being that our world exists. In the universe there is one rule that applies to everything. It's ENTROPY. If there were no God, maximum entropy would exist already and there would be nothing but chaotic matter everywhere. There is something out there holding it all together for his own reasons, whatever they may be. It would surprise me if any religious group were correct in their assessment of his reasoning. An ultimate being exists, whether we choose to call him God or some other name.
2006-10-30 12:32:40 · answer #4 · answered by Candidus 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I do believe in God with all my heart, and not because I do not have anything to lose by believing, but because deep down inside I am convinced of his presence and that everything happens for a reason. What's the meaning of believing without conviction, isn't this after all a contradiction?
I love this part of the gospel of Thomas: "Jesus said, " If you will express how much you have within you, what you have will save you. If you do not have it within you, what you do not have, will lose you." "
2006-10-30 12:44:53 · answer #5 · answered by Gospel of Thomas 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Unfortunately, it's not a game of poker or blackjack.
It's not something where you just hedge your bets.
Faith itself is NOT "well, I guess I'll believe just in case".
Faith is faith in the reality of the one true God, and in salvation thru His Son, Jesus. Your system would belittle both the gift and the sacrifice.
2006-10-30 12:29:46 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
of course there is a god...
the universe didn't create it self
but no one really knows the real nature of god
The thing is you don't need to
just have faith in whatever your religion is and be the best person you can be and most importantly enjoy every momet of your life
2006-10-30 12:25:59 · answer #7 · answered by KT 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If I believe God exists, and he doesn't, then I lose out on all my Sundays and pointless hours in Church and repenting for nothing.
2006-10-30 12:22:09 · answer #8 · answered by betsymaemae 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
You can be Happy either way, But with God your existence has substance.
2006-10-30 12:27:02 · answer #9 · answered by King 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Yes! God has always existed.
2006-10-30 12:21:20 · answer #10 · answered by FalennixonX 1 · 1⤊ 3⤋