Would you rather have $1,000,000,000 or...?

Question

$1,000,000,000 or a sealed envelope that has an answer whether there's God or No God? What would you chose and why? Please I know some will say... I already know there's God, I will take $1,000,000,000. Remember, nothing is 100% guaranteed. ;)

Answer 1

I think I'd take the envelope. It seems like to me the truth is more important.

You can make a billion dollars after you know God does or doesn't exist. But you can't make the truth of whether or not God exists after receiving the billion dollars.

With choosing the envelope, you still have chances of getting the other with your own actions, etc. but with choosing the billion, you'll never have the chance of obtaining the other.

Answer 2

Supposing that it is 100% guaranteed that the money and the correct answer are there, then we must deal with the different scenarios. Afterall this is a philosophical questions

1) Take the money: If i take the money, then i will spend the rest of my life wondering what is the answer. However in the current state, i.e not without the existence of this choice/question itself, I would be spending the rest of my life wondering what the answer is, only difference is that I am 1 B poorer. So given this fact, the take the money option is very attractive.
2) Take the Envelope, and the answer is Yes, there is a God: Only problem with the answer is that it may not be definitive. For example If the envelope only says "Yes", then we have a serious problem, for starters, the money is gone, and now i am stuck with a HUGE problem, which religion on earth is right? because now that i know, that there is God, I also now know, that a bunch of people are going to hell, only probelm is I dont know who, and I maybe among them, so finding the "yes" answer is a very bad option. However supposing the answer for example is, "Yes, and it is Jehova and the Jewish religion". Now in this case I am doing well if i am Jewish. But i am not, then I have big issues still, because if I dont belive in that religion, and dont convert based on faith then here is what happened, a) the money is gone, b) i am faking it, c) i am pissing off the one God i know exist because i am lying to his face, there is no point.... the only recourse i have in this case is to somehow sell this information to the Jews and recover some the 1 B I just lost.
3) I find the answer, and there is No God. Then I can easily and since i know the money is there, kill the person holding the money, because really there are no moral consequences and I will not be punshed, I now have enought money to find the best legal team to defend me if I am caught. or just go along and do somethings that are thought to be immoral that generate a lot of cash.

So based on the above scenario 1 and 3 are the best choices, but given the likleyhood of a Yes answer to a religion I dont belong to is out there, I am more likley to take the 1B and pick a religion out of the blue, this way I am playing it safe all the way.

Answer 3

For me God is evident in everything -- whether there is an envelope or not and by taking the envelope I would feel like I am doubting God and would be ashamed. On the other hand money is here today and gone tomorrow I would much rather have something eternal. I think I would just walk away honestly for if the envelope told me there was no God the rest of my life would be pointless and the money is so much better when earned. It's true you could give a lot of it away but in actuality by taking it you would be giving away a lot more -- you would no longer have any privacy or security and never be able to trust that anyone is interested in you and not your fortune.

Maybe a hundred thousand at the most. That would pay off the house and car and maybe buy a good vacation but wouldn't change me. A deep question for a quick yahoo answer ;o)

Answer 4

I'd take the billion dollars. I'm not sure that "God or no God" has a yes or no answer. I mean, if the nature of God is beyond human understanding, then the answer to that question likely would also be beyond human understanding. It might make you insane, trying to understand it.
After all the text in the sealed envelope might have to first define "God" before answering the question of whether or not he/she/it exists. I'm reminded of the mathematician in the movie "Pi" who understood so much he went insane. I'd rather find out naturally, or never know, than arrogantly to take an answer I wasn't prepared for.
Besides, with a billion dollars at my disposal I could do a lot of good around the world and not have to deal with this religious stuff. A billion dollars would be a lot of pressure, but that's nothing compared to being either a prophet, or the only person with proof that God doesn't exist (depending on the answer to the question, you'd basically be one or the other.)

Answer 5

Wait, what kind of currency is that? USD? SGD? I don't wanna rupiah, rupee or other countries big amount currency with lesser value money u know....hehe

If it is USD 1 billion Dollars, of cos, needless to think, it's the money!With the money, I can have a group of elite good people such as US Navy Seal, Delta Force, or Commandos or Special Force and professional scholars with the right sum of hired money to do the work of finding the envelope that has an answer whether there's god or No god. hehe..

Mission 1: Recover the package in one safe piece.
Mission 2: To protect the package at all cost.
Mission 3: To authenticate the package is real or fake.
Mission 4: Growth the balance of my money for Charity works.
Mission 5: Part of the Profits are my luxury of life till the day I am gone.....
Remember : No money No talk. lol...

Answer 6

I would take the money. I don't need an envelope to tell me wether or not God is real. I have the Bible for that. And when you say that nothing is 100% guaranteed, are you believeing that you are a fool for taking the money and not "knowing" the truth. Or you would be a fool to take the envelope saying you trust that what is inside is the "truth".

Answer 7

God is 100% guaranteed. I have no doubts about that.
The $1,000,000,000 - hum! Could I be a better person with that much money? Maybe - maybe not. I could help people. But I could become a selfish snob too. When the opportunity comes I will decide if I want the $1,000,000,000.

Answer 8

You mean you have to have a sealed envelope to tell you IF there Is or Is Not a God. Give Me the Money.

Answer 9

Sorry but I would choose the money because I'm not really certain that I believe in God, I have a hard time believing in an entity that can give a child or anyone for that matter cancer or any other fatal disease, or famine, drought or wars for that matter. I understand the need for people to die but don't understand the suffering that people must live through, and for someone to say God doesn't give you more than you can handle that is just a blatant untruth.

Answer 10

I would choose the 1 billion. I'm not interested in knowing if there's a God. I just know that I feel great when I do good things and help out others. I'm doing it because I feel like that's what I'm supposed to do and it feels a lot better than doing bad things. If there is a God out there then its just an added bonus that I'm doing good in Her eyes.