They lose their souls!
If I'm proven wrong I lose nothing
but if Atheists are proven wrong
they are in serious trouble!
So isn't it better to just believe!
2007-02-19 08:52:07 · 49 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Don't you see the flaw with this argument?
If you believe in God, shouldn't you believe out of want not necessity.
God can see through this, and can see who "believes" simply for his own benefit--as opposed to God's.
2007-02-19 08:56:20 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Can't you guys come up with anything newer than Pascal's wager, which was shown to be ridiculous over 200 years ago?
Isn't it better to live by the truth, which is demonstrable and provable, than to spend your life believing in a fairy tale for which there is no evidence of any kind? If your god existed (there's no evidence he does, but just for the sake of argument), don't you think he wouldn't be satisfied by "belief" just for the sake of "just in case?"
If you're proven wrong (and actually, you already have been -- you just don't accept it), you waste the one and only life you have doing meaningless rituals, fighting over nonsensical doctrine and dogma, and spending your whole life trying to get into a "heaven" that doesn't exist, all while ignoring real knowledge, learning, and the wonder of the real world around you. That's what you lose.
Since there is no hell to go to (go ahead -- prove me wrong), and since there never *can* be any proof that there is one, atheists lose nothing. They gain a life of enlightenment, reason, and freedom from superstition, dogma, and control by religious zealots.
2007-02-19 08:59:35 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
just on the off chance you're serious...
Pascal's wager:
"If god exists, it's infinitely better to believe, since you get heaven instead of hell for eternity. If he doesn't, it doesn't matter since you're dead anyway. So overall it's better to believe"
This is, of course, false.
Some of the problems with the argument:
* The implied assumption that god may exist (with a 50% probability, no less!)
* The assumption that there is an afterlife with a heaven and hell
* The assumption that the god cares about belief in him/her above all else
* The assumption that if you believe in a god, it will definitely be the same god that actually exists.
* The assumption that you lose nothing if it's false. You have lost a great deal, from time praying to a nonexistent entity (somebody mentioned just today praying several hours a day!!!) to morality (your god may ask you to hurt other people) and much more besides.
* The assumption that people can believe in something simply because it benefits them. Would you believe goblins exist for twenty bucks? Why not?
* The assumption that any god won't see through the "believing just to get into heaven" ploy.
For more:
http://www.abarnett.demon.co.uk/atheism/wager.html
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pascal-wager/
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/theism/wager.html
2007-02-19 08:55:03 · answer #3 · answered by eldad9 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
No, this is a common misconception. The thought that, we as Atheists, will loose nothing. We would loose our free will to believe in what we want, to not be dominated by a religion that has no merit, and our dignity. The problem is you are looking at it from an insurance point of view. We are not, because we don't believe in god, there is no insurance in believing and it's forced conformity. I would feel like an idiot if I was made to say that the world was created in 7 days, that all the animals were squished onto the ark, ect ect. I would be loosing my rational thought.
2007-02-19 08:56:32 · answer #4 · answered by fifimsp1 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no, i've been there before as a believer and found it to b a very sad and depressing lifestyle. the ppl in the church were supposed to be a safe haven from the world of non believers. I found it an absolute relief to get out of there. i can control my life to my ability and not live it blindly in believing in some thing that i find not to exist. I can live my life knowing that i'm a good person and not be judged by other christians because i'm not outgoing.
2007-02-19 09:00:02 · answer #5 · answered by lookingforanswersandquestions 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well what if you're worshiping the wrong God, then what? You might be in serious trouble, Anubis or Hades might not be so pleased with you Pascal's wagerers, to say nothing of the Aztec Gods.
2007-02-19 08:56:22 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't believe in god so I can have an understanding of the universe that I live in. If I'm right then I haven't wasted my one and only life in an amazingly fascinating place however if I'm wrong I can look god in the eye and say I studied the universe and I could see no evidence for your existence.
Do you really want to waste your one and only life?
Say no to jesus
2007-02-19 08:55:26 · answer #7 · answered by Say no to jesus 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Man, they've got you good. Think about this. If you do believe in Santa, you get presents. If you dont, you get presents. Its all a myth. Chill out. And plus, I would just be like the Catholics: spend a whole life time doing bad then when Im 80 years old ask for forgivness. Problem solved!
2007-02-19 08:55:48 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
Well if you are wrong you lose a large portion of your life and if not and God is so loving and forgiving then atheists should still be able to get into heaven.
2007-02-19 08:56:39 · answer #9 · answered by Wardog 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ridiculous. There's no way out of this argument, either:
Can God Make a mountain too big for Him to move?
Catch-22 arguments, fear, coercion and Pascal are no reason to belive in God. If you are moved to believe in God becuause you see the good things that people do who believe in Him, then good. But if you believe in god to secure a place in the afterlife, then you're a little selfish.
We love our parents because they made us and raised us, not because we get their inheritance someday. I love God because He is amazing. I don't fear the afterlife, but I do fear God.
In the search for truth, beware the person who claims to have found it.
2007-02-19 09:00:54 · answer #10 · answered by Year of the Monkey 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋