Athiests, What if God does exist? Wouldnt you rather be safe than sorry?

Question

I know this is kind of a sick question, and I dont encourage people to become beleivers just to be "safe", but this is just a question. If I was not a Christian, and I knew that being an athiest meant that I would go to hell if I was wrong about God not existing, i would seriously re-consider. Honestly, if you are a Christian, and then end up being wrong about God's existence, then oh well. you dont lose anything. You live life as well as you can, and then you die, no biggie. But if you are an athiest or whatever, and you are wrong, and God DOES exist, the consequences are great. Yikes, scary thought. What do you think?

Oh, and no, the reason I am a Christian is not just to save my butt from hell. I'm just wondering why others dont embrace something that promises eternal life and promotes love and kindness, and instead they risk missing out on all that.

Forgive me... I've never heard of this "pascal's wager". Explain?

LOL, and whats with the drinking?

Hey, I'm just as against holy wars as the next guy. Homosexuality? Who gives a damn? Thats their choice, and personally, I am a married woman who is totally open to the prospect of sleeping with another woman at the mutal consent of her, and my husband. oooohhhhh!!! Am I gonna burn? I dont think so. I dont care what other people do, as long as it doesnt hurt myself or the people I love. They have the right to their choices as much as I do, and I wouldnt want someone telling me I cant get married, or cant have kids, or cant do whatever.

Answer 1

I don't care about ''consequences'' -I'll be dead! I don't care about ''Hell'' either.

Answer 2

Actually the Bible says that if we, as Christians are wrong, then we are to be pitied above all others because we could have been partying it up and living for today and for self gratification. If there is no eternity with God, then the best we are ever going to get is here and now, and we would be foolish to deny ourselves anything that brings pleasure.

I do understand your point. The truth is vitally important because all of eternity rests on it, so why don't atheists consider that and really take a closer look at what God says about who he is and about the future for believers and unbelievers?

The Bible answers that question by saying they are blind to spiritual truth and "wise in their own eyes." When people place themselves over God, God gives them over to their ideas, so that the truth is unrecognizable to them. "Professing to be wise, they become fools."

The doesn't mean they are without hope. Many atheists have come to the place of belief, but it isn't that common overall and often not without some major catastrophic event that shakes the atheist to the core.

"Pascal's Wager" is the argument made by a philosopher names Pascal who argued that it would be a better "bet" or "wager" to bet on Christianity and God than on Atheism, from a purely logical standpoint. It is the basic argument that you are making.

Answer 3

My religion embraces love and kindness so I'm not missing out. My question is, how come I must believe in your perception of God? I believe in the one God and many other gods. I just don't believe Christians have the right perception of God. From my point of view you guys make him (actually 'it') out to be much more of a tyrant that it really is. And I think you've all given God way too much responsibility for taking care of you individually on things you could very well do yourselves. But you don't hear me telling you to convert to my religion because you're gonna be sorry, do you? I mean - if Christianity works for you - great. But not everyone needs religion and that's okay. From my experience, the God I worship does not condemn atheists or any religion. God simply is. Why do you guys insist on using scare tactics to try to convert people? God told me there is no hell (hey - you guys think you're the only ones with a direct line to God?), except here on earth. And we create that for ourselves. :)

Answer 4

In answer to you "additional questions" Pascal's Wager is French philosopher Blaise Pascal's theory that it is a better "bet" to believe that God exists. "Just in case".
As for the drinking, the question is asked on here so often that we created a "drinking game" around it. (There are some questions that are repeated frequently, and they're all a part of the "drinking game.")

Answer 5

oh jeez...Ok ...that would be considered hypocrisy. I would not be a "true" believer, would I? Don't you think your god would catch on that I was only riding Jesus' coat-tails just for the salvation promised?

If you suddenly won the lottery and made the statement that you would be giving one million dollars to only your "true" friends...how many do you think would show up? and of those...how many do you think was being truthful and not just there for the promise of the money? Do you see what I am saying?

I really do not think you would be truly saved if that is what you did.

Thanks for the drink and the 2 points!

Answer 6

Ladybird, I only gave you a factor. i won't have the ability to answer for the others. the reason i've got come right here, is by technique of the fact there are Christians who run faraway from protecting their faith. They cover from questions. They declare persecution. Then they vote. whilst they vote, they tell people a thank you to stay their lives. They enter our maximum deepest area, and insist finished administration over it. That have been given previous. So right here i'm, desperate to hold them in charge. i've got study the entire Bible. i've got yet to fulfill any Christians right here who can say a similar.

Answer 7

I see your point, and I do wonder what's going to happen to me when I die because I'm not sure whether or not God exists, but I can't choose to be safe rather than sorry because I can't come to terms with the idea God truly exists. Once that is proven to me without a doubt, then I will believe. Otherwise, I can't just decide to believe in God just to ensure my ticket to heaven when I die. If he doesn't want to show himself to me in this lifetime, then I have no idea what to expect when I die.

Answer 8

OH YOU CAN NOT SERIOUSLY BE ASKING THIS INANE QUESTION.

- why, of all the hundreds of gods is your god the correct one?
- why would god appreciate me "faking it" because that is all there will ever be?
- why the frack would a "loving" god resign me to eternal damnation for following the evidence I have so carefully followed?
- why do you assume you can suddenly "believe" in god? I am fairly fracking convinced there are no sky daddies, how will I do a mental 180?
- and hey, if I am right, are you completely wasting your life following meaningless rituals?

You know, you don't need a god watching to be a decent human being. In fact, I'd say the likelyhood is higher you won't go off on a holy war or discriminating people for, say, homosexuality because that is WHAT IT SAYS IN A BIGOTED BOOK THAT HAS BEEN WRITTEN IN OVER 9 CENTURIES AND WHICH HAS BEEN HEAVILY EDITED AND WHICH IS FALLING FURTHER BEHIND THE TIMES EVERY MINUTE?

edit: you should read the bible. Both OT and NT say homosexuality is abomination. Wasn't the bible, you know, CORE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE? For clarity, I am NOT shouting at you because of homosexuality or holy wars. I am shouting because every frigging tenth christian on here reinvents the frigging wager (and you should read up on Pascal, he was a brilliant man otherwise), and YOU ALL DO NOT SEE THE FLAWS. To me, your hell is imaginary as your sky daddy. And again, if he would resign me to hell for not believing in him for which I have every fracking reason in the world because honey, invisible pink unicorns are more likely, then I would never follow him anyway. What a horrible small-minded little god that would be.

Answer 9

I see you are already being schooled on the errors of Pascal's Wager, so I'll just jump in and get my 2 points.

Good luck on guessing at the existence of and tricking the correct god into thinking you actually believe in him/her BTW...
Peace!

Answer 10

I embrace love, and kindness, and living a good life.

Pascal's wager is cheap. I don't believe in God, so it would be hypocritical for me to act otherwise.

What if you worship the wrong god?

What if you can't force belief?

*drink*

Answer 11

Here I was, thinking I'd get through the day without a Pascal's Wager question!