Atheists: Have you read Pascal's wager?

Question

There are good critisms for the arguement, but Pascal makes a very good point. In the very least christains profess hope of eternal happiness. Atheists profess hope in absolutely nothing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_Wager

Some of you need to read the question a few more times to understand the point I was making. There are very good criticisms of Pascal's wager. I already said that. This is not a good argument for the existance of God.

However, Pascal makes a good point. So I will say it differently for the people who don't understand. Belief in God is optimisitic about happiness eternally. Belief that God does not exist is pessimistic about happiness eternally.

Do you agree or disagree, and why?

Answer 1

Moron... You are a moron who works for the government. Moron. Everyone knows Pascal was a moron. "Don't cast your pearls before swine!" Moron. I bet your an atheist too!

Answer 2

Yes I have but I prefer Atheist's Wager

A specific argument challenging the assumption that belief is rewarded is known as the Atheist's Wager. While Pascal suggested that it is better to take the chance of believing in a God that might not exist rather than to risk losing infinite happiness by disbelieving in a god that does, the Atheist's Wager suggests that:

You should live your life and try to make the world a better place for your being in it, whether or not you believe in God. If there is no God, you have lost nothing and will be remembered fondly by those you left behind. If there is a benevolent God, he may judge you on your merits coupled with your commitments, and not just on whether or not you believed in him

Answer 3

These were some arguments and opposing views made on the subject.

1. The first question he asks is "How do you know which God to believe in? Maybe Ganesh will be there instead." this is a bad argument because the wager assumes God and Jesus. Since it assumes God and Jesus by saying "the atheist goes to hell" If the man who believes in God gets to heaven and sees Ganesh it wouldn't matter because HELL itself is a Christian concept. Also most other religions don't make the similar claims that he suggests.

2. "God is not stupid. Won't He know that you're just trying to get a free ride into Heaven? How can you sincerely believe in a God simply out of convenience?

The problem with this argument is that Christians themselves don't believe out of mere convenience. Heaven is an after thought to the true christian. It is being virtuous that is at the forefront.

3. "If there is no God, you have still lost something. You have wasted a good portion of your life performing the various devotional rituals, attending Churches, praying, reading scripture and discussing your deity with His other followers. Not to mention giving your hard-earned money to the church, wasting your intelligence on theological endeavours and boring the hell out of people who really don't want to hear your Good News."

This argument is false because even if you believe to the moment of death and he doesn't exist there is a tremendous amount of mythical knowldge, teachings and philosophy contained in the scripture.

4. "It is often self-refuting, depending on the person's description of God. If you believe that God will forgive anyone for anything, or judge people purely on how they lived their life and not what they believed, or that everyone gets to Heaven regardless (unless maybe they were genocidal cannibal serial killers), then the Wager is meaningless. You might as well say "Believe in God, or you'll... erm... go to Heaven anyway." In such a case, it doesn't make a scrap of difference whether the person believes or not."

The problem with this argument is that denying the holy spirit is the only thing that isn't forgiven. Since an atheist has to deny the holy spirit to be an atheist this makes this argument false.

lastly there were 3 arguments contained in his web page that were mainly just ranting about atheism and how insulting Christians are. They are irrelevant and I left them out.

Answer 4

Well wouldn't Pascals wager fit Pagan Faiths better? I mean polytheists have a higher percentage that at least one of their gods are right. Wheres Abrahamists is more like the lottery. Pick one number out of 5,000 or so gods. Oh sorry the number we were looking for was 42.

Answer 5

*Cheers*
Have read it, understand it completely and have shown the absurdity of it several times.
Start with the basic mistake that there are only 2 choices - no God or the God depicted in the Old Testament and work your way up from there.

I have a better one for you. If you just follow the eightfold path and 5 precepts, you can achieve a higher reincarnation. Why won't you put down that hamburger and follow me to Nirvana.
I call this Pangloss' Wager.

Answer 6

Keep in mind that Pascal declares the reality of God to be unknowable and chose this as his demonstration case because of that.
Pascal's wager is in no way, shape or form an argument for God being real.
It is the first clear formulation of decision theory.

http://ucsub.colorado.edu/~hafere/PHIL1000/Faith%20And%20Reason.htm

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pascal-wager/

Answer 7

Yes I have, but there are some faults, too. For example, how do you know that, by believing in Christianity, you're believing in the RIGHT god? Pascal only assumed that either atheism or Christianity was right....but what if neither is?

Answer 8

If I were an Atheist, I take up my belief knowing that if I am wrong then I will suffer the consequences, but I would not care because I would be willing to follow my beliefs no matter what the consequence. Also there is the Ignostic view; which "God" is it that you believe in? Is it the one that punishes everyone, the merciful one that spares everyone, or the one who passes judgment accordingly...etc.

Answer 9

Never read it. But apparently the author doesn't know his butt from his elbow when it comes to atheism.

Hope for absolutely nothing? What, we're not allowed to hope that we've left the world better than when we came into it? We don't hope our children has productive and happy lives? Please. Having heard this view I would be sure to not even look past the cover of a book should I see it on a shelf somewhere.

Answer 10

but pascal wager(if you read it and understand) is basically a gamble..if you follow God based on that, you are saying..if there is a God, then well on good,,i'll be fine/safe from "hell"..and if not..then it doesnt matter either way. You are following for YOUR best interest not faith. Total gamble, which is essentially sin.

Answer 11

Pascals Wager is possibly the worse argument against Atheism and is not worth considering.