Some christians say that if they are right about God then they get to go to heaven, and if they are wrong, nothing is really lost. If an atheist is right, nothing is lost, but they are wrong, then they will spend eternity in hell, so why not just believe? But most of the people I know can't force themselves to believe something. Wouldn't God accept someone who honestly disbelieves over someone who dishonestly believes?
2007-10-03 14:08:45 · 19 answers · asked by Cameron C. 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Great logic I could have said it better myself ....so I won't!
Just to clairify I like only the last sentance of your question I am Agnostic and I would want someone to repect my "honest disbeliefs" of God rather then force me to "dishonestly believe".
2007-10-03 14:11:50 · answer #1 · answered by I OnlyHaveEyes4U (A.B.O.C) 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Atheists are dishonest people. The lie to themselves. If they were honest the most they could say is I don't know if there is a God or not. Atheists claim to know there is no God. They can do no such thing. They'd have to be all knowing to make that claim. Can an atheist tell you how many grains of sand on all the seashores of the world? Can an atheist tell you how much gold is still in the earth? Their knowledge is puny. They don't know. Their earnest statement that there is no God is more hope so than reality. It is more insistence than true. Nonetheless, man has to die, and after that the judgment. A sheep appears white against the green pasture, but after the virgin snow falls, the sheep looks dirty. Man justifies himself, but against the pure light of God's holy law, man is filthy. All his righteousnesses are like dirty rags in a garbage can. In that moment the atheist will know that he knew there was a God all along. He won't be able to deny it. These are ominous words spoken by Jesus: Hearing, they don't hear; seeing, they don't see, lest at any time they should repent and believe and be saved.
2007-10-03 14:37:45 · answer #2 · answered by pshdsa 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
"Wouldn't God accept someone who honestly disbelieves over someone who dishonestly believes? ..." Interesting point, but whenever a version of Pascal's Wager pops up here, I always wonder *which* God? Osiris wouldn't recognize any Christians as his own, nor would Zeus or Thor. So if someone else's God is the real God, Christians become the "atheists" and lose.
2007-10-03 14:18:04 · answer #3 · answered by Emerald Blue 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
!!! DRINK !!!
Wow, I haven't seen Pascal's Wager mentioned all day.
Seriously though, you've pointed out one of the many flaws of this tiresome argument. Here are a bunch more, summarized from the website below:
1) This still begs the question of which religion to follow, which then begs the question of which sect to follow. They all claim to be "right" ones, and one has just as much validitiy as the next. No matter which religion you choose, there's always another one that tells you you're going to hell for that choice.
2) We don't know if you have "nothing to lose" with the God option. As you point out, maybe God smites people for trying to pull a fast one, or maybe for just being stupid enough to fall for the argument. In fact, spending an entire life in self-loathing doesn't sound like "nothing to lose" to me.
3) If the existence of God is at least debatable, then why should details like "If God exists, then not believing in him is bad" should be any less debatable?
2007-10-03 14:11:09 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 1⤋
Wouldn't God accept someone who honestly disbelieves over someone who dishonestly believes?
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I believe the Holy Spirit of God Opens the spiritual eyes and heart of each individual at the right opportunity or moment to see the truth in a way that they didn't see before. It is free will that accepts following the truth or refuses to follow.
2007-10-03 14:33:05 · answer #5 · answered by guitarrman45 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a Christian I think this reasoning (Pascal's Wager) is ridiculous and not in any way indicative of a true experience with Jesus Christ that would lead to salvation....We don't believe because it is a safe bet, we believe because we have been baptized with the Holy Spirit.
2007-10-03 14:14:32 · answer #6 · answered by whitehorse456 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That's called "Pascal's Wager." It's a crap argument that theists really should stop using. It was debunked long ago.\
The fallible thing about it is that, say, a Muslim could use the same thing. "I believe in Allah, I lose nothing." And so on. Someone from any religion could use it.
I suck at explaining, but that's the basic reason it's a terrible argument.
2007-10-03 14:13:35 · answer #7 · answered by Redac 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
God knows the heart.
He would not accept the honest disbeliever or the liar . . . I mean dishonest believer.
2007-10-03 14:24:41 · answer #8 · answered by T W 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To paraphrase C.S.Lewis, maybe it matters more what God thinks of us than what we think of God.
O.K. a bit less cryptically, "What we believe about God" is not expressed in words, but in actions. As James reminds us, "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." and "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do." To honestly believe requires more than intellectual assent; it requires that we "take up or cross and follow".
Eek! I've used two scriptural references in one answer! I could loose my card-carrying-Episcopalian status!
2007-10-03 14:34:04 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You bring up the wrong point.
if "betting" on god is the safe bet....who's to say it's the Christian god? What if Islam is correct? Or Zeus?
This is the real reason Pascal's Wager doesn't hold water becuase Christians can't use it on themselves.
2007-10-03 14:14:03 · answer #10 · answered by Tony AM 5 · 5⤊ 0⤋