Should i believe in God because if He is real i will go to heaven, but if He isnt real nothing will happen?

Question

This comes from Pascal's belief that we should believe in God because it is wise. For if He exists then we do not have to worry about going to hell. Whereas, if He does not exist we do not have to worry about hell anyway, and we won't lose anything.

I am concerned with the answer concerning life after death. If He exists will we go to heaven, and if He doesnt exists what have we lost?

Answer 1

http://www.near-death.com/storm.html

Answer 2

The problem with Pascals Wager is that it presumes there are only 2 choices. Then argues that it's better to pretend to believe one out of fear.

What if what god really wants is for you to wait until he proves himself to you? What if he wants you to avoid all of the conflicting contradicting religions of the world and emulate an infinitely intelligent being by waiting for proof of himself that can only come from him?

If god exists he could prove himself to all. If he is all knowing then he knows what would be proof for everyone. But he doesn't does he? Either he doesn't exist or he chooses not to. Why?

Could it be a test to see who waits for him to tell us what he wants and who abandons him in favor of a human claiming to know what he wants?

If there is a god who made us then he made us all begin without theism. Why? And shouldn't we stay that way until he changes us? Shouldn't we stay religiously neutral? Shouldn't we stay atheists as he made us all?

Answer 3

The problem is that you think of believing in God for personal gain rather than simply recognizing him as your creator. The plain truth is believing in God only will not save you from hell, you must love him with all your heart. Secondly, an ostrich will bury his head in fear, only making himself more vulnerable to the inevitable.

Answer 4

Do Buddhists believe in god?

No, we do not. There are several logical reasons for this. The Buddha, like modern scientists, sociologists and psychologists, believe that religious ideas and especially the god idea have their origin in fear. The Buddha says:

"Gripped by fear men go to the sacred mountains,
sacred groves, sacred trees and shrines" Dp 188

Primitive man found himself in a dangerous and hostile world, the fear of wild animals, of not being able to find enough food, of injury or disease, and of natural phenomena like thunder, lightning and volcanoes was constantly with him. Finding no security, he created the idea of god in order to give him comfort in good times, courage in times of danger and consolation when things went wrong. To this day, you will notice that people become more religious at times of crises, you will hear them say that the belief in a god or gods gives them the strength they need to deal with life. You will hear them explain that they believe in a particular god because they prayed in time of need and their prayer was answered. All this seems to support the Buddha’s teaching that the god-idea is a response to fear and frustration. The Buddha taught us to try to understand our fears, to lessen our desires and to calmly and courageously accept the things we cannot change. He replaced fear, not with irrational belief but with rational understanding.

The second reason the Buddha did not believe in a god is because there does not seem to be any evidence to support this idea. There are numerous religions, all claiming that they alone have god’s words preserved in their holy book, that they alone understand god’s nature, that their god exists and that the gods of other religions do not. Some claim that god is masculine, some that she is feminine and others that it is neuter. They are all satisfied that there is ample evidence to prove the existence of their god but they laugh in disbelief at the evidence other religions use to prove the existence of another god. It is not surprising that with so many different religions spending so many centuries trying to prove the existence of their gods that still no real, concrete, substantial or irrefutable evidence has been found. Buddhists suspend judgment until such evidence is forthcoming.

The third reason the Buddha did not believe in a god is that the belief is not necessary. Some claim that the belief in a god is necessary in order to explain the origin on the universe. But this is not so. Science has very convincingly explained how the universe came into being without having to introduce the god-idea. Some claim that belief in god is necessary to have a happy, meaningful life. Again we can see that this is not so. There are millions of atheists and free-thinkers, not to mention many Buddhists, who live useful, happy and meaningful lives without belief in a god. Some claim that belief in god’s power is necessary because humans, being weak, do not have the strength to help themselves. Once again, the evidence indicates the opposite. One often hears of people who have overcome great disabilities and handicaps, enormous odds and difficulties, through their own inner resources, through their own efforts and without belief in a god. Some claim that god is necessary in order to give man salvation. But this argument only holds good if you accept the theological concept of salvation and Buddhists do not accept such a concept. Based on his own experience, the Buddha saw that each human being had the capacity to purify the mind, develop infinite love and compassion and perfect understanding. He shifted attention from the heavens to the heart and encouraged us to find solutions to our problems through self-understanding.

But if there is no god how did the universe get here?

All religions have myths and stories which attempt to answer this question. In ancient times, when many simply did not know, such myths were adequate, but in the 20th century, in the age of physics, astronomy and geology, such myths have been superseded by scientific fact. Science has explained the origin of the universe without recourse to the god-idea.


What does the Buddha say about the origin of the universe?

It is interesting that the Buddha’s explanation of the origin of the universe corresponds very closely to the scientific view. In the Aganna Sutta, the Buddha describes the universe being destroyed and then re-evolving into its present form over a period of countless millions of years. The first life formed on the surface of the water and again, over countless millions of years, evolved from simple into complex organisms. 'All these processes are without beginning or end, and are set in motion by natural causes.'


But so many people believe in some form of god, it must be true.

Not so. There was a time when everyone believed that the world was flat, but they were all wrong. The number of people who believe in an idea is no measure of the truth or falsehood of that idea. The only way we can tell whether an idea is true or not is by looking at the facts and examining the evidence.

Written by: Ven. S. Dhammika.

Answer 5

Which god?