Then why can't they anser this. If you don't believe in God when you die, and there is a God, your screwed. If you believe in God when you die, and there is no God, what have you lost?
2009-08-06T19:19:09Z
Of all the answers here, no one really has an answer.
I never claimed to be smart.
2009-08-06T19:21:40Z
There are only two options. Either Gos exists or he doesn't. The areguments about how many gods there are is created by idiots who want to divert attention from the arguement. You can't create new points. It is it's own arguement. Either there is a judgement day and you will answer for your stupidity or there is no judgement day and all you are is worm food.
Spelling is optional. All the smart people can spell till time stands still. It doesn't answer the question posed.
2009-08-06T19:23:18Z
You are right. You can not force your self to believe anything. But faith is like jumping in to a pool of water. When you believe, you go all in. You jump in with both feet and know your going to be fine.
2009-08-06T19:36:09Z
I never claimed that athiests were smarter that Christians. Who says I am Christian anyway? Pick your God.
No one who has claimed to be atheist has actually answered the question. You have dodged it by asking another question. If you wanted to ask a question, post your own.
2009-08-06T19:42:01Z
Someone said you keep your open mindedness? ROFL if that isn't a load. To blindly insult a persons faith in God is in fact CLOSED MINDED. The insult is that if we believe in God, we are closed minded.
2009-08-06T19:47:52Z
I love how this question really brings out the best in people.
a. you're assuming there is not a god. b. you're assuming God will not give us life after death. c. you're assuming God does not have a reward/punishment system. d. you're assuming God isn't forgiving (why is this a contradiction? It's part of the teachings.) God gives you a way to heaven. It's up to you to take that path. If you don't you by default take the path to hell. e. you're assuming one can not just change one's beliefs. It happens every day. It depends on your situtation in life. f. you're assuming that believeing is God is a ploy. It is in fact an all or nothing venture. g. you're assuming you gain something by not believing in God. It is an insult to say that people with faith are not sane, indepenant or open minded.
Anonymous2009-08-06T10:51:53Z
Favorite Answer
Pascals wager though having a simple childlike logic, is an arguement for those who are weak in the faith
I have found it interesting though, seeing the answers above that no one can really offer anything real against it.
Like the one person said his sanity and all that and no good works and all that Blah Blah Blah, Whats the Difference ? If God doesn't exist Then when you die none of that matters, so whats the Fuss ? doing it for the next generation ? Equally idiotic as the same thing applies, Now, lets take that all the way to the end when the world ends by Super nova, every thing everyone ever did every where is for nothing, as no one left will remember it.
However if God does exist ? Hmm a Chance no Logical and rational thinkiing person can just simply ignore or dismiss by simply saying Epic fail, Thats stupidity at it's best.
Well, we can spell. And most of us know the difference between a possessive pronoun and a contraction. And being a grammar snob, I'd suggest you find a way to reword that first question, but I get your point.
And my answer is: *headdesk*
Just when I thought the Christian trolls had found a new way to torment us, you have to drag this old, old chestnut out. We have answered it many times, and either you are too lazy to search or none of the answers were the ones you wanted.
Okay, I'm agnostic. I will admit I'm kinda hedging my bets, but really, I don't know for sure that there is no god, but there's no evidence that there is. Sure it's possible, but not probable.
So if I don't believe in the right god, I could very well be in a pickle when I die. But then, what if the god you worship isn't the right god? You're also in a boatload of trouble, especially when you consider all the crap you did in the name of your false god. If there is a god, I hope s/he would look at what I did and understand why I didn't believe and worship.
But let's say I decide to believe just in case there is a god. Again, if I pick the wrong god, I'm screwed, especially because I was dishonest. If there is no god, I still have to face the fact that I wasted my life for something that doesn't exist when I could have been living life to the fullest. I will have lost my integrity, something that seems to be a foreign concept to those of you trying to convert us.
Ray Patterson - The dude abides2009-08-06T10:59:45Z
1) "atheists" You see that? Maybe the reason atheists claim to be smarter than Christians is that for some reason the really aggressive Christians never even seem to be able to spell? 2) drink! 3) unfortunately those are not the only options. What if instead there is a big green monster that only hurts people who believe in God, and rewards everyone else? 4) is this a reason to believe in God? Do you really think that if there is a God, and he asks me why I believed in him, and I'll say "well, that's my best bet, right?" he'd be ok with that? Also, do you think it's possible to believe something just for the benefits of it? Could you believe that the moon is made of marshmellows if I gave you a million dollars for believing that?
This is called Pascal's Wager, and it is one of the oldest formal logic arguments in favor of theism. It is also horribly flawed and was debunked almost as soon as it was written by Blaise Pascal.
First off, it assumes a false dichotomy, that there are only two options: god exists, or god does not exist. It completely ignores the question of which god one should believe in. There are dozens of mainstream religions in the world, and for each of those, there are hundreds of sub-groups. Then there are the thousands of fringe groups. All of these groups have their own beliefs that are in most cases contradictory to those of other belief systems. In many cases, you are told that if you don't follow the correct religion, you will be damned for eternity. When you take these factors into account, you find that statistically, even if a correct faith exists, you are much more likely to have chosen the wrong faith and you'll be damned anyway.
Secondly, it assumes that you can consciously choose to believe in something, and that this is enough to please whatever god you believe in. Most people who lack belief in a god do so because they are not convinced by the evidence (or lack thereof). To think that we could somehow save ourselves by going through the motions of belief while still being unconvinced seems ridiculous when you claim that god is all-knowing.
"If you believe in God when you die, and there is no God, what have you lost?"
And last but not least, it is not a zero sum wager. Let's ignore the first two points and assume you only have one faith to choose from, and you only have to go through the rituals in order to be saved, without necessarily being convinced that their god exists. So you spend a couple hours a week, at least, worshiping this god. You base all your choices and opinions on what you think this god wants you to do. You donate a significant portion of your income to help spread the faith.
Then you die, and you just cease to exist because there is no god and no afterlife. All that time, all that money was wasted. What choices would you have made differently? Would you have done things that made you happier? Spent more time with friends and family? Used some of your money to help others improve their quality of life?
And what about faith groups that actually cause harm to people? Groups that forgo medical treatment for themselves and their children. Groups that believe in witchcraft, torturing and burning those they believe are guilty of it. Groups that seek holy war against unbelievers. Groups that take over governments and force everyone to live by their rules, including those that don't share their beliefs.
Pascal's Wager is a very silly argument, and if it's the only reason someone believes in their religion, they should really do some more thinking on the subject.