If aethists are so smart...?

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.

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.

Interesting how many Atheist make suge a Hige deal over Spelling as if it is the end all and be all of all that, Typical Atheist Bull Crap.

As For Pascals Wager, So far No one has offered any real defense against it, But Blah Blah Blah, Epic Fail on thier part

...I believe in God but...I personally (Please God dont strike me with lightning) hope that atheists are right....so that I dont have to be judged. I can just float on to nothingness....

I really really really hope Hell doesnt exist. >.<

Edit: Mocking him about his spelling is very immature and its more like a low blow. Everyone goes through spelling errors and typos so why pick on him now for such a small thing? Oh yeah its because of his question. Just the other day I forgot how to spell 'jealous' and 'beautiful' dang I think I still spelled it wrong? Its been so long since Ive used those words xD

I haven't seen Pascal's Wager in a few days now. I guess it was time for a reappearance.

The wager makes two unsupportable assumptions: first, that there are only two possibilities and second, that an all-knowing God couldn't tell sincere belief from hedging one's bets.

What if you're worshiping the wrong god? You're screwed.

Ok, we all know this is pascels wager.

So let me ask you this, what if the god you believe exists isn't the right one. What if another religion is right?

So if any of the other hundreds of religions out there are right, your screwed.

Why don't you just convert to every religion just to be safe?

Plus i don't want to waste my life asking forgiveness for being human.

Consider your question answered.

Which god? there are lots of possible gods. Any number of them existing could mean that christians or muslims or jews are totally screwed after death.

Plus what if there is a god that doesn't take in brainwashed idiots like religious people?

Cheers, Pascal!