dB-Paradox Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Had a Christian friend tell me today that because she was a Christian, she won either way. Referring to me losing, should it be true that there is a god and I don't believe in it. WOW!!! I was shocked at the ignorance! SHOCKED!!! I guess she hadn't thought that Islam might be right, or that the Jews might be right, or that Hinduism might be right, or that.....we could go on and on! Should any of the other religions be right (and therefore Christianity wrong), she is gambling just as much as I am! Gotta love the Christian mindset! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franko47 Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 On Judgement Day, God will have a special row for the "Pascal's Wager" crowd. "Sorry, but Man does not play dice with God".... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnceConvinced Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Yeah, I can't believe how stupid that wager is. Of course the Christian has the mindset that their God is the one true God so can't possibly concieve that by following Christ they might be enraging many other Gods and one of them may be the one true God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vixentrox Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Well Christians are by and large idiots for the faith so no shocker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The-Captain Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 That is a terrible attitude for her to take, has she really considered the implications of "winning" and "losing" here? As for the wager itself it is still a valid proposition, as long as the Christian can prove that their lifestyle is indeed best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagan Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Pascal's wager is weak, but a friend of mine who thinks the same way I do told me that it's the only thing between him and atheism/agnosticism. He says he has chosen to believe, on the chance it might be true. Me, I guess I've chosen not to gamble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
★ Citsonga ★ Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 He says he has chosen to believe, on the chance it might be true. How does one choose to believe? If you're not convinced of something being true, then you don't really, fully believe it. You're left with wishful thinking and/or pretending to believe, in which case wouldn't an omniscient deity know it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagan Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 He says he has chosen to believe, on the chance it might be true. How does one choose to believe? If you're not convinced of something being true, then you don't really, fully believe it. You're left with wishful thinking and/or pretending to believe, in which case wouldn't an omniscient deity know it? I dunno. I think he keeps his mind in a tentative state where he can still believe, as long as he doesn't think about it too hard, and he doesn't look too hard at claims of the miraculous which he uses to support his fragile beliefs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShallowByThyGame Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 the only way to win is to not play the game Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 I had Pascal's wager presented to me on facebook, in a twisted sort of way, and the poster was convinced she thought of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyone Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 the only way to win is to not play the game Reminds me of the movie War Games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godsfavoritecolor Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Dear Pascal’s Wager Believer: Are you happier as a believer? If so, great. If not, you’re not getting any of your past unhappy time back. And if there is no Heaven you've wasted your one and only life being unhappy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeHoya Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 I had Pascal's wager presented to me on facebook, in a twisted sort of way, and the poster was convinced she thought of it. Haha, believe it or not, when I was twelve I independently came up with Pascal's Wager and went into AOL chatrooms trying to convert people with it. Needless to say, I was a tad disappointed when I found out that I had been beaten to it by a few centuries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShallowByThyGame Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 the only way to win is to not play the game Reminds me of the movie War Games. Yes, that is the reference ;-) I'm pretty sure I too came up with Pascal's wager during my time of troubles...it's really not that complex of a process, Pascal didn't invent it he just popularized it. It underlines that fear is what Christianity is based on, not love. If one can reach this point, they can admit that they can't really tell if God exists or not, which is why they are gambling...playing with their faith likes it's a game of chance, and trying to hedge their bets by trumping up the threat of punishment as the only reason they need to believe, therefore any other argument is unnecessary. The wager is almost always a sign of 'I've been doubting my faith but now I'm really scared at what that means and want to stop, and this argument makes me feel safe again without much thought.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Non-Redneck Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 For those who follow Pascal's wager, how do they know they're following it correctly? After all, Jesus did say that not everyone who call him "Lord" would be admitted into the Kingdom of Heaven, but those who do the will of the Father (Yahweh). What if they gamble on Jesus, but don't do the Father's will correctly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 We are at an unfortunate disadvantage in that we have no good news to spread about eternal life and streets of gold. Only reality, which we all agree sucks at times. And if we're right, no one will ever know it. I see no god because it's the only thing that makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnceConvinced Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 For those who follow Pascal's wager, how do they know they're following it correctly? After all, Jesus did say that not everyone who call him "Lord" would be admitted into the Kingdom of Heaven, but those who do the will of the Father (Yahweh). What if they gamble on Jesus, but don't do the Father's will correctly? That's a great point. I'm gonna make a note of that one for the next time I hear some Christian take the heavenly gamble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dB-Paradox Posted March 13, 2010 Author Share Posted March 13, 2010 We are at an unfortunate disadvantage in that we have no good news to spread about eternal life and streets of gold. Only reality, which we all agree sucks at times. And if we're right, no one will ever know it. I see no god because it's the only thing that makes sense. I'm going to disagree. The message atheism sends is loud and clear. And it's a good message. We've only got one life to live, so make the most of it. Love those around you here and now because there's no afterlife in which to do it. Be the best husband/wife, father/mother, son/daughter, friend and all around person you can be. Don't wait until some eternal heaven to spend time with your loved ones. Spend it with them now! We only get one shot at this, so make it the best you can! If anything, we have an advantage. We're not spreading fear into anyone along with that message, except that if you mess up here, you have no chance to fix in a later life. But that's not a fear as much as it is a challenge to do better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FourDogBrewing Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 I'm going to disagree. The message atheism sends is loud and clear. And it's a good message. We've only got one life to live, so make the most of it. Love those around you here and now because there's no afterlife in which to do it. Be the best husband/wife, father/mother, son/daughter, friend and all around person you can be. Don't wait until some eternal heaven to spend time with your loved ones. Spend it with them now! We only get one shot at this, so make it the best you can! If anything, we have an advantage. We're not spreading fear into anyone along with that message, except that if you mess up here, you have no chance to fix in a later life. But that's not a fear as much as it is a challenge to do better. This is how I feel spot on. I grew up in a missionary family, it appalls me how much time and effort has been wasted already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 I'm going to disagree. The message atheism sends is loud and clear. And it's a good message. We've only got one life to live, so make the most of it. Love those around you here and now because there's no afterlife in which to do it. Be the best husband/wife, father/mother, son/daughter, friend and all around person you can be. Don't wait until some eternal heaven to spend time with your loved ones. Spend it with them now! We only get one shot at this, so make it the best you can! If anything, we have an advantage. We're not spreading fear into anyone along with that message, except that if you mess up here, you have no chance to fix in a later life. But that's not a fear as much as it is a challenge to do better. This is how I feel spot on. I grew up in a missionary family, it appalls me how much time and effort has been wasted already. Sorry, but "enjoy this life, it's all you have" is no match for eternal joy and reunited families and milk and honey and bejeweled palaces. Organized religion knows and uses that fact. If I could believe, there'd be no competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hungrydingo Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 Of the thousands of gods humans have invented, they think they're playing it safer by believing in 1 more god than atheists? Not a very logical bet.. that's like playing roulette and continuously playing the same number every spin. All the more reason why religious beliefs (or lack of) shouldn't be a gamble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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