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Pascal's Wager states that there are four options:
Therefore, logically you should believe in God... just in case. Well... here's the problem with 'Pascal's Wager' |  |
Pascal presents the argument as a simple 'believe or not' wager kind of like 'black or red' on a roulette wheel, where you wager very little and have the opportunity to win everything. Problem is, the question ISN'T just "believe or not" - there are quite literally thousands of religions, sects and superstitions that have specific requirements for salvation while adding the threat of death for those who believe any other way. Now, instead of a 'black or red' bet you are looking at a roulette wheel the size of Caesar's Palace with thousands of options! Most atheists or agnostics will tell you that it's far more likely that there is no god or at least no god with a salvation agenda and some religions/philosophies allow for salvation without a specific doctrine. The idea that an intelligent, feeling creator would torture his children in hell forever because deity-enforced ignorance caused them to choose incorrectly is just mindbogglingly cruel. So let's add a huge list of '0's and '00's to the wheel meaning that if the ball falls into these holes no one wins. Okay - now we've doubled the size of the wheel from ten thousand to twenty thousand slots. You are looking at a roulette wheel the size of a city block with chips in your hand representing a small percentage of your life, money, happiness, sanity and energy. Do you take these precious chips and place them on such a far-fetched wager? As you watch, each slot in the wheel slips by offering you no evidence to believe - just threatening you with new and more ingenious forms of eternal damnation for disbelieving - is this enough to make you choose a slot or are you brave enough to take your chips and go home?
Is Pascal's Wager a good way to live your life?
Can you imagine living your life catering to every superstition or conman that threatened you with death or hellfire? Pascal's Wager would have you fill out every chain letter on the off chance that you could be wrong that they are superstitious nonsense. Pascal's Wager would have you join all the UFO cults, if you're wrong then nothing happens - if you're right than you get to go off in the big UFO. You'd have to serve Krishna and Vishnu - stand on a street corner and pass out leaflets - what if they're right? What if the Moonies are right? What if Reverend Moon really is Jesus and you've just been pooh-poohing it? How would you feel finding out in HELL that you rejected a Korean Jesus? What about... Thor, Jupiter, Athena, Ra, Quetzacoatl, Mohammed, The Coyote, Buddha, Raamtha, Woden - according to Pascal's Wager we should provide all these deities and prophets with equal amounts of supplication and worship. What if their followers are right? Now if conmen believed that the majority of people thought this way - THEY would make ridiculous, outrageous pronouncements simply adding the clause that if you didn't believe in this inane hoax - you would go to hell. Well... following Pascal's COWARDLY Wager - you would have to follow every conman's game - you don't want that chance of being wrong and ending in hell do you?
The lesson here is that you shouldn't make decisions based on fear and ignorance.
You must have the courage to make decisions based on truth, reason and evidence.