Your question is essentially what is known as Pascal's wager (in English, Pascal's Wager). It was suggested by Blaise Pascal, French mathematician of the seventeenth century, and continues to be repeated (and repeated and repeated) by Christian apologists, many of whom apparently believe they are the first to reach this conclusion, as they do with that question an attitude of "I bet you never think about it!" ...
At first glance, seems to make sense. After all, a believer who is wrong (ie after all God does not exist) is not lost, apparently a big deal (finite loss), but a non-believer who is wrong (ie God exists after all) will be condemned to an eternity of suffering in Hell - endless punishment, and therefore infinite loss. So it makes sense to "play safe" and believe ... right?
Not exactly. Remember that Pascal suggested that there are about 350 years, a time when, basically, had around him a religion: Catholicism. Not so today ... there are hundreds if not thousands of variants of Christianity, many of which claim to be the only version / valid interpretation, being believers of all other versions as doomed as any "infidel." And that's just Christianity, other religions such as Judaism (with all its variants) and Islam (with all its variants) also include exclusivity requirements (and describe their gods as "jealous" - their words!). Because of this exclusivity is not allowed to choose various religions / gods at once, "just in case." And of course there are other religions in the world beyond the three monotheisms.
In fact, if we go by Pascal's Wager, with many religions, the odds of picking the wrong religion, and thus be condemned, are well above 99%, and for all intents and purposes indistinguishable from the chance to go to hell being a atheist (according to the bet).
Or, to put it another way: let's assume you are a Christian. Any Muslim will tell you that you will go to a "lake of fire" for not believing in Allah. It is better to believe, just in case? You're not risking a lot for not believing in Allah? But if you do, you have to reject the divinity of Jesus Christ (both religions require incompatible beliefs), and then, if Christianity is right also going to Hell.
You can not choose both. And the idea that "all worship the same god, and the various interpretations are valid" is a recently invented modernism, at all supported by the sacred books, nor by most believers of both religions. The same goes for the idea that "God is good and not send anyone to hell."
There are more problems with Pascal's Wager. For example, you can actually choose our beliefs? Would you be able to decide tomorrow that, for safety reasons, no longer believe in Yahweh / Jesus, and believe that Allah is the one true god? This belief was sincere? And if not sincere, do you think some god really worthy of the name to be deceived?
It's not really true that a believer who is wrong (that is, believe it all his life, and ultimately there is no god) "do not lose much." This will be a topic for another post in this blog, but very short, such a believer, largely wasted his life, betrayed his intellect and reality, a lie promoted, fought the education and advancement of science, probably contributed to increase the human suffering (believers in general are more conservative than the rest of the population, and therefore find it perfectly acceptable - even virtuous - take basic rights to others (homosexuals, women, etc..) spread disease or prohibiting the use of condoms and opposed to sex education, because "God so wills"), and accepted ignorance (embodied in the answer "God did it") instead of really trying to understand the world in which we live. In short, wasted his life on behalf of a lie. The fear of admitting that, unfortunately, keeps many believers arrested in his belief, since no one likes to admit it was wrong and wasted years or decades of a life which, after all, is the one that has.
(Note: please restrict any comment that you make to the previous question and answer, and not to other matters as the existence or nonexistence of God. Thank you.)
Possibly related posts:
- FAQ: "And if you're wrong, and God exist? This does not concern you? "
- FAQ: "I do not care all your arguments, believing in God makes me feel good, so I believe!"
- FAQ: "I am also an atheist, but people * need * a religion! Where do you go to turn in bad times? "
- FAQ: "You criticize the morality of the God of the Bible, but I did not I review this god! I believe God is good! "
- FAQ: "But if God does not exist, and do not persist after death, what is the meaning of all this?"
Labels: Pascal's Wager , Atheism FAQ
