My wife and I first started dating when we were 14 years old. She was, and still is, a practicing Catholic (I know, it's amazing she puts up with my anti-religion thinking but she's just that strong). We had never spoken about religion so one day she asked me what I believed. I can still remember where we were. We were standing on a corner at a halfway point between her house and mine when I answered. I can remember so clearly because it was the first time I had been asked point blank about the subject and I wasn't sure how to answer. I remember saying something along the lines of "I don't know if there is a God but just in case, I believe." She seemed okay with that answer and I think it satisfied my mind as well. But within a year, maybe two, I found myself questioning my response. "Why should I believe in God just in case? Because of fear of Hell? But what is Hell? Do either of those concepts really exist?" It felt like I should be able to say "Yes, I believe" or "No, I don't" not "Maybe." I never mentioned it to her but I had decided on "No." The existence of "God" could not be proven so my logical mind told me I couldn't accept an idea based on an irrational fear of what lay beyond death. Without years of indoctrination, I just couldn't make that leap of faith.
Years later, while studying religion, I learned that this "just in case" belief is known as Pascal's Wager. Blaise Pascal was a philosopher/mathematician in 17th century France. He couldn't prove there was a God but he chose to believe anyway. He argued that you can't prove that God exists but if it is true and you believe then you go to Heaven. If it's true and you don't believe then you go to Hell. If it's not true and you believe then nothing is lost. If it's not true and you don't believe then you gain nothing. So there's nothing to lose and everything to gain if you believe in God. You should believe "just in case" because odds are you'll end up in Heaven, hence Pascal's WAGER.
I find the whole idea to be a cop-out. It's like saying "I might not get any presents for Christmas so I better believe in Santa just in case." This may work on little kids but as an adult you know too much. Either you believe or you don't. To me, there is no maybe. I also have an issue with it because it puts too much stock in Christian beliefs. You'd first have to concede the authority of the Judeo-Christian God and their concept of the afterlife, Heaven and Hell. But if I'm not sure about the existence of God shouldn't I believe in the Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist afterlife "just in case"? And what makes these modern belief systems any more valid than the ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman concepts of the afterlife? The argument just falls apart. I will not believe out of fear and I don't think "God" would want us to. I am seeking and I encourage others to seek.
"Well, I was only a kid, on a holy crusade
I placed no trust in a faith that was ready-made
Take no chances on paradise delayed"
Neil Peart
The Big Wheel, 1991
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Pascal's Wager
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2 comments:
That totally makes sense, not believing "just in case" does make Christianity seem more important then all the other religions. But I do have to draw attention to one thing, remember the episode of The Simpsons where Homer gets a crayon removed from his brain and becomes super smart? HE figured out an equation that proved God didn't exist!
Interesting...been down this road countless times. My conscious thoughts while reading this were "Been there...thought that!" with a gut feeling of "No way...God exists!"
The fun part was upon finishing your post, I hit the Yahoo bookmark and the following video was showcased (which is also found on YouTube): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJGEEM6Mig4.
Consciously, I laughed out loud at the Keystone Cop shenanigans unfolding before my eyes. At the same time, I laughed subconsciously with God reassuring me of his existence through these young souls executing a tiny miracle.
Been there...thought that?
Mysterious ways through private revelations are shown to each of us Padawan! Whether or not we're using the force at the time is a matter of practice.
There's an interesting answer to your "just incase other faiths" question found on the Medjugorje FAQs page (http://www.Medjugorje.org/faq.htm). The question (which has a type-o) is titled "One one of the messages said that all faiths are equal. Isn't this against the Catholic Church's beliefs?"
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