(January 31, 2016 at 5:23 pm)Nihilist Virus Wrote: Pascal's wager, for the one or two of you who don't know, says that because there is between a 0% and 100% chance of Christianity being true, and because the consequences of unbelief are infinite, one ought to believe in Christianity. There are many rebuttals to this, but to me the most obvious one is that one cannot actually force oneself to believe in something that is irrational no matter what the stakes are. Can you force yourself to believe in unicorns?
That's not exactly what Pascal's Wager is saying.
For the person who has examined the evidence but is undecided about how to proceed, Pascal's Wager proposes that it is wiser to bet on the truth of the Gospel than against it. Further, it is noted that when you begin to behave as a believer (attending church, praying, reading scripture, etc.) these activities tend to reinforce the faith position thereby enabling one to make a final step (not a blind leap) of faith.
(January 31, 2016 at 5:23 pm)Nihilist Virus Wrote: But if you already believe in Christianity, then you have to answer to the atheist version of your own wager. You should sell all that you own and give to the poor, then wander the world doing good works and preaching the gospel.
And clearly, many Christians have done just this. St. Francis of Assisi, for example. Mother Teresa of Calcutta. And too many others to mention.
(January 31, 2016 at 5:23 pm)Nihilist Virus Wrote: There is clearly a 100% chance you'll get into heaven if you do this (provided your heart is right and all that jazz),
That last bit is quite important, because we cannot BUY or EARN our way into heaven, so your caveat is spot on.
(January 31, 2016 at 5:23 pm)Nihilist Virus Wrote: but there is NOT a 100% chance that Jesus will accept you into heaven if you sit on your wealth while children starve to death. Jesus did say that many will do good works, thinking they're Christian, but yet will still be cast into hell. So if you live like a king in your Western world, occasionally going to church and giving a manageable tithe, there's no guarantee you will get into heaven.
You are saved by grace through faith, but faith without works is dead... so there is no guarantee that you are doing enough unless you do all that you can.
Not bad, overall, Nihilist. Christians would, in general, agree with you. However, while Jesus did call one young ruler to sell all that he had, He did not call everyone to that life of poverty. The key is in knowing what God wants from you personally.
If this is the Atheist Pascal's Wager, then I think it's fair to say that you're simply asking the kinds of questions that Christians ask of themselves often if not daily: Am I doing enough? Am I doing what God wants of me?
Thanks for bring this up.
