Atheists and Agnostics risk infinite loss for no gain

[Kayenneh]

My Boston had a neon yellow worm called Pip (pronounced Peep), that had a squeaky head. He was always so disappointed if he started to chew on the tail and no sound would come out

[Esquilax]

My old terrier had a squeaky jack-o-lantern. He loved that thing, even after the squeaker wore out and it began to break. By the end it was this sun faded, split mess, full of holes, but he always kept it around. He was distraught whenever it went missing. In the end, the puffing sound of air leaking out the holes when he chewed it replaced the squeaking, for him.

When he finally passed on, we buried him with it. Seemed right.

[Doubting Thomas]

Our Shih Tzu had a plastic squeaky hot dog toy that she would chew on for what seemed like hours. This thing had a very high-pitched squeak and was loud. I was never so glad as to when she chewed a hole in that thing and it wouldn't squeak any more.

[Brian37]

Atheists and Agnostics risk infinite loss for no gain

The following is based on the logical argument posited by Blaise Pascal, a mathematician and physicist, and is known as Pascal’s Wager.

According to the Bible, if a person believes in Jesus Christ as their Savior, that person is saved forever and gets everlasting life that is so incredible it cannot be described. Of course that is an infinite reward.

1 Corinthians 2:9
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

But for those who never believe and trust in Jesus Christ as Saviour, when they die they receive an infinite punishment.

Now examine what kind of loss an atheist or agnostic is risking if wrong and what reward they receive if right.

First consider the saved Christian. Assume that the Christian is right. Now the Christian believes that he will receive everlasting bliss in heaven with Jesus Christ. If he is right, he will indeed receive that. The Christian dies happy knowing that is what will happen.

If on the other hand the atheist is correct, the Christian still dies happy with his belief. He never finds out he is wrong and in fact receives everlasting bliss but of a different kind.

So the Christian never loses infinitely. He never even knows he was wrong. He dies happy either way. He does not risk infinite loss. In fact, he could receive an infinite reward.

Now consider the atheist or agnostic. Assume that the atheist is correct. The atheist or agnostic dies and there is no everlasting punishment. He then gets his bliss, everlasting nothingness without God. But he cannot even gloat on being right.

If on the other hand the saved Christian is correct, the atheist or agnostic losses out on an everlasting reward. Instead he receives an everlasting punishment.

Now to risk such eternal loss for no eternal gain, you would want almost absolute proof that the atheist is right. But it is logically impossible to pose the absolute negation of a supreme being. In fact, the atheist will refuse to even accept the burden of proof, because he knows that he cannot prove his infinite negation. But with out absolute proof, the atheist or agnostic is risky everlasting loss for no everlasting reward.

If absolute proof is impossible, maybe calculating the odds against the existence of God may work. But any odds less that a trillion to one would be too risky. Even longer odds would too risky. An analysis of the facts will show the odds are greatly against the atheist being correct.

Dressed up Pascal's wager. Repackage a skunk of an argument, wrap it in elaborate tripe, it is still a skunk.

Still has the problem of "which one" because other people have imaginary sky daddy pet god claims too.

Still is a naked assertion.

Still has the problem with infinite regress.

AND What makes you think even if your fictional sky daddy were real, would make us want to worship him?

I don't kiss the ass of selfish narcissists nor do I bow to threats.

Cochroaches outnumber humans. Bacteria outnumber humans. For every sperm that makes a baby millions more do nothing. 56 million people worldwide DIE every year from everything from disease, famine, crime and war. In a decade that is half a billion people.

You'd have us believe with all the bad shit that happens in reality, there is a cosmic security guard promising to keep us safe? These are not the actions of someone who knows what they are doing and can keep their promises. These are the actions of ineptness or malicious or both.

The only option to your fictional sky daddy claim is that both the bad shit and good shit in life are a result of nature, not a god, not yours, not any.

[Doubting Thomas]

The thing is, I'd love to believe that there's some all-powerful, all-loving being watching over us and protecting us, and will reward us with everlasting paradise after we die. The thing is, I can't make myself believe this no matter how hard I try.

It's just like when I was a kid and realized that Santa wasn't real. No matter how much I wanted I couldn't make myself believe he was real any more.

So when these Christian idiots come here and say, "you should believe just in case," too bad I just can't.

[Brian37]

The thing is, I'd love to believe that there's some all-powerful, all-loving being watching over us and protecting us, and will reward us with everlasting paradise after we die. The thing is, I can't make myself believe this no matter how hard I try.

It's just like when I was a kid and realized that Santa wasn't real. No matter how much I wanted I couldn't make myself believe he was real any more.

So when these Christian idiots come here and say, "you should believe just in case," too bad I just can't.

What is worse is that ALL believers of all pet sky daddy claims think their pet claim is special when the reality is that we wouldn't care if you claimed a god's name was Frank and could fart ice cream.

There is as much evidence for a god as there is magical gods that fart ice cream.

[Dionysius]

Idiocy is a persistent disease. Be this as it may, the gods/aliens/whoever the *uck came up with religion deserves special recognition for its insidious genius... A mind virus without a cure.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

That is coming later.

Step 1 - show that God exists.
Step 2 - which God

When will you be doing either?

[pocaracas]

That is coming later.

Step 1 - show that God exists.
Step 2 - which God

When will you be doing either?

"soon"

[Doubting Thomas]

Didn't you see? They proved God's existence on that other thread that says that life is too complex to not have been designed.