(February 16, 2012 at 3:03 pm)genkaus Wrote: I do think that Pascal's wager is misunderstood on one point.
I don't think that the argument asks you to go through the motions of a believer and hope that somehow it would trick god into thinking that you are one. I think it is asking you to actually be a believer. To keep telling yourself that god exists and keep lending credence to any evidence that could remotely suggest the possibility. I think it is saying that if you tell it to yourself long enough, eventually you will convince yourself and become a believer.
Not that this would make the argument any more valid or even better. In fact, if anything, it would make it even worse. Because in this case, the argument is basically asking you to brainwash yourself (and excusing the religious leaders from the job). To ask someone to commit such an atrocity against oneself is worse than murder. Atleast with a murdered you have a chance of defending yourself. This argument is asking you to take up the weapon and kill yourself.
I think you addressed the problem yourself.
You're not supposed to be brainwashing yourself into believing in this God anyway. You're supposed to love this God with all your mind, heart, and soul.
So even if a person did try (for the gambling reasons of Pascal) to desperately try to brainwash themselves, would that truly lead to a sincere and genuine 'love' of the God?
That would take one hell of a lot of self-brainwashing for me. I'd need to be cheering this God along in everything he does:
Gen 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
Yeah! Cause the bitch pain in childbirth! Way to go God!
That's truly benevolent of you! What mercy you have!
And yeah! Make her a slave to her husband! Whoopee!
Go GOD!
~~~~
Damn, that's a lot of brainwashing and we're just at the very beginning of the fable.
Christian - A moron who believes that an all-benevolent God can simultaneously be a hateful jealous male-chauvinistic pig.
Wiccan - The epitome of cerebral evolution having mastered the magical powers of the universe and is in eternal harmony with the mind of God.
Atheist - An ill-defined term that means something different to everyone who uses it.
~~~~~
Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
Clearly Jesus (a fictitious character or otherwise) will forgive people if they merely know not what they do
For the Bible Tells us so!
Wiccan - The epitome of cerebral evolution having mastered the magical powers of the universe and is in eternal harmony with the mind of God.
Atheist - An ill-defined term that means something different to everyone who uses it.
~~~~~
Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
Clearly Jesus (a fictitious character or otherwise) will forgive people if they merely know not what they do
For the Bible Tells us so!
