Well yes an awful lot of people DO buy into Pascals patheitic Wager because they're fearful and they don't understand that its just as likely they will go to hell for anything else.
But some people actually DO believe it. How many is another matter. But out of the 6 billion+ people on this planet there are of course those who really DO believe there actually is a God. Besides I don't think every theist falls for Pascals wager. After all there are some theists who don't believe in heaven or hell or at least take them less literally. But other than that they are still Christian/Muslim etc.
And there must be those who buy into Pascals wager but also believe in God anyway. Surely there must be SOME - how many is another matter. As Dan Dennett I believe has basically said, most theists believe in belief in God. Not actually literally believe in God.
And I think Sam Harris has said that a lot more people out there actually really DO believe in God than most of us realize.
Perhaps they are not mutually exclusive? I mean perhaps if you believe in belief in God you can also change your belief by believing that you can choose your belief. If you want to believe in God because you are thinking the "what if?" of Pascals pathetic Wager, then perhaps if you BELIEVE that you can choose your beliefs at will then you actually can literally convince yourself of God? Because you can believe you can?
Perhaps even though you cannot choose your beliefs - if you happen to believe that you can then if you want to believe in God that can convince you that he actually exists. Because you believe that it can?
If that makes any sense?
evf
But some people actually DO believe it. How many is another matter. But out of the 6 billion+ people on this planet there are of course those who really DO believe there actually is a God. Besides I don't think every theist falls for Pascals wager. After all there are some theists who don't believe in heaven or hell or at least take them less literally. But other than that they are still Christian/Muslim etc.
And there must be those who buy into Pascals wager but also believe in God anyway. Surely there must be SOME - how many is another matter. As Dan Dennett I believe has basically said, most theists believe in belief in God. Not actually literally believe in God.
And I think Sam Harris has said that a lot more people out there actually really DO believe in God than most of us realize.
Perhaps they are not mutually exclusive? I mean perhaps if you believe in belief in God you can also change your belief by believing that you can choose your belief. If you want to believe in God because you are thinking the "what if?" of Pascals pathetic Wager, then perhaps if you BELIEVE that you can choose your beliefs at will then you actually can literally convince yourself of God? Because you can believe you can?
Perhaps even though you cannot choose your beliefs - if you happen to believe that you can then if you want to believe in God that can convince you that he actually exists. Because you believe that it can?
If that makes any sense?
evf
