Pascal's Wager

Blaise Pascal (June 19, 1623 - August 17, 1662) was a French mathematician. His mother died when he was three, and he was raised by his father. In 1654, he became a Christian. He died of cancer at the age of 39.

"Pascal's Wager" is as follows:

(a)   If God (Biblegod, that is) actually exists, then (i) whoever believes in him will spend eternity in heaven and (ii) whoever doesn't believe in him will spend eternity in hell. Whether or not people believe in him is very important.

(b)   If God doesn't exist, then whether or not people believe in him doesnt matter very much. The worst that's happening is that Christians are going around living good, clean, honest lives, and they die with a happy (but false) hope in their hearts; thereafter they simply rot in the grave, just like the non-believers.

A diagram of the possibilities looks like this:

... AND YOU BELIEVE that God exists, and you follow him and obey him ... AND YOU DON'T BELIEVE that God exists, and you reject him
1. GOD EXISTS You End Up in Heaven You End Up in Hell
2. GOD DOES NOT EXIST No Harm Done No Harm Done


In other words, from a practical point of view, your best bet is to become a Christian just in case Christianity is valid.   "You have everything to gain, and nothing to lose."

Before you go to the next page, think for a minute ...


... what's wrong with this argument?

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