Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Pascal's Wager

I know religion isn't for everyone, but religious or not, I think Pascal's Wager is extremely interesting and something worth studying.

I have no trouble admitting that I am a Christian. But don't judge because of that. Yes I believe in God and I believe in heaven and hell. But I am not a die-hard Christian or anything. I just think that Pascal's Wager makes a lot of sense.

The wager goes like this...
In terms of numbers, if God exists, then a person who believes in him is represented by an infinity, because they receive eternal salvation, and someone who doesn't believe in him is a negative infinity, because they are given eternal damnation. If God does not exists, then a person who believes in him is a negative 20 (or some other number) because that person is weighed down with the requirements of believing in God (going to church, praying, etc). Someone who does not believe in him is a 20 because they do not face any of those drawbacks.

Summary-
God is real-
Believer: Infinity
Non-believer: Negative Infinity

God is not real-
Believer: Negative 20
Non-believer: 20

We will never have a way of wholeheartedly proving that God is real. I believe it because I am one of those people who doesn't doubt faith.
Regardless, these numbers show that because we will never know, the best option to choose is to believe in God, because it reaps the greatest rewards. It is simple math and common sense. I don't want to be one of those people who pushes religion on others, because I respect people who choose not to believe in it. But if I were a non-Christian, then from a mathematical/logical/rational standpoint, it would make sense to believe in God simply because it has the potential to produce the best result.

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