Pascal's wager

[TonyChanYT]

Pascal's wager:

If God does not actually exist, such a person will have only a finite loss (some pleasures, luxury, etc.), whereas if God does exist, he stands to receive infinite gains (as represented by eternity in Heaven) and avoid infinite losses (eternity in Hell).

I.e., a Christian believer will receive infinite gains iff God exists.

Given the options of God and no God, it's a safer bet to believe in God than not.

Why shouldn't one instead turn to Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, etc.?

Pascal's wager does not answer this question.

Should Christians use the Pascal wager on non-believers?

I wouldn't. Logical arguments rarely convert anyone. I would focus on the heart of the non-believers.

 

[O'Darby]

Pascal's wager:


I.e., a Christian believer will receive infinite gains iff God exists.

Given the options of God and no God, it's a safer bet to believe in God than not.

Why shouldn't one instead turn to Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, etc.?

Pascal's wager does not answer this question.

Should Christians use the Pascal wager on non-believers?

I wouldn't. Logical arguments rarely convert anyone. I would focus on the heart of the non-believers.

Pascal was one of the pioneers of probability theory. He was not some airhead who said silly things.

A better understanding of what Pascal (a Christian) was saying is, "Live as though Christianity were true and see if this does not ripen into a belief that it is true." Do the things believers do and see if you don't end up a genuine believer.

Pascal understood that we cannot simply "decide" to believe. Nor can we fool God by pretending to believe.

The Wager has been the subject of much debate and criticism, but it was not an attempt to convert through logical argument.

Pascal’s Wager (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) (see Section 7).