Skeptics say that we cannot know whether God exists, and in a sense they are right. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:1 that faith is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." If the believer knew, there would be no question of faith. Consider this: I don't have faith that my daughter is in the seventh grade; I know my daughter is in the seventh grade. I haven't been to heaven, and so I cannot say that I know there is such a place. But I believe that there is. Faith is a statement of trust in what we do not know for sure.
But is such faith reasonable or is it, as the atheists frequently allege, "blind faith"? This central human conundrum is the subject of Pascal's famous wager. Pascal did not invent the wager. It was offered by the Muslim theologian Abu Hamid al-Ghazzali in his medieval work The Alchemy of Happiness. Pascal was familiar with Ghazzali and probably derived the argument from him. But Pascal gave the wager its current classic expression, and in doing so he places an unavoidable choice before all believers and unbelievers.
Pascal argues in his Pensees that in life we have to gamble. Let's say you are offered a new job that may take your career to new heights. It looks extremely promising, but of course there are risks. There is no way in advance to know how things will turn out. You have to decide if you will go for it. Or you are in love with a woman. You have been dating for a while, yet you cannot be certain what marriage to her is going to be like for the next several decades. You proceed on the basis of what you know, but what you know is, by the nature of the matter, inadequate. Yet you have to make a decision. You cannot keep saying, "I will remain agnostic until I know for sure." If you wait too long, she will marry someone else, or both of you will be dead.
In the same way, Pascal argues that in making our decision about God, we will never understand everything in advance. No amount of rational investigation can produce definitive answers, since what comes after death remains unknown. Therefore we have to examine the options, and we have to make our wager. But what are the alternatives, and how should we weigh the odds? Pascal argues that we have two basic choices, and either way we must consider the risk of being wrong.
If we have faith in God and it turns out that God does not exist, we face a small downside risk: metaphysical error. But if we reject God during our lives, and it turns out God does exist, there is much more serious risk: eternal separation from God. Based on these two possible outcomes, Pascal declares that it is much less risky to have faith in God. In the face of an uncertain outcome, no rational person would refuse to give up something that is finite if there is the possibility of gaining an infinite prize. In fact, under these conditions it is unreasonable not to believe. Pascal writes, "Let us weigh up the gain and loss involved in calling heads that God exists. If you win, you win everything. If you lose, you lose nothing. Do not hesitate, then: wager that He does exist."
The ingenuity of Pascal's argument is that it emphasizes the practical necessity of us making a choice. This necessity is imposed by death. There comes a day when there are no tomorrows, and then we all have to cast our votes for or against the proposition on the ballot. The unavoidability of the decision exposes the sheer stupidity of agnosticism and religious indifference. These are people who refuse to choose when there is no option to abstain. So the refusal to choose becomes a choice--a choice against God.
Pascal also exposes the pose of the atheist who fancies himself as a brave and lonely man facing the abyss. We admire a man who is steadfast in the face of unavoidable adversity. If we knew we were alone in the universe and that death was the end, then there is no alternative but to stand tough in our mortal skins and curse the darkness. But what would we think of a man who stands ready to face a horrible fate that he has a chance to avert? If you are trapped in the den with a hungry lion, and there is a door that may offer a way out, what sane person would refuse to jump through the door? Viewed this way, the atheist position becomes a kind of reckless intransigence, a foolish attempt to gamble with one's soul.
With their trademark venom, atheists typically condemn, although they cannot refute, Pascal's wager. Christopher Hitchens can do no better than to launch an ad hominem attack on Pascal as a "hypocrite" and a "fraud." Attempting condescension, Richard Dawkins proclaims Pascal's argument "distinctly odd." And why? Because "believing is not something you can decide to do as a matter of policy. At least, it is not something I can decide to do as an act of will." Dawkins is right about this, of course, but the real issue is whether he wants to believe and whether he is open to the call of faith.
Pascal writes that there are two kinds of reasonable people in the world: "those who serve God with all their heart because they know Him, and those who seek Him with all their heart because they do not know Him." Pascal recognizes that faith is a gift. We cannot demand it but only ask God to give it to us. In the meantime the best thing to do is to live a good and moral life, and to live as if God did indeed exist.
And pray the prayer of the skeptic, which I get from the philosopher Peter Kreeft. "God, I don't know whether you even exist. I think you may be only a myth. But I'm not certain....So if you do exist, you must be hearing me now. So I hereby declare myself a seeker, a seeker of the truth, whatever and wherever it is. I want to know the truth and live the truth. If you are the truth, please help me." It is the claim of Christianity that all who seek God in this way with earnest and open hearts will find Him.
Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 44)
16. Somber "What more need be said?"
Nothing. That was perfect.
Ryan Anderson at 7:01AM on Apr 11th 2008
17. Yo, D'A-hole...your logic and belief system, as usual, are flawed and offensive. Don't you mean Jesus, when you say God?? I believe in God, and I am Jewish. So I die, and I find out God does exist as you believe he does; He sent His son, and I missed the boat on that, and I will thus be damned to hell, even though I was Bar Mitzvah'd,
confirmed, and led a decent life, not hurting others, and helping others when I could.
Eff your god, dd. If your god would damn me to hell for being Jewish, I don't need your nazi-god.
(btw, dd, if my irreverence in my novels, and my cynical attitude make me less in front of god, then surely the same is in store for you, oh hateful, snide, and crippled little soul).
America's Most Gangsta at 7:18AM on Apr 11th 2008
18. What the hell? Didn't Dinesh post this exact same thing two months ago? YOU SHOULD BE FIRED!
Strados at 7:57AM on Apr 11th 2008
19. If you want to live behind the curve, follow DD's advice.
Jerry Brown at 8:11AM on Apr 11th 2008
20. Folks, we have a new record. After discrediting D'ouche's last two blogs by 9AM and 8 AM respectively, we had this one shot down two months before he posted it (again).
Dennis at 8:22AM on Apr 11th 2008
21. Beautiful article. The epitome of faith & reason. Acknowledging God is part of our human nature or the natural law. Regardless of what belief system we hold. Pascal sums it all up.
Right-Wing at 8:35AM on Apr 11th 2008
22. Once upon a time there was a caterpillar named fuzzy. He thought how hard life was. He rarely found good leaves to eat, and had to be on constant guard for birds. It often rained, and twice he almost drown in puddles of water. He heard a rumor that someday in the future caterpillars could become butterfly's if they had enough faith. He spent most of his time dreaming about the possibility of becoming a butterfly. One day he made a cocoon, crawled inside, and went to sleep. On awaking he found himself a butterfly, and thought how wonderful it was that at last he had achieved the ultimate dream. Then he became aware of two things. First he could hardly remember what it had been like being a caterpillar because he had spent most of his time worrying about becoming a butterfly. Second he found he had developed a deep, deep habit of dreaming about the future, and spent most of his time worrying about what he would become after being a butterfly.
Jerry Brown at 8:37AM on Apr 11th 2008
23. DD,
bravo, your best line,"with their trademark venom". yes and what venom it is and what disdain they have for those of us with faith. now they fancy themselves true moralist while just last night they were speaking of three-somes and bi-sexual encounters and whether love even exist accept to excite the sexual senses. you did well DD but the down side is you will be cursed and hassled for this view. as atheist believe nothing of pascal's wager. this may be the most venom you recieve in a while for this. they will go nuts.
case in point:
" This is terrible! Hasn't someone shot down Pascal wager at least once per blog since mid 2007? Geeze!!!!
heres ryan a daily blooger who thinks his high-minded reality has passed god by. calls himself a "former"christian'which is to say never was. probably a made up story to fit in with the atheist. what better person than a "former" christian to join the 2% club. your the man DD but this will ooze vile and venom and horrible remarks. you have tougher skin than i
brian at 8:54AM on Apr 11th 2008
24. jerry ,
the great thing about your story is your fate is settled. you do not have to worry about a thing. you can join the ranks of those cast to outer darkness and thats your fuure. but you know what. if that were mine i would want to be a blind as you are and eat,sleep and be merry for tomorrow you die and you hope dies with you. thats the beauty of choice jerry. you are forced to choose, your story lacks credibilty. the butterfly has no choice, you do
brian at 8:57AM on Apr 11th 2008
25. brian; good morning. I wish you well. I hope that you eventually find some people that can help you. It's evident that none of us on this blog are capable of helping and you are incapable of receivng any help or learning anything in this setting.
Take care.
Ryan Anderson at 9:00AM on Apr 11th 2008
26. "Yo, D'A-hole...your logic and belief system, as usual, are flawed and offensive
typical atheist rant. guys you all are the easiest pawns to poke there has ever been. DD owns your minds, he owns you. you bite at every word and you cannot help. and you call him an idiot!!!!!!!!!!!!!hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
brian at 9:02AM on Apr 11th 2008
27. brian,
As usual you miss the point. If your memory was engaged you have read several times where I have stated I have been reborn. You are the one walking in darkness.
Jerry Brown at 9:04AM on Apr 11th 2008
28. dinesh wants to dumb you down.
know DD wants to wise you up. you have dumbed down enough. he is just trying to help you out of the pit. the pit you don't see. but your heart is stone cold to the truth. the truth is you want to deny god to defend your immorality just as in last nights post. this is why most do not join the 2%club
brian at 9:06AM on Apr 11th 2008
29. DD starts off wonderfully, actually. He indeed does understand the difference between knowledge and faith as a rational person should. Indeed in life we have to gamble, and and rest our hopes on faith (or hope for luck). We have to examine the options, and we have to make our wager. In the aspect of knowledge he admits he can only be at best agnostic. The flaw of Pascal's wager, statistically, is that it is a heads/tales weighting. That's only for completely blind wagers. From the conclusions of my knowledge and my faith therein, I see a safe bet that if there is a God, he wouldn't operate in the manner of consequences as detailed in the wager.
Oh, here comes the unnecessary roughness: "The unavoidability of the decision exposes the sheer stupidity of agnosticism and religious indifference. These are people who refuse to choose when there is no option to abstain. So the refusal to choose becomes a choice--a choice against God."
Next, He actually makes the atheist sound like a badass muthafucka! "But what would we think of a man who stands ready to face a horrible fate that he has a chance to avert?" The horrible fate itself is not knowledge, it's faith. It's like a soldier going off to war. He doesn't know if he'll come home, but he has to try. HOLD ON... at the end he says "So I hereby declare myself a seeker, a seeker of the truth, whatever and wherever it is. I want to know the truth and live the truth." is enough, but compare that to his assertion that "I will remain agnostic until I know for sure." is a strategic forfeit. CONTRADICTION! With the boundless sea of reasonable possible human beliefs, Pascal's argument is "distinctly odd."
Mokele Mbembe at 9:07AM on Apr 11th 2008
30. jerry,
reborn? to what? do you agree or not agree with DD? or rather with pascal. i do not believe there is a mind on here sharper than pascals,though to a man and women these atheist all fancy themselves to be so brilliant. truly baffling. you say your a christian??
brian at 9:08AM on Apr 11th 2008