A Practical Guide to the Logic, Philosophy and Thoughts of Christianity

Section 1 - Article 1

Section 1

The search and logical basis for a God
Article 1 - Pascal's Wager - The logical way to God

Today, one can choose from the many beliefs and philosophies around the world to access God. Illegal cults aside, there are still many ideologies that can be puzzling for the agnostic who is earnestly researching the truth. Perhaps one good starting point is to rationalize using 'Pascal's wager' or 'Pascal's Gambit' (Yes the same Pascal who came up with the pressure thing in Physics). As I came to the same conclusion as Pascal independently, I shall explain my thought processes rather than Pascal's (easily available on the internet).

Let us first start with death. If one were to look at the end of one's life, there are only two things to believe; either there is an afterlife, or there is nothing. Simply put, when one dies, he either goes into another state of life, or simply ceases to exist. On the latter, there can be no meaning to life itself (other to than simply enjoy the present, but that is not meaning), nor is there any lasting benefit or point in believing so. Since we are conscious beings that look for meaning to our present time, we should take it as an in-built instinct that there should be an afterlife. It also makes better sense as conscious beings, to prepare for an afterlife than to be "know-it-all" and make baseless assumptions that death is the end of ends.

Following this thought, one has to choose between (only) two beliefs. Either the dead get judged for their lives on Earth and be sentenced to an eternal fate, or to try again in reincarnation. Needless to say, it is more secure in this life "to bet" on an eternal fate sentencing since in reincarnation, there are many other opportunities to keep trying. So if one have gotten your bet on eternal life with judgement wrong, one has another go in the next life. This opportunity will not present itself if eternal life with judgement turns out to be the reality. In fact, there are two issues with reincarnation that need to be addressed. Firstly; I am unable to comprehend how my next life will be judged for the next reincarnation should I become an unconscious being (such as fungi or a rock, or even a fruit). Secondly; if punishments and rewards of this life are based on my previous life, then they are futile as I have no memory of what I had did in my previous life. I am thus very likely to repeat the same mistakes over and over since I do not have positive reinforcements of my previous life's good deeds, or negative deterrence to learn from my mistakes of the past - in short, I will never be better in every try.

On a side note, there are those that believe that the afterlife is a final resting place where souls go. Such an end point does not make sense because evil is left unpunished and good is left unrewarded. It means that evil will persist in the other eternal world, so it sounds to be the same as the current state of existence or even potentially like Hell.

Since eternal sentencing makes the most sense, aiming to achieve any alternatives to 'Heaven' or paradise seems odd. And thus, of the major religions, I am left with philosophies and teachings of the Monotheistic religions (since the major polytheistic ones typically subscribe to reincarnation), which the earnest seeker has the obligation to investigate. I have opted for Christianity, and I hope the following demonstrates the thought processes as to why I have done so.

Grace needed for Pascal's Wager

There are intelligent atheists that argue that if Pascal's Wager was so logical, then it is illogical for an All-knowing God to accept believers because it is a cowardly way to escape Hell. They questioned how an omnipresent divine being can possibly acknowledge and accept weaker beings that come to believe in Him only because they want to escape Hell.

I must agree that this is a valid argument. For if God is all powerful and all-knowing, why would He accept beings who only obey Him and believe Him just to avoid Hell and eternal damnation without loving and believing Him wholeheartedly? Indeed this is true. In fact, many Christians go to the Lord because of "fear", and not because of "love".