What have you got to lose?

When the debate between a theist and an atheist begins to wind down, one final question is usually posed; a question that speaks more about the purpose and nature of religious thinking than any other: 'What if you are wrong?' (Don't you hate the 'What if's'?)

Following this line of reasoning takes us back to 17th century French Philosopher Blaise Pascal. In his life's work posthumously titled the Pensées, which literally translates to "thoughts," Pascal jotted down one final justification for monotheistic religion, namely Christianity. In the Pensées, Pascal posed the famous pragmatic (or problematic) argument, which is commonly referred to as, "Pascal's wager." It went as follows:

Either God does or does not exist. You can wager on the possibility that God does exist or on the probability that he does not exist. If you believe in God and he does in fact exist, you will receive eternal life. If you do not believe in God and he does exist, you will be punished with eternal damnation. Furthermore, if God does not exist you will have lost nothing in either case.

Pascal essentially wagered that "If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing." Often without notice, many theists use this argument as an end all defense of their beliefs. Initially, it sounds commonsensical and to many, more than enough reason to go 'all-in' for God. These are my responses, in no specific order, to the 'what if?' for God's existence.

1. This in no way progresses the argument to prove the existence of a theistic God.
   
2. This only furthers the idea that religion may just be a coping process developed to help deal with the consciousness of our immortality.
3. Would God not know that you are not sincere and only believing for fear of punishment?
4. What if the flying spaghetti monster, in his infinite power and love, ascended to the Earth and fed the hungry with his deliciously satisfying flying spaghetti tentacles to end world hunger and ended all wars and peace reigned.......and?
5. What if humans conquered the inevitability of a short mortal life and created life sustaining processes which enabled us to live millions, billions, or even an infinite number of years? We would have even less reason to believe.
6. What if....?
7. Do I need to go on?
8. I think I'll stop here.

Do you see what I am getting at with this? The 'What ifs' could really go on forever. Just because a proposition makes you feel better and helps you get through life, does not mean that it is necessarily true. A great response to the 'What if' questions in life, is provided below by YouTube-r "EyeDunno."

The Richard Dawkin video referenced in the video above, can be found below. Enjoy!