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When I was younger and just beginning to question the existence of God, one of the arguments that always seemed to sway me back to Christianity is one that was first developed by Blaise Pascal; a philosopher, mathematician, and physicist that lived in the 17th century. The argument is called “Pascal’s Wager” and it goes something like this;
If you’re not sure that God exists it is still better to believe and live your life as if he exists than to not do those things. If you believe in God and he turns out to be nonexistent, you’ve lost nothing. If you believe in God and he does exist, you get eternal life. On the other hand, if you don’t believe in God and he turns out to be real, you’ll burn in hell forever. Obviously, the rational bet is to believe in God.
When I was talking with my Christian girlfriend about God recently, she brought up this argument and I was reminded of the fact that I have also used it. I started wondering why it no longer seems like a rational bet to me.
Pascal’s wager only makes sense if there is some evidence of God’s existence. It is only convincing to those that believe the odds of God actually existing are about 50/50 or better. As adults, we aren’t “good” simply on the off chance that Santa really exists. In much the same way, an atheist or an agnostic thinks the Christian God is such a ridiculous idea that it doesn’t merit even the slightest change in behavior on the off chance that God exists and that you’ll be rewarded for your behavior.
X Amish Atheist 
Lately, I have started to question my own beliefs in God and his existence. But I believe that if God does exist, and he knows what’s in your heart, would he be happy knowing you followed him not b/c you really believed, but b/c you were scared of the other option?
Hey there. I’m reading your blog for the first time, and fascinated by your story. I just wanted to comment that in my mind, religious teachings have generally always been about philosophical questions of how it is right to live – and thus, it is possible to take away ideas and behaviors that support what we believe is both moral and just with respect to how we treat ourselves, others, and the planet – without having to associate those things with a particular religious dogma. I don’t need the promise of Heaven or Hell to be the ultimate arbiter of how I choose to live my life – and I’m willing to bet, you don’t either.