Date

1-13-2023

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics (MA)

Chair

Douglas Blount

Keywords

Pascal's Wager, Pascal, Wager, Truth, Hope, Non-believer, unbeliever, non-believer's, unbeliever's, God, introduction to God, introduce unbeliever to God, introduce non-believer to God, using Pascal's Wager to introduce unbeliever to God, using Pascal's Wager to introduce non-believer to God, using Pascal's Wager to introduce unbelievers to God, using Pascal's Wager to introduce non-believer's to God, finding God

Disciplines

Practical Theology | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

Statistics say that each year, 4.5 billion people, or nearly 60% of the world’s population, will gamble at least once. Every time someone gambles in a casino, the statistical probability—that is, 'the odds'—favor the house. With odds stacked against the individual gambler, it appears irrational to gamble in casinos and one must wonder why anyone would take such risks. Conversely, gambling would appear rational if the odds were not stacked against the gambler. What if the odds were significantly higher; 50/50 to be exact? If this were the case, more people would be spending more time and money at casinos with such odds. Now consider an opportunity to place a bet with odds greater than 50/50, and winnings worth far more than money alone. Pascal’s Wager does just that. It poses a simple question to unbelievers, asking them whether they believe in God or not, insisting they must choose. Michael Rota asserts that it is both rational and moral for unbelievers to “bet” on God and live a Christian life because there is much to gain and relatively little to lose. Moreover, when faced with the decision between two options: belief or unbelief in God, Pascal claims the benefits of choosing God and winning far outweigh the benefits of choosing against Him and winning. Moreover, the loss involved in choosing God and losing is insignificant compared to the loss of choosing against Him and losing. Unlike gambling with money, this bet involves a person’s life. This bet’s payoff is far greater than anything money can buy. Pascal believes that if a person bets on God, the potential windfall is eternal, with benefits unlike anything on this earth. In an increasingly post-Christian world with limited attention-spans, it is becoming increasingly imperative to establish a quick and effective way to engage in conversations about God with unbelievers. Accordingly, this thesis examines Pascal’s Wager as a quick, simple, and unobtrusive method for planting a seed in the minds of unbelievers and encouraging them to consider the reality of God by putting the power of prayer to the test—where the benefit and reward of experiencing an answer to prayer far outweighs the risk.

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