SITUATION: EXISTENCE-OF-GOD GAME
It is as impossible for man to demonstrate the existence of God as it would be for Harry Potter to demonstrate the existence of J. K. Rowling. —AN UPDATING OF A QUOTE BY FREDERICK BUECHNER
Philosophers have wrestled with the issue of whether God exists for a very long time. One of the most famous approaches was developed in the mid-17th century by Blaise Pascal (1623–1662). Pascal was a highly talented mathe- matician who, at a point in his life, threw aside mathematics to dedicate his life to the Lord. His take on the issue of belief in God has come to be known as Pascal’s wager. It goes like this: Suppose you’re not sure about the existence of God. Then if you fail to believe in God and it turns out God does exist, the penalty will be mighty severe. (Think of white-hot pitchforks and endless Brady Bunch reruns.) However, if you believe in God and God does not exist, the cost to you is rather minimal. Pascal then argues that one should play it safe and believe in God in order to avoid the excruciatingly horrible outcome.