Philosoft

In that case, I shall try to look at your rear end as much as possible.

[Last OT post, I promise.]

Kosh

A modern version of Pascals Wager (he was french, afterall)

1. If you stare at a womans rear, she'll get pissed.

2. If you don't stare at a woman rear, she'll complain that nobody is staring at her rear.

Either way you're screwed, so you might as well just stare....

Edited back down to a pg rating.

seebs

FWIW, many theists I know agree that it's a pretty poor argument. In fact, I have only seen it tried seriously a couple of times.

And here I was thinking the thread would be about how Pascal made a lot of money off of his programming language, but bet it all and lost it.

Viti

seebs, most of the Christians that have used Pascal's Wager on me are not active in apologetics and have had no idea there was any kind of "name" for what they were arguing (mostly new Xians and I have always been the first bona fide atheist they have met). Do you think they come up with it on their own and it sounds like common sense to them, or maybe heard it used and just thought it sounded good?

Proctors_Gambit

I always laugh when I here arguments that amount to pascals wager.

They say if there is no god they've lost nothing.
I say :

they've spent their sundays bored and giving away their money.

they've suffered guilt and emotional distress at the natural urge to procreate

the've believed a pack of lies and in a lot of cases have spread them around

in extreme cases they have been tortured or killed for their belief

they've live in fear of their imaginary god and his imaginary wrath

Shit the list goes on...

-Gambit

chekmate

I like how Reverend Jim Puts it...

DeLurking

Obviously, the one with the most horrible hell and the best heaven.

notMichaelJackson

Also, it can be delivered in a variety of forms. I'm sure someone came up with it before Pascal, but he is give credit for it. The basic message is believe in God or go to hell. I've heard it given in the form of "if you believe in evolution and are right, then you are dead, but if you don't believe in Creationism and it is right you go to hell." Hundreds of forms. Exactly the same message.

I ate Pascal's Wafer

This is true. There are some fairly bright theists out there.

Unfortunately, a good number of new (and old) fundies aren't among them. I have encountered this argument several times in my discussions on a xian board, but only with the fundy types. The more reasonable xians would never use an argument like that.

It really all depends on who you talk to, I suppose.

-Nick