Posted by Xavier on March 09, 1999 at 15:20:24:
In Reply to: No, you are. posted by John on March 09, 1999 at 10:12:26:
: If Christians are wrong, so what? We stand to lose nothing and please spare me the nonsense about being imprisoned in some kind of moral prison where nothing goes. Non- believers on the other hand stand to lose their eternal souls. It sounds to me like you're the one gambling.
(Xavier)What if another religion and God is the right one and all this time you were worshipping a "false" one. Would you not also lose your eternal soul because you followed a false god? How do you even know that an eternal soul even exists? Besides, if I gamble and choose your religion based on Pascal's wager, then why would I be saved anyway? I thought your god does not like "lukewarm" followers and he sure wouldn't like followers who followed for that selfish reason.
Many Christians believe that those who follow other gods from other religions are following false gods and are destined for hell. Would that not also be true for Christians if it turned out that there is a god but they followed the wrong one? Why wouldn't any other god be just as jealous. Your gamble only pays off if there is a god and yours is it. The only way you stand to "lose nothing" (I left out the supposed nonsense, though I was tempted to list everything lost) is if only the alternative of no god at all were true. If, however, there is a god and yours is NOT the right one, you too, could lose your eternal soul (should it be determined that one of those exists also).