Blaise Pascal's wager argues that it is rational to believe in God due to the risk/reward of the possible outcomes. He outlines four possibilities: believing in God and being correct, believing in God and being incorrect, not believing in God and being incorrect, and not believing in God and being correct. The only way to "win" or receive the reward is to believe in God, while not believing risks losing or receiving punishment. However, the wager assumes there is only one God and religion and does not consider the consequences of believing in the wrong system. It is also criticized for being an oversimplification that reduces religious belief to a mathematical calculation.

1. Blaise Pascal 1623-1662 French philosopher, mathematician, physicist, and a gambler who was fond of high stakes….his soul!

2. You can choose a virtuous life or a sinful one Sinful life: Immediate pleasure with the possibility of eternal punishment A virtuous life lacks some of the pleasures available in a mortal existence, but has a possible eternal reward…

3. So there are two possibilities: GOD EXISTS OR HE DOES NOT Four possible outcomes- here comes the wager….

4. Belief + God= Win Belief without God= Null Sin without God= Null Sin + God= Loss

5. So… For Pascal, the only way to WIN is to believe in God and live accordingly. The only way to lose is to not believe…

6. Why did Homer go back to church? Can you apply Pascal’s wager to Homer in the episode we watched? What are the faults in Pascal’s wager?

7. Faults in Pascal’s Wager He assumes that if there is a God, there is only one God, and only one religion, one standard of virtue to follow in living for that God. His wager does not consider the consequences of choosing a belief system that was not the most correct system in the eyes of the creator.

8. Pascal’s wager is also written in mathematics… ½*~ + 1/2 [F2*p+f3*(1-p)] = It’s easier to understand in words…

9. Predestination: Predestination concerns God’s decision to create and govern creation, and the extent to which God’s decisions determine ahead of time what the destiny of groups and individuals will be.

10. Food for Thought: If God’s predestinating decision based on a knowledge of His own will, or does it arise from a foreknowledge of the future? How free is God in effecting His part in the eventual outcome? How particular is God’s prior decision? Is it concerned with particular persons and events, or is it limited to broad categories of people and things?