1. Read Ch. 6 (p.48) from the Fundamentals of Faith
Pascal’s Wager
Read Ch. 6 (p.48) from the Fundamentals of Faith
Possible side effects: may defeat agnosticism and encourage atheists to avoid Las Vegas.
Warning: do not use the wager while operating any motorized vehicles.

2. The Wager Today:
“Most philosophers think it is the weakest of all arguments for believing in the existence of God.”
It’s a matter of betting “even if you have no certainty, no proof, no guarantee that your bet will win.”

3. The Wager in the time it was proposed:
Pascal believed he had a strong argument
He was living in a very skeptical world.
He was offering a “low ladder” which he knew was low, yet nevertheless, had “tremendous force”
Why is it a “low ladder”?
“If you believe in God only as a bet, that is certainly not a deep, mature, or adequate faith.”
But it is a start!

4. “Either God is, or he is not.”
Refutation of agnosticism:
Agnosticism proposes not knowing and therefore maintaining a skeptical position, and not committing to an answer as the most reasonable option.
“The right thing is not to wager at all.”
Pascal: Life demands that we wager, or rather, death demands that we wager.
We know that we’re alive and we know life ends. The question of God is a question that answers “what happens next?”
Sorry we didn’t get to choose whether or not to live, but not making a choice now is impossible. To not make a choice is to make a choice.

5. Now for the atheists… Atheism is a bad bet because you can’t win.
Betting there is no God and being right causes you to gain nothing and lose nothing.
Betting there is a God and being right allows you the chance to gain everything or to lose nothing.
Betting there is no God and being wrong causes you to gain nothing and lose everything.
Betting there is a God and being wrong causes you to gain nothing and lose nothing.

6. Go Big!

7. Is it selfish?
Justice can be substituted instead of the motive of seeking happiness.
Still the same chances of success.
If you want to believe but can’t…
Fake it ‘til you make it!
How do you think I’m allowed to teach?
“Living the faith can be a way of getting the faith”-Kreeft