Pascal's Wager and Being Able to Think!

JMJ

The Intro

Pascal's Wager is an argument to pursue virtue and according to Wikipedia, was published post-posthumously with the basic structure:

God is, or God is not. Reason cannot decide between the two alternatives"
"A Game is being played ... where heads or tails will turn up"
"You must wager; it is not optional"
"Let us weigh the gain and the loss in wagering that God is. Let us estimate these two chances. If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing"
"Wager, then, without hesitation that He is. ... There is here an infinity of an infinitely happy life to gain, a chance of gain against a finite number of chances of loss, and what you stake is finite. And so our proposition is of infinite force when there is the finite to stake in a game where there are equal risks of gain and of loss, and the infinite to gain."
"But some cannot believe. They should then 'at least learn your inability to believe...' and 'Endeavour then to convince' themselves."

The Risk

I have been a risk manager and like to put things in that frame. However, before that we need to examine quickly the possible end-points of our mortal existence:

Heaven: We die in a state of grace and are saved for eternity.
Hell: We die in a state of mortal sin and are damned for eternity.
Dissolution: We dissolve into nothing.

Its either good, bad or nothing.
Most religions have some version of #1 and #2, whereas atheists etc believe that death is just the end as opposed to the beginning of eternity. Some religions believe in a version of Heaven and Hell that are temporary way-stations until they are ready for reincarnations again.

So, the wager wouldn't make sense to them - unless they had been exposed to the Catholic / Christian and were presented with an argument that if the Catholic / Christian belief is correct. Then the wager would make sense.

... moving on ...

So, no matter what, you are now alive and nothing can alter the fact that you are making decisions and will die. Death, that first of the last four things that is a surety.

The uncertainty surrounds the existence of God and the wager (what you give up) to attain salvation should He exist.

“Because of <one or more causes>, <risk> might occur, which would lead to <one or more effects>.” Risk Meta Language - David Hillson

Because

It is possible that God exists,
you have been born,
are making decisions every day between

virtue
and vice

and will eventually die,

a judgement of your actions might occur
which would lead to either receiving

eternal reward (Heaven), (Purgatory being a temporary state - even measured in 100's of years),
or eternal punishment (Hell).

The Wager

So, what are you willing to bet that God doesn't exist?

If God exists and

you live a life of virtue, you stand to gain Heaven - i.e. eternal happiness,
you live a life of vice, you will almost certainly lose Heaven,

If God does not exist,

you live a life of virtue, you will lose nothing,
you live a life of vice, you will lose nothing,

A rationale betting man or woman would chose to live a life of virtue

Following Pascal's wager, every rational unbeliever would live a life of virtue on the chance that a much greater reward awaits those who practice virtue.

Death, Judgement, Heaven, or Hell

The wager isn't an argument for the existence of God, it is simply a bet that we are each making by our decisions.

In this case, he was making the case of the wager that the Christian God exists, I obviously am making it that the Catholic Church is the Church of Christ who is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity,and is God.

Catholic Teaching states that there are four last things - as mentioned earlier death is a certainty for all of us.

Next comes judgement - in which souls in the State of Grace and State of Mortal Sin are judged and their reward or punishment determined. In other words Heaven and Hell are not the same for everyone.

Then comes Heaven or Hell, depending if you are in the former or latter group.

For ever.

Conclusion

What you stand to gain by living a virtuous life is Heaven.

What you lose in exchange for an eternity in Heaven, are the pleasures and vices that you gave up in the short years of your life here on Earth.

That is infinite vs finite aka ∞ / 0 = ∞ (Infinity divided by zero still equals infinity).

Said another way, is living a life of vice comes with the price of a lost opportunity.

The scales tip towards living a life of virtue.

P^3

Pascal's wager - Wikipedia

The myth of the Hermeneutic of Continuity - Rorate Caeli

+ JMJ Interestingly the complete acceptance of the Second Vatican Council (without reservations) is required of the SSPX. Just when people are starting to wonder how it came to this! Courtesy of Rorate Caeli P^3

A Look Back: Archbishop Lefebvre’s Prophetic Address to The Remnant, 1976

+ JMJ Looking back is important to understand why we are where we are in this crisis. Courtesy of RemnantNewsPaper P^3 FOR THE FIRST TIME ONLINE: Archbishop Lefebvre’s Prophetic Address to The Remnant, 1976 Written by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre Introduction by Michael J. Matt More than forty years ago—during the disastrous reign of Pope Paul VI, the latest candidate for a Vatican-issued Halo Award, by the way—my father, Walter L. Matt, organized the first large scale public reception in the U.S. for the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. It was held at the Radisson South Hotel, Minneapolis, on Tuesday, May 12, 1976, and its stated purpose was to assist the Archbishop in gaining a stronger foothold for the Society of St. Pius X in the States during the unprecedented crisis Blessed Pope Paul had helped unleash on the Church. On that occasion Archbishop Lefebvre delivered ...

Of the Church and the Pope - Fr. Calmel O.P.

+ JMJ Once again, looking back to see if the 'Traditional Catholics' in the early days of this crisis of the Church had a sufficient view to realize the roots of the crisis. The root: The Pope Hence when the Pope is 'righted' the Church will be 'righted'. P^3 Courtesy of SSPXasia Fr. Roger Calmel, O.P. This essay by Fr. Roger Calmel, O.P. (1914-75) helps us in these difficult times to preserve our love of the Church. More than 30 years after its first publication, this article retains all its relevance, so much so that it even seems to have been written for our time, in which the crisis in the Church deepens at an unprecedented pace. This essay will help the reader to think clearly, keep the Faith, and maintain serenity in the troubled times we are navigating. “My country has hurt m e,”wrote a young poet in 1944 during the purge 1 when the head of state [Charles De Gaulle] implacably pursued the sinister job that had been in the wo...

Canonical Mission and State of Emergency - A Response to Mr. John Salza - Part B

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Validity of new rite of episcopal consecrations - Courtesy of SSPX.org

+ JMJ In the blogosphere there are number of responses to this crisis in the Catholic Church that lead to conclusions that run counter to Catholic Doctrine and Dogmas - if taken to their logical conclusion. The validity of the New Rite of Episcopal consecrations is one such hotspot within more extreme sections of the 'traditionalist' culture. Validity of new rite of episcopal consecrations Courtesy of SSPX.org Why the new rite of episcopal consecration is valid Introduction This comprehensive study was compiled to settle a debate that has been circulating in traditional Catholic circles. Some writers have examined the new rite of episcopal consecration and concluded that it must be invalid. Since this would cause manifest problems if it were true and due to the heightened awareness of such a theory, we present a study of this question concluding that it is valid. Following the Council, in 1968 a new rite for the ordination of bishops was promulg...

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