"Reason has never motivated a man to do anything."
... David Hume
Whether we are Thiests, Atheists, or Agnostics all of our actions are based on the principle of maximum return. Sometimes this benefit is minimal or sometimes the benefit is less suffering rather than more but in order for us to do anything at all we must receive some type of benefical return. In the every day world reason is often the tool we use to decide which actions will produce the greatest benefit and the least amount of discomfort. Reason, however is never the motivator.
This fact is implicitly acknowledged by Pascals wager. In the end the final decision to act and choose to accept the wager is not motivated by reason but by one's desire to maximize pleasure(eternal bliss)and minimizing pain(eternal damnation). We are all hedonists in the end.
I often hear Christian theologians state that Christians Conduct themselves "...out of a love for God". One also hears "..Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom."
Does the Love outweigh the Fear in this context? Does the emotional reward one recieves for love of God outweigh the reward one will recieve from eternal bliss?
To get answers to this question I propose the following hypothetical:
God appears to all believers and states the gates of Heaven have been permanently closed. When one's life expires there is neither pain nor bliss - only anihilation. From this point on regardless of how one chooses to live their lives there will be no punishment or reward in the next world. To show the Love man has for him God asks his followers to commit to keeping all his Commandments and laws as stated in the scriptures.
How would one respond to this?
Would one continue to conduct one's life as in the past or would one attempt to maximize the pleasurable experiences available in the life still left in the world? To put it bluntly would it be time to party or to pray? Wold one's Love for God be lessoned or greatened?
™ Version 4.2