quote:
1)Bible is true and I reject it -- I miss out entirely.
2)Bible is false and I reject it -- Big deal, probably no afterlife anyway.
3)Bible is true and I accept it -- Good, I'm saved.
4)Bible is false and I accept it -- Big deal, probably no afterlife anyway, also most other religions not exclusive.
From a strictly mercenary, probabilistic, gambler's viewpoint, the smart choice is to bet on the Bible being true. You could be a Christian and still wind up with 1,2, or 4 the same as anybody else. But a person who has rejected Christ's offer of eternal life won't get door #3.
Seems a bit obvious, but you can just as easily replace "Bible" in the above, with "Koran", "Tibetan Book of the Dead", "Invisible Pink Unicorn" etc
And if we change the grammar slightly you can use "There is a God who will send you to hell if you believe in him" and come up with a completely opposite conclusion to the one you reach.
And all this is before even getting to the fact that having led a religious life you don't lose much (4) may be untrue for some e.g Michael Shermer, for one.
Unfortunately, being mercenary doesn't help you out here as you have no mechanism to determine the probabilities. Try another tack.
Incidentally, are you aware of the
Atheist's Wager?
It is better to live your life as if there are no Gods, and try to make the world a better place for your being in it.
If there is no God, you have lost nothing and will be remembered fondly by those you left behind.
If there is a benevolent God, He will judge you on your merits and not just on whether or not you believed in Him.
PE
™ Version 4.2