Danny 101

No.

God said, "Let there be light."
Nothing happened for a few moments.
Then God said, "Who the heck am I talking to?"

A little boy prayed for a bike. Then he realized God doesn't work that way, so he stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.

Instead of trying to prove that the Lord does or does not exist, I'd like to put this argument into an entirely new context - a wager.

If I were an odds maker, this one would be simple. You have two choices, and two possible outcomes.

Your choices: Belief / Disbelief

Possible outcomes: There is a God / There is NOT a God

The key to good gambling is the effective analysis of risk versus reward. What do I have to gain if I win? What do I have to lose if I lose? What are my chances?

So with that in mind, let's break it down:

Belief / There is a God: If you believe, and it turns out there is a God, then he's an asshole for not just telling you, and you're probably better off spending eternity with that other guy who tried so hard to get through to you all these years.

Belief / There is NOT a God: If you believe, and there is no God . . . Wow, what a waste of a human life. You could have been out there solving life's mysteries, but instead you were fooled into thinking you already had them solved. It's a shame for all of us . . . perhaps you would have been just the scientist we needed to save us from all the Christians and their self-fulfilling prophecies.

Disbelief / There is a God: At least you didn't give your life for the guy. You dodged the bullet, my friend.

Disbelief / There is NOT a God: We're all in luck! You spent your life questioning things you didn't understand, and perhaps solved a few problems in the process. You contributed, and that's what's important. Now, we can progress and evolve as a race, free from dogma and doctrine-imposed morality.

And how about those chances? Well, considering how many Gods people believe in, choosing the right one seems to be the real long shot. But let's assume we could all agree on one God, and that all that matters is that a god of some sort exists. The chances, if we're to believe our senses, research, and logic, are about as good as me being Him.

My point... Just believe in me. God doesn't gamble.