Once more: Pascal's Wager and Fundie Contradictions

Here we go again, once more into the breach, as the fundies refuse to face their own logical inconsistencies in their arguments. In a prior post I noted all the resident deficiencies of Pascal's wager and its attendant "rationale":


http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2010/07/taking-chances-on-going-to-hell-no-more.html


Now, a fundie I happen to know has written the following, which I will try to refrain from howling in laughter at:


"The bottom line is , in reference to Pascal's Wager (and I've also mentioned this numerous times in the past ) , if the atheists ARE correct , and there really is no God , Christians have lost nothing - we've "broke even." However , if we Christians are right (and we ARE ) , then the atheists have just gambled and lost their eternal lives , and will be "paying " off the debt for ALL ETERNITY. . . in HELL !! Like I said , eternity is a LONG TIME to be wrong . "



But again, this fundie doesn't process two things which are contradictory to his spiel:

1) In previous blogs he has stated in NO uncertain terms, that ALL those (including other Christians - like Catholics) who DON'T accept HIS mode of "salvation" (belief on the Lord JC as personal Savior) are ALSO bound for Hell! In other words, it makes NO difference whether one is an atheist or not!


Not one! Indeed, with his own keyboard he has written:

"Even Satan believed in GOD!"

Meaning that simple belief in God alone is not a sufficient condition to enter the pearly gates.

In his purview, ALL those who don't follow the prescription he gives (and he also noted this in respect of his (Catholic) parents in other false doctrines' pages on his I-net site. We know it must be very discomfiting to condemn his own parents to "Hell" for being Catholic (an "unbiblical cult" in his words) but we are all about honesty here. We are about forcing this fundie to remain consistent to his previously stated edicts and beliefs- and not backpedaling when they're inconvenient or embarrassing).

If then he condemns all Catholics to Hell, or plays cute with words and says "God does" - like all atheists, then he must be uniform in this judgment and not pick and choose those he elects to be exceptions. That includes his parents, as much as any atheist siblings! There can be NO separation or distinction, unless he admits he's a hypocrite who talks out of both sides of his mouth!

Arguing that "in my Father's house there are many mansions" simply doesn't cut it, because in his past False Doctrine I-net tracts he's repeatedly stated there aren't "many mansions" - but only ONE for those who have professed belief on the Lord JC as personal Savior. So, if you're a believing Spiritual scholar, or Mormon, or Muslim or Jew or Catholic, sorry....you still don't pass 'GO' you go to Hell!

Either he must heave to and admit this, or fess up to being dishonest and duplicitous.

2) As I previously pointed out, though the fundie skates over it, Pascal wasn't merely a "Christian" but a ROMAN CATHOLIC! In other words, his "wager" applied as much to non-Catholics gambling with their eternal reward as atheists!

Not to acknowledge Pascal's context as a Catholic is again to be dishonest.

As I've pointed out to other evangelicals - when they cite Pascal, they need to read between the lines since he's doing THEM no favors! For while Pascal positively states that reason cannot prove the truth of Christian theism, he regards Catholicism and total disbelief as the only two alternatives. In other words, Pascal regarded ANY form of Protestantism as equivalent to UNBELIEF!

In Pascal's mind, his wager applied equally to any Prot (including would be evangelicals - though they were in short supply back then) or atheist. Both, in his view, would end up in hellfire unless they converted to Catholicism. (It is also worth knowing that, in the Middle Ages and during the time of the Inquisition, the term "unbeliever" applied to anyone not Catholic).


Fundamentalists need to be much more honest with themselves and their minions, when they resort to dishonest tricks in citing things like "Pascal's Wager". If they aren't honest, why should anyone take anything they say seriously or credibly?