Pascals Wager concludes that it is a safe bet to believe in God and heaven and hell and all the Biblical stuff. If all is false, if there is no God and no heaven and hell, then the believer is no worse off than the non-believer, according to Pascal. Both will be dead, and that will be that. However, if God does exist, then the believer has everything to gain, and the non-believer has everything to lose. The believer, according to this way of looking at things, really has nothing to lose and everything to gain, while the nonbeliever has nothing to gain and everything to lose.

Problems:

First, it is important to note that this is not an argument or proof for the existence of God. It makes no knowledge claim. It is purported to be a reason for believing. That is all.

Second, most religious people who believe in God authentically do not respect people who choose to believe because it is a safe bet. Its like marrying for money and not for love. Gamboling and betting is generally frowned upon by religious people, and believing just to insure ones reward of salvation is not an authentic reason for believing. It is phony.

Third, there are negative consequences to subjugating ones self to a supreme being which doesn't exist and positive things about living for ones self authentically, standing on ones own two feet. When it is factored in that living ones own life freely and participating in creating ones own nature is preferable to living as an object of someone else's design, it is no longer the case that the believer is better off, or no worse off, than the non-believer.

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