[TruthTalk] Re [Truth Talk] Saved -- Salvation -- and the pigpen

[Caroline Wong]

Pascal's wager: "If God exists, He will reward belief in Him: while if He does not exist, such belief leads to no harm. Hence the best bet is to believe in Him."   A challenge: A non-believer asked what if God turns out to be like the Jaguar of the Aztec/Mayan people and was incredibly cruel and required human sacrifices? My response was that I would still worship because I do not create God; I respond to a real, uncreated Person. She castigated me for moral cowardice, for not rising above my god. I told her that our understanding of good/evil is based on the understanding of God's goodness and if the Jaguar was the standard for goodness, she'll be a good Jaguarite if she really wanted to be good and not rebellious. Things went downhill from there.   Pascal's wager revisited: If God is a God of love and grace, we have leeway in our beliefs. If God is judgmental and strict, we need to follow the narrowest path in order to please him. Therefore following the strictest, narrowest code is the safest.   Strangely enough, both Pascal and I have had experiences with God and we *know* He is real and He is Love. Pascal probably winces every time someone quotes his wager in philosophy or theology. But I fully understand the security of following the narrowest path for those who can not wager all on Him being love. There is room in the faith for all and biblical support for both theology.   Love,   Caroline