Problem being, of course, that it doesn't account for the possibility of choosing the wrong God.
In which case, and assuming that Gods don't take belief in the wrong God in credit, you're still not assured "eternal happiness".
In fact, given the sheer number of Gods that are postulated to exist, plus the fact that the God that does exist may not yet have been "discovered" as such, you're just as likely to go to Hell as I am.
Even if you manage to pick the right God, you're still making the assumption that he will reward your wishy-washy, may-as-well belief. Seems to me that any God who rewards that kind of belief isn't worth worshipping.
On top of all this, you're also assuming that God won't reward a solid, intellectually-based disbelief. There's nothing inherently wrong with depending on a materialist outlook on life, which manifestly doesn't support the idea of a deity.
Finally, of course, if you worship an omniscient creator-God, you have to accept that everything you do is predetermined anyway, and that your final destination was set aeons before you were even concieved.
Pascal's Wager is horrifically flawed, and based on a hopelessly two-dimensional view of reality (and, indeed, surreality).
A+ sir!
You didn't need to bring up predestination though.
Most religions (if not all; I haven't researched all of them) believe that God is one being, which might appear in different forms (Christianity = the trinity, etc). So when I talk about God I'm not talking about a God, but THE God, if that makes sense. The being.
That would then be your opinion. I don't 'worship' God, btw. I just keep him in mind. As someone who watches over me, so the bad times don't seem that bad, and so I have that "beacon of hope".
He might reward said disbelief, but I'm not prepared to wager on it, because it does not seem likely to me.
No, my view here is slightly skewed. I don't think destiny is predetermined.
Okay, first, it's incorrect to say that 'most' religions are monotheist. So many aren't.
Second, the fact that you're Christian and your 'a god' is 'the God' doesn't change the fact that Pascal's Wager is a deist proposition, and not a Christian one. You could use Pascal's wager (similarly to your use) to justify a druidic religion, or the myriad pantheons of china, india, or buddhism. However the use of the Wager in any of these situations would be flawed because of all the reasons Sweeney listed. Picking the right god, believing in him correctly, and worshiping him correctly (if applicable), are simply impossible tasks, given the possibilities. How could a creator ever expect his smartest creations to pick?
Believing in the right god isn't as important as having true beliefs. Likewise the point of your life isn't to reach some higher plane, but to make the most of your time while you're here. Your beacon of hope should not be an invisible man in the sky, but your invisible mind, capable of endless thought.
Besides, gods are just symbols. They are manifestations of archetypes, in the greatest way. Theirs are principles that others would devote their lives to, which is admirable in a way. But all the same, I'd rather be baptized under Loki or Fenrir than the One True God. Get some character and personality in my supranatural beings.
