Pascal's Wager and the Annihilation View of Hell
Any attempted defense of Pascal's Wager has shown a complete and utter lack of knowledge about anthropological studies of the religious cultures around the world. There are literally a myriad number of gods and supernatural forces believed by the peoples of the world. This is called the "many gods" objection. But there are other things to consider.
When it comes to Pascal's Wager the evidence is simply below the threshold for it to be worth considering. The threat is more like someone crying out that the sky is failing. We've heard too many people make this claim too many times to take any of them seriously.
But in recent decades the "conditional immortality" annihilation view of hell seems to be the wave of future Christianity (ala, Clark Pinnock and Jonathan Kvanvig). With it the eternal threat has been significantly reduced and even completely neutralized. What would Pascal's Wager look like now, calculated with the annihilation view of hell in mind? Christians themselves are taking the bite out of the wager.
When it comes to Pascal's Wager the evidence is simply below the threshold for it to be worth considering. The threat is more like someone crying out that the sky is failing. We've heard too many people make this claim too many times to take any of them seriously.
But in recent decades the "conditional immortality" annihilation view of hell seems to be the wave of future Christianity (ala, Clark Pinnock and Jonathan Kvanvig). With it the eternal threat has been significantly reduced and even completely neutralized. What would Pascal's Wager look like now, calculated with the annihilation view of hell in mind? Christians themselves are taking the bite out of the wager.