The other day I was speaking about doubt to a group of Christians. During the discussion that followed one lady said that while she was a Christian, she thought that even if Christianity is false and reincarnation is true, that her current belief system would put her in good stead with the law(s) of reincarnation. In other words, she’s better off being reincarnated as a Christian who strived to follow the Golden Rule all her life than as a non-religious person who didn’t. One suspects the reasoning would apply more generally as well. For example, should deism be true one is better off following the moral law than not. Indeed, one could even reason that should there be no God one will still be better off believing there was one and seeking to live in accord with Christian moral principles.
One could view this as a reasonable approach to faith that simply extends the logic of the Pascalian wager. But one could also view it as a disingenuous approach to faith akin to signing a prenuptial agreement.
So what do you think? Is it a reasonable judgment or an inhibition to true faith commitment?
