GOD-centric :
A life centered on the pursuit of a good and fair God of love
Ch. 5 The Quest (continued)
Wagers: Aurelius vs. Pascal
Issues: “Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones. I am not afraid.” ~ Marcus Aurelius
“God is, or He is not. But to which side shall we incline? Reason can decide nothing here. There is an infinite chaos which separated us... Which will you choose then? ...Let us weigh the gain and the loss in wagering that God is... If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation that He is.” ~ Blaise Pascal
My Take: Winner Aurelius. Pardon my implied French but Pascal's Wager seemed steeped in a CYA mentality. (Google “CYA” if you must.) Believe in God to cover your bets and, who knows, maybe you will hit the jackpot and go to heaven. I supposed that this was the difference between just believing in God and loving God. Believers were playing the carrots and sticks game and were really just looking out for themselves. Lovers did not care about their own outcome because a lover of God only wanted to love God. No reward of heaven or loss of hell necessary.
| Thinking a Thought Whole |
| My Catholic Imagination |
| My Catholic Questions |
| The Nicene Creed |
| Religious Traditions |
| Philosophy of Religion |
| Social Sciences & Religion |
| Stages of Faith |
| The Lazarus Life |
| No Golden Fleece |
| Judaism |
| Eastern Orthodoxy |
| Protestantism |
| Islam |
| Hinduism |
| Buddhism |
| Taoism |
| Baha'i |
| Unitarian (& Quaker) Universalism |
| Liberal Christianity |
| New Age, New Thought, New Anything |
| Perennial Philosophy |
| Arguments for God’s Existence |
| Qualities of God |
| Wagers: Aurelius vs. Pascal |
| Faith & Reason |
| The Problem of Evil |
| Process Theology & Theistic Existentialism |
| Non-God Statement |
| GOD-centric Statement |
| Are you really GOD-centric? |
| Intra-Religious Conversation |
| Conversation with the Non GOD-centric |
| Rules of Inter-Religious Conversation |
| Inter-Religious Conversation |
| The Eternal Question of God |
| The Eternal Question of Humanity |
| The Eternal Question of Life |
| Ending with a Bang, Not a Whimper |
| Closing Thoughts |
| The GOD-centric Process in 10 Easy Steps |
| Preface |
| Ch. 1 Music & Arts |
| Ch. 2 Praying the Hours |
| Ch. 3 Contemplative Prayer |
| Ch. 4 Prayers & Poetry |
| Ch. 5 Lectio Divina |
| Ch. 6 Reading for Study |
| Music |
| Arts |
| Prayers of Adoration |
| Prayers of Petition |
| Prayers of Intercession |
| Prayers of Thanksgiving |
| Preface |
| Introduction |
| Ch. 1 Simplicity |
| Ch. 2 Service |
| Ch. 3 Stewardship |
| Ch. 4 Celebration |
| Epilogue |
| From GOD-centric to GOOD-centric |
| From Panendeist to De Facto Atheist |
| A Note to Non-GOD-centric Christian Believers |
| GOOD-centric Statement: Upon This Rock I Stand |
| Freedom from Complexity |
| Absence of Luxury, Pretentiousness, Ornament |
| GOOD-centric Guiding Principles: Simplicity |
| Education |
| Economics |
| GOOD-centric Guiding Principles: Service |
| Fairness in Education |
| Goodness in Education |
| Love in Education |
| Fairness in Economics |
| Goodness in Economics |
| Love in Economics |
| Environment |
| Animal Welfare |
| GOOD-centric Guiding Principles Stewardship |
| Fairness for the Environment |
| Goodness for the Environment |
| Love for the Environment |
| Fairness for Animals |
| Goodness for Animals |
| Love for Animals |
| GOD-centric to GOOD-centric |
| GOD-centric vs. GOOD-centric |
| GOD-centric & GOOD-centric |
| Devotional |
| UnDevotional |
| January |
| February |
| March |
| April |
| May |
| June |
| July |
| August |
| September |
| October |
| November |
| December |
| UnJanuary |
| UnFebruary |
| UnMarch |
| UnApril |
| UnMay |
| UnJune |
| UnJuly |
| UnAugust |
| UnSeptember |
| UnOctober |
| UnNovember |
| UnDecember |