In the debate between evidentialism as represented by Clifford and the non-evidentialism of Blaise Pascal, William James, and Michael Bergmann, the non-evidentialist argument has more strength. The maturity of every form of belief goes through a process that is, in fact, very similar to the scientific method because in both cases the person is working on the base of a hypothesis, a belief, which has not actually been validated though physical experimentation. According to James, both the scientist and the religious man works through steps of logical reasoning (James). In the case of science it produces documented results but in the domain of religion this leads to an evolution of the spiritual self. As Pascal, James, and Bergmann point out for the man who chooses to believe in God despite the lack of evidence, the belief itself becomes the opportunity for personal growth and communal development.
According to Pascal’s ‘Wager’, the person who chooses to be an agnostic or atheist has nothing to gain and everything to lose, but a believer has everything to gain and nothing to lose because although, the reward religion promises in the form of heaven is not something that can be acquired during the lifetime, yet it is only attainable through having led a humanitarian life (Jordan). Consequently, this belief in God leads the believers into continually developing their character in a compassionate manner which proves to be beneficial for individual and social welfare. Therefore, the personal beliefs and opinions of an individual does not have negative consequences for the others as long as they are not imposed on others, they remain what they are- private. In fact religious belief if honestly exercised has only good and betterment to offer others.
Works Cited
Bergmann, Michael. "Rational Religious Belief without Arguments." Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology (2012): 534-549.
Clifford, William Kingdon. The Ethics of Belief and Other Essays. Prometheus Books, Publishers, n.d.
James, William. The Will to Believe. lulu.com, 2017.
Jordan, Jeff. Pascal's Wager: Pragmatic Arguments and Belief in God. Clarendon Press, 2006.
