I’ve written about “Pascal’s Wager” in the past because I both admire the logic and am disturbed by the limited spirituality of it. Simply put, Pascal took a cost/benefit approach to believing in God. If you don’t, and God is real, you are in trouble – if you do, and God is not real, you’ve lost nothing. The assumption is that believers live good lives regardless, so the world is a better place if you served God in your life. This is not really totally true; I’ve known lots of people who don’t believe in God but have lived amazing, generous, loving lives – and the opposite is true as well.
I was also thinking about the downward trend over the last 50 years of church attendance, and how so many families decide not to raise their children in some kind of faith community. Aside from all the data that shows that being part of a spiritual extended family has all kinds of benefits; my real question is the title of this thought – what do you gain? What is gained by not attending worship as a family? What is gained by not assisting in learning more about God? Most people still believe in God in some way, but recent numbers show that only 5% of Americans attend worship regularly. Yes – 5%.
Most of us live our lives with Pascal’s cost/benefit approach. We choose what we do based on how it will help us and the people we love. Does choosing kid’s sports over religion make your kid’s life better? Is going out for breakfast more enriching than going to worship? We all have a limited time on this planet, and I think we need to live each day to its fullest. What I gain from going to church is a fresh start – a time of introspection – a community of good people who are just trying to be better. No – religious organizations are not perfect, and the very serious flaws that some have shown us are devastating. But if you can find a place that doesn’t allow itself to be broken by its human frailty, you might benefit a lot from what that gathered community has to offer. What do you gain? You have to try it to find out.
Prayer – Holy God, You have given us a chance to be together in Your name. May we use that time for the benefit of the world. Amen.
Today’s art is “Enlightenment” by Toni Grote.