I Still Miss Her

 

For the background you may read “I Miss Her” where I speak of my sister-in-law and how I miss her. I firmly believe we will meet again, and we will know each other even better than we did here. We didn’t know each other long enough here – my husband and hers were separated as children, not reunited for 37 years when they were in their 40’s.

When we finally were able to connect, there were so many similarities, though they spent those 37 years in differing families, different states, different careers. Best connection was that the four of us had a deep faith in God, were actively involved in congregations, and shared our beliefs with anyone who would listen (or read.)

Through the years she explained what I later recognized as part of Pascal’s Wager:

Let us weigh the gain and the loss in wagering that God is. Let us estimate these two chances. If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing.
Wager, then, without hesitation that He is. ( . . . ) There is here an infinity of an infinitely happy life to gain, a chance of gain against a finite number of chances of loss, and what you stake is finite. And so our proposition is of infinite force, when there is the finite to stake in a game where there are equal risks of gain and of loss, and the infinite to gain.

That’s not the way she said it, of course. She made it much more personal and easier to understand:

I’d rather live my life believing there is a God and die to find out there isn’t than to live my life not believing there is a God only to find out there is.

Philosophers and theologians debate, as Pascal did, whether one should believe in God. What was the answer to when you asked yourself: Why should I believe there is a “god”, “higher power”, “supreme being,” or any other name people apply to what they can’t explain?  It appears that everyone in the world has – and made a choice:

According to a Wikipedia entry, the big four belief systems make up the following, as of 2020:

Christianity         2.382 billion
Islam                   1.907 billion
Not Religious *  1.193 billion
Hinduism            1.251 billion
                       *Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist

The fifth, Buddhism (506 million) well out paces Judaism (14.7 million.) The sum of those below Hinduism is 1.380 billion, giving us a total of 8.113 billion - pretty much the estimated world population.

The Notes in the Pascal’s Wager link include:

Instead of focusing on whether it is true or false that God exists, the wager concerns whether belief in God is beneficial, or pragmatic, for the believer. Thus, the Wager is called a “pragmatic” argument, in contrast to what might be called an “evidential” argument.

There is no evidence here that God does exist, or through which of the world’s religious beliefs includes the correct supreme being – but every one of us will make our own decision, even if it is the starred line that includes over a billion people. Close to 16% of the world’s population believe there is no supreme being/nothing after death.

My sister-in-law and I made our choice. She left this world and discovered the answer. As a Christian, I believe as she did in the Bible being God’s inspired words for mankind. Thus I believe:

We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8 KJV)

There is a time limit on our ability to adjust our choice. There is nothing biblical that indicates that this choice can be made following death. Luke 16:19-31, the story of the rich man and Lazarus, does not tell us that the rich man had any opportunity to join Lazarus, just his interest in telling others. But there’s another scripture that includes hope up to the point of death:

And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:39-43 KJV)

That’s not evidence.  It’s a promise.