Is There a Supreme Being? Research Paper Sample in Philosophy

The claim that a Supreme Being exists has been a topic of interest for philosophers for many centuries. The question of whether there is a Supreme Being or not has led to the development of theories which seek to find answers to the whole metaphysical question of existence of God. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), French philosopher, developed a theory that supports the existence of God despite the fact that there is no empirical evidence to substantiate this conclusion. On the contrary, Bertrand Russel (1872-1970), a British philosopher, also proposed an argument that rejects the existence of God on the for lack of evidence on the existence of a Supreme Being. Russel uses teapot theory to explain the reason for the creation of the belief on God's existence while Pascal uses the bible to substantiate the claim of the existence of a Supreme Being (Al-Juwayni & Paul, 2000). This paper is aimed at evaluating Pascal's theory in relation to the argument of Russel about the existence of a Supreme Being. To accomplish this, a comparison of the two theories after which a reflection about the God's existence will be made based on the findings and personal views.

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The Theory of Pascal

In the theory of Pascal, there is a strong argument for the existence of God. The theory postulates that mankind does not know whether God exists or does not exist. According to the argument of Pascal, it is of best practice to lead a life as if there is God and make an attempt to develop a strong belief in God. Pascal highlights that there is an only finite loss that a person suffers when he believes that there is no God or supernatural being but it is possible to acquire infinite gains that can be received when one believes that God exists (Al-Juwayni & Paul, 2000). Pascal argues that those who believe in the existence of God and believe in Him will inherit the kingdom of God but those who do not believe in the existence of Supreme Being only expects eternity in hell.

lefttop It is therefore sensible to accept as true that God exists as it is the most suitable bet. The assumptions that it is likely that God exists is reasonable to bet such position as it rewards more than believing in the non-existence of God. He suggests that people acknowledge the temperament of finite due to the fact that they are finite (Saka, 2018). Human beings also believe in the reality of infinite and its nature because it is has no restriction in terms of limit. In his argument, he suggests that human beings are at crossroads regarding God's existence. It is very hard to either accept that God exists and His nature. This is based on the assumption that God has no extension or limitation. Suppose there is God, he is not intelligible to mankind because he has no body parts nor joints and no resemblance to human beings (Saka, 2018; Al-Juwayni & Paul, 2000). It is, therefore, not easy to understand the kind of being God is and even his existence.

Belief in God

Pascal is not sure if there is somebody who would make such a decision as to whether there is God or not. As such, it is not important to support either of the sides because there is no sufficient information or proof that can be used to support the existence of God or not. Human beings have no power to recognize God' existence nor can they identify his deeds. It is therefore, means that even if God exists, it not possible for people to evidential information about such existence which man can then uses to prove God's availability either by explanation (Saka, 2018). For that reason, Pascal denotes the necessity of Wager as it is impossible to realize God's existence. That is to say, we only have a responsibility to either believe or not depending on various reasons.

Comparison of Pascal's Views and those of Russel

In the theory of Pascal and Russel, there is an argument about the existence of a supernatural being. Both do not know whether there is a supernatural God or not despite the fact that each of them tries to find the evidence that can prove that God truly exists. These two philosophers only try to explain the existence of a supernatural being using their personal opinion and belief (Al-Juwayni and Paul, 2000). The only difference between the two is that Pascal believes that there is Supreme Being while Russel rejects such existence.

Manifestation of Heaven

According to Pascal, there is God who created Heaven and Earth as opposed to Russel who believe that there is nothing like God but it is only a belief which was started by Jews. Russel explains his point by using teapot theory where he argues that the information that there is teapot between Earth and Mars can be imposed in the minds of the people when they are very young (Saka, 2018). This idea can remain in the mind of young people forever without knowing that it is not correct. This fact cannot be opposed by anybody who received this information when young and that the way the idea of God's existence started. His opinion is different from the opinion of Pascal who believes that there is God and explains the benefits that one can get from such a belief. Pascal argues that it is important to believe that there is God and that belief can make someone receive infinite gain and disbelief lead to finite loss. Russel opposes his argument because if it is only a belief that there is God then it is not true that God exists. Pascal argues that we should not look for the evidence to prove God's existence but we must only believe using our reason, knowledge, skills, and ideas while Russel wants factual evidence that shows that God really exists (Russel, 1957) and he finds no such evidence to substantiate the existence of God

Manifestion of Hell

According to Pascal's theory, it is important for people to focus on God for help as he is the owner of Earth's treasures. Russel opposes the argument by saying that it is important for human beings to chat their own destiny instead of believing in stories which had been created by our forefathers (Connor, 2006).

Pascal's view is different from the opinion of Russel by the fact that it is based on Christian view that requires strong faith in God's help. In Russel's view, there is no need for strong faith in God who they believe does not exist and therefore there is no need to believe in something. Pascal, therefore, has faith that there is some gain that awaits those who believe in God.

TV shows and their Connections with Pascal and Russel Theories

Connection of Pascal with TV Show God in America

American cannot be understood without appreciating the role religion has played in shaping the nation for more than four centuries. In other words, it is hard to separate religion and American history (Freedman, 2010). God in America offers interesting insights into the religion in American society, both in the present day America, during the tumultuous years of the country's history, and during the times of its founding in the late 18th century. The TV show explores the role religion has played to the social, political and economic development of the United States. The TV show ran on PBS for three days. The first episode was aired on 11 October 2010 and the last episode of the show took place on 13 October 2010.Each episode ran for three hours (PBS, 2012).Though interviews with religious historians and dramatizations, the TV show traces the struggle for religious liberty in the United States from the arrivals of the Reformed English Protestants in the New World to the present America.

Courtesy of the New York Times, Oct 1, 2010.

Like Pascal who uses the Bible as tool to articulate his theological positions .The program chronicles how Americans and American leaders have relied on religion to shape the history of the nation and how such reliance has generated enormous benefits as envisioned by Pascal. Notably, the documentary highlights the movement of people from conditions of pain and suffering to enviable prosperity and success. For instance, the puritans escaped persecution from England and fled the New World where they found freedom to worship and pursue success without the encumbrances of the state. It is like the Biblical story of exodus of the Jewish people during their deliverance from Egypt (Freedman, 2010).

In particular, the TV show features some of the greatest leaders in American history and the role religion played to make them wiser and make decision that benefited the larger portion of the population in the American society. For instance, Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States, has been depicted as a leader who derived a lot of his moral behaviors from Christianity and Jesus Christ in, particular. Just after independence, he introduced a bill to Congress about religious liberty. However, it is the moral aspect of Christianity that impressed Jefferson (Freedman, 2010) .As a result, he used this platform to institute several campaigns a president which have benefited Americans for more than two centuries.

Thomas Jefferson, Courtesy of PBS, 2012.

Another leader who stands out from the rest is Abraham Lincoln. He is regarded as a very important figure in American leadership for his role in the American Civil War. Lincoln believed in God and often prayed for wisdom from God during difficult times as a leader. For instance, in 1862, Lincoln committed himself to God for help to make the right decisions, a year into the Civil War. He believed that God founded the United States and never wanted the country to split. As a result, he fought fiercely for its preservation. The end of the Civil War not only brought the benefit of preserving the US as we know it today but also ended slavery, bringing several benefits to African Americans. In the context of the Pascal, if Lincoln did not believe in liberty and equality of all men before God, then he would not have taken the mentioned decision after the outbreak of the war.

Abraham Lincoln, courtesy of PBs, 2012.

Connection of Russel Theory with Hard to be a God

Scientists have severally pointed out that the period of enlightenment resulted out of the philosophers' decision abandon religious dogmas as a source for decision making in life and embrace scientific evidence. Released in 2014, the move features scientists who leave to the planet Arkanar to help a medieval civilization. They enlighten them through science and reject the existence of God. As a result, these scientists rescue intellectuals and make the planet achieve progress. This depiction propagates the idea of Russel about the limitation of believing in God. As promoted by Russel, there is no benefit in believing some beings which cannot be metaphysically verified. Over the years, as per Russel's argument, those who do not believe in the limitation of God have demonstrated the advantages science as their inquiries have led to several discoveries which have in turn alleviated suffering and pain of people around the world.

Annotation of Sources

PBS. (2012). God in America - God in the White House. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/god-in-the-white-house/

This source records the series of events that have been featured in the documentary. It acts as a primary source document for the information needed for the article. Primarily, it records highlights of the major events of the documentary. It is a credible source in the sense that it provides primary information. For instance, the information contained in this source helps the reader to learn the role religious inclinations of all American presidents and such inclinations shaped their policies in so far as the United States' well-being is concerned.

Freedman, S. G. (2010, October 1). Faith and politics, a rocky romance. the New York Times [New York].

Samuel Freedman's article provides vital information relating t...