Politics | November 14, 2008 | 7 comments

Odds of god's existence dropped to 4-1

source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/3374240/Paddy-Power-offers-odds-of-4-1-t...

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breakthepower
Since opening its book just two months ago, punters hoping to have their faith rewarded have placed £5,000 with Paddy Power.

It began taking bets on the question that has plagued thinkers for centuries in September, to coincide with the switching on of the Large Hadron Collider that physicists hope may lead to the discovery of an elusive sub-atomic object called the "God particle".

Initially the odds that proof would be found of God's existence were 20-1, and they lengthened to 33-1 when the multi-billion pound atom smasher was shut down temporarily because of a magnetic failure.

But interest in the wager has increased greatly following the recent launch of a campaign to have atheist adverts placed on London buses declaring that "there's probably no God".

As a result of a flurry of small bets Paddy Power, which also runs books on who will be the next Pope and the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, has cut the odds on proof being found of God's existence to just 4-1.

The bookmaker stands to lose more than £50,000 if proof emerges to justify religious belief.

A spokesman for Paddy Power said that confirmation of God's existence would have to be verified by scientists and given by an independent authority before any payouts were made, however.

He added: "The atheists' planned advertising campaign seems to have renewed the debate in pubs and around office water-coolers as to whether there is a God and we've seen some of that being transferred into bets.

"However we advise anyone still not sure of God's existence to maybe hedge their bets for now, just in case."

Paddy Power's book on the theological topic was only opened this year, but the notion that it is a good idea to gamble on God's existence was first put forward in the 17th Century.

The French philosopher Blaise Pascal argued that although God's existence cannot be proven through reason, it makes sense to have religious faith since a person has everything to gain – an "infinitely happy life" – and nothing to lose by doing so.
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7 comments // Odds of god's existence dropped to 4-1

  • metalcookiesxy70
    • 0
      metalcookiesxy70  

    • The origin of the religion is faith-based, there is no real god, religion does have its purposes though, the public doesn't actually know what is the purpose of religion, but its to help those people who are going through some serious problems that they cannot handle on their own, or...because the people who worships the religion told you to do so, or you will die..

    • 3 years ago
  • thorstein
    • 0
      thorstein  

    • I've seen worse scams! But he's clever all the same! I bet this is a guy who has employed this scheme to make himself some money since he was a kid! I see that he's got a gift with it! His sense of timing is superb! The historical support for this pasttime is also remarkable!

      It's part knowledge of human behavior and perhaps something much more pertinent: the sense that if scientists call some theoretical particle the "God particle" that the probability of it being found AND then be proven scientifically is astronomical. Not to mention that such a particle would require a particle accelerator bigger than the Large Hadron Collider! This last point has been discussed in scientific circles for many years!

      So come now, yes they do expect proof of "god" any time now but he already has them in his little pocket! There has to be scientific proof, verified by scientists! Do you think they'll verify it anytime soon? I don't. So a whole lot of people, stand to be out some money! That's for sure!

      But I find the propagandistic advertising of atheists a bit opportunistic, and if people don't like it when christians comes try to take advantage of people's weakness to lure people to church, then it's hypocritical for them to go and do the same thing! And they're no different than this Con artist! Or Bookmaker!

      Who said that there's no such thing as a sure thing?!

      And I like the quote from Blaise Pascal! Because "religious faith" can gain someone an "infinitely happy life." If you have some faith...

      I suspect that this man is going to be infinitely happy as well. And there's no harm in that, even if some people may end up feeling had.

    • 3 years ago
  • DeliaTheArtist
  • thorstein
    • 0
      thorstein  
    • thorstein:

      You are no different from this Bookmaker! He cons people knowing that they'll never have the access to the resources to prove anything! The one requiring the proof always loves to require the proof because it's so easily defensible!

      It's always the same. Always trying to prove moot points with pig-headed obstinence and garner dissatisfaction by subversive digression and dissension.

      Atheists go around preaching their diatribes against belief in God just like those they criticize! Using situations just like this "God particle" to lure people into associating people's simple trustfulness and innocence of worldly schemes that Bookmakers have used for centuries with the inherent ambivalence of human feeling about religion.

      You always want proof and yet you can't prove anything but cheap tricks! As in the use of this story! Just bandwagon propaganda!

      You are a church and you teach that manipulating the media and misinformation is alright and you do it all because you need people to support you just like any church so that you can expand your presence disseminating articles just like this to discredit anything remotely related to "God particles" or "God beings."

      Here you really overstepped your bounds because this Large Hadron Collider has nothing to with God like beings or otherwise. What you're doing here is creating misinformation! What opportunists!

      What gets me is that you think people don't see that you are doing! Coming back with "Oh, prove it, why don't you!" That just doesn't cut it anymore. It just goes to show people who don't believe in religion have nothing to offer except more lazy, half baked ideas and more of the same kinds of things they dislike so much in others!

      Atheism has nothing to offer except more of what you suspected was wrong with the world in the first place!

      One of the most well known proponents of atheism recently, though reluctantly, admitted that there was a possibility that God exists! It's all just foolish pride! And that's all it ever was! How can someone be regarded as a leading intellectual when he shows such an inability/unwillingness to consider a mere possibility?

      That's why I'm no longer an atheist!

    • 3 years ago
  • DeliaTheArtist
    • 0
      DeliaTheArtist  

    • "The atheists' planned advertising campaign seems to have renewed the debate in pubs and around office water-coolers as to whether there is a God and we've seen some of that being transferred into bets."

      I'm not sure how finding a particle will "prove god", so I'll happily take any bet thrown my way! Should we start a Current pool for this?

      "infinitely happy life" - word? Most of the people I know whether or not they believe in god live pretty regular lives full of ups and downs. Anyone out there leading an "infinitely happy life" so far?

    • 3 years ago
  • crimson_saint
  • davemcgrail
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