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Pascal's Knowing and a Fool's Not

One of the greatest minds - not just spiritual, but minds in general - comes from the 17th century, Blaise Pascal.  A French believer, Pascal was home-schooled by his Father, a tax collector.  He was a brillant thinker who wrote extensively.  Trained in Mathematics, he was also an inventor, physicist, philosopher, and as stated, a writer.  
I was introduced to Pascal in the early 1990's.  A group of friends met together every month as a book group (sorry Oprah, we were there first).  Our goal was to read one of the classics that all of us had not previously read and then over coffee and drinks, discuss what we read.  I had little knowledge of Pascal and had never read any of his writings.  We all agreed to read Pensees.  

Pensees was written as an apology for his Christian faith...a defense of the faith in a society of increasing doubters and skeptics.  What's interesting is that Pascal didn't "sit down" to write this book - in fact, it's quite agreed among scholars that the books was never even finished.  Instead, Pascal wrote notes and sketches of arguments that he wrote down from time to time in his notebook he carried with him in his coat pocket.  While he defended the biblical concepts of miracles and prophesy, Pensees  is as much a philosophical arguement - some would say a psychological argument - where Pascal begins with the human and his soul and arrives at God.  One of the most beautiful quotes of Pascal here is:

Not only do we not know God except through Jesus Christ; we do not even know ourselves except through Jesus Christ.

How true.  In our quest for self-fulfillment and self-identity, the modern human has pushed aside "truth" as the basis for knowledge and embraced the relativism and post-modern assertions of self-individualized truth.  
Hah!
We end up with a society of people who neither know God, nor themselves!  
One of the bible's favorite phrases for people like this is "fool".  
Fools wander our hallways of education with titles of Professor and Doctor.
Fools wander our hallways of government with titles of Senator, Justice and Congressman (I'd say President but then that's only one person - let the reader discern).
Fools gain awards for best actor, best drama, best…

Pascals "wager" was his famous argument for God's existence.  Summed up, 
If God exists and I wage my life on that - I gain all.  
If God does not exist and I wage my life that he does, nothing is loss.  
If I wage God exists and I live my life without concern, I bet eternity's misery.
I don’t know about you, but I think he has it right…and I bet on God...and I gain myself.


Peace

Comments

Radman said…
That's awesome, dude! I never read Pascal myself, outside of learning his famous Triangle; but I think I'll have to pick up that book. Thanks for this!
September 23, 2013 at 9:01 AM
Radman said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
September 23, 2013 at 9:01 AM
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