Q&A: Is Christianity a Rational Religion?
Is Christianity a Rational Religion?
Question
Hello, Rabbi.
The Rabbi wrote about this that belief in Christianity is not irrational, and also that there is not much point in engaging with this issue in itself. https://mikyab.net/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA/%d7%94%d7%a0%d7%a6%d7%a8%d7%95%d7%aa-%d7%94%d7%99%d7%90-%d7%93%d7%AA-%d7%a8%d7%a6%d7%99%d7%95%d7%A0%D7%90%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%AA.
[Elsewhere the Rabbi wrote somewhat differently. https://mikyab.net/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA/%d7%94%d7%a4%d7%a8%d7%a2%d7%aa-%d7%94%d7%A0%d7%A6%d7%A8%d7%95%d7%AA].
Why are the Rabbi's words not similar to Pascal's Wager? For if we hypothetically define the probability that there is an obligation to keep Jewish law (the Oral Torah) as 1/2, then unless one wagers on the assumption that Christian belief is not true, there is an epistemic doubt whether Jewish law is binding.
Answer
I don't see any contradiction. Belief is belief, and the miracle stories can be given whatever interpretations you want. Exactly as with us.
I didn't understand what you were asking from Pascal's Wager. In my view that wager is simply nonsense even on the statistical level, as I explained in my book God Plays Dice.
Discussion on Answer
What I meant to ask is this: assuming that someone understands nothing at all about Christian belief and the Jewish-Christian debate (like me), then for him there is a doubt whether Christian belief is true or false, and seemingly choosing commitment to Jewish law is merely a wager. [Unlike belief in the Creator, where for some reason a person decides in favor of one side, in the above question seemingly one cannot make a rational decision at all, just as a person who is not a mathematician cannot decide mathematical questions].
If it's important to you to decide, you have to investigate. There are no free lunches.
See column 408