I don't care about paschal's wager
Good for you! Your lack of interest in religious thought is refreshing to see! I congratulate you on it. I love aggressive lack of interest.
and you are sure of nothing. Nobody forced me to believe anything. God doesn't force us to do anything. I didn't accept Christ to avoid eternal punishment but is is definitely one of the many benefits of salvation!!!
But, I will remind you, you proffered the Wager as something to think about. While you may not have used it to come to your belief, obviously you must think it has some value for some people.
And I am sorry if you don't like hearing about Hell...it is real and I'm not gonna tiptoe around it. No offence, I know you don't think there is a Hell but I guess I wouldn't wanna be reminded about it either if I thought I was goin' there.
Ah, you missed my point: I think that if God wishes to impress his existence upon us, it shouldn't be in the form of "fear" of the punishment
he will mete out for failing to believe, but rather to express positively his existence to those of us who don't believe.
I know this may be a subtlety you don't quite grasp, but let me put it another way:
Suppose I hide in a building and put a sign on the front door that says "Thaumaturgy is in this building somewhere, you will never see him directly, but if you fail to believe in him, he will arrange to have you beaten up and killed. Oh yes and remember, Thaumaturgy loves you beyond all rational thought."
Now of course this sounds
horrible, and doesn't appear to be the idea of God. But remember, God has presumably created the universe and loves us. But for those who believe in a literal hell that means they believe he also created that literal hell. It isn't rational to assume that there is
even a chance that God's main way to draw people to him is to offer the chance at avoiding punishment.
Think of it the way the atheists see it: We don't see any evidence for God that we feel is compelling. That's not to say God doesn't exist, just that we fail to see evidence that would convince us. In my case I left religion because I was obsessing too much on the fear and never really felt the "up-side" of belief. When I thought I'd found God, turns out I was really just happy about a relationship I was in.
Why
must God remain veiled? Why can't God be as plain and obvious as Gravity? Presumably you feel God is the most important concept in all of creation, why can't that most important concept have no mystery, no question?
But further, there's no need for
eternal punishment unless God sets up the rules of the game. Why disproportionate punishment? Why hide himself, even slightly, when the stakes are nearly infinitely high?
If faith is nothing more than fear (which is what it had pretty much become for me), then what is the good side? Why live life like that? Was that God's "Plan" for my existence?
I live a moral existence and try to do my best. I realize my shortcomings and know I am no better than anyone else, and I attempt to live my life such that I can be of help and assistance to the world around me. Why must I live in fear in addition? Why must this be a question?
Thank you. Like I said I care deeply about religious thought. I'm no longer religious, but I have spent years and years reading, studying and attempting to understand it. When I was a believer and even after I left the faith.
Can't say I have really learned anything though, oh yeah, almost forgot about paschal's wager....I guess I did learn something new. 
every now and then....then again, I may not. As much as I like to have the last word...I will let you all think you've have it as I will be praying for all of you!!!
