Essay --

I think that beliefs and behavior are connected. What we believe can and does determine how we behave. Beliefs are thoughts and concepts that we hold to be true and behavior is the action taken. I do not feel that children should be taught to be ashamed of their beliefs or behavior unless it is harmful to others or against the law. But, who determines what responsible beliefs and behaviors are? Let’s examine this further by looking at a few arguments involving Pascal’s wager, leap of faith and existentialism. I would like to explain my point of view by using religion and faith to answer this question. Firstly, let us discuss the argument of faith vs. reason. Faith and reason will always be in conflict with one another, especially between the non-believers and the believers of the Christian faith. According to French mathematician Blaise Pascal, there is no rational proof for God’s existence. Pascal, however, argued that it is justifiable to believe in God if you assume he does exist. Let us imagine that God does exist but you get external punishment all because you did not believe i...