Compare and contrast Pascal, Voltaire, Hume, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche - Essay Example

Comparison about religious beliefs Many people have their own thoughts about religions. In this case, they have opposing views about the beliefs of the people. There are those people who oppose the existence of God while others stipulate that God is unjust. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to compare and contrast Pascal, Voltaire, Hume, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche’s views about religious beliefs. It will discuss how these people take different stands on the question of objective truth and rational defensibility of religious beliefs.

Pascal Pascal argued that either God exists, or he does not. He stipulated in his popular ‘Pascal’s Wager. He said the people would lose very little for believing that God exists regardless of whether he exists or not. On the other hand, he stipulated that people would gain a lot for believing that God exists. In this case, he concluded that it is appropriate for people to believe that God exists and behave in an appropriate manner. Pascal said that he would rather be frightened of being mistaken about the existence of God.

Therefore, Pascal’s Wager is regarded as a rationality of belief in God. His views are directed to those people who waver as opposed to those people who do not believe in the existence of God (Asiado). Voltaire Voltaire’s life is described as a paradox. In this case, he despised humanity yet he was fond of men. Moreover, he did not believe in God but in real sense he dedicated his life to find him. He stipulated that no religious text or revelation is needed to allow people to believe in God.

He believed in the universal laws which are focused in the moral world which are observed in all religious systems. In this case, people are required to have respect for nature and the contemporary world. Voltaire believed that there exists a supreme, eternal and intelligent being. He believed in reason and not faith (Graves). Hume Hume is regarded as an empiricist. He believes that belief would be regarded as rational if there is sufficient evidence to support it. In this case, he questions whether there is enough evidence in the world which would convince people to believe in the wise, powerful, good and a wise God.

For example, Hume was very critical of the Catholic Church. He described its activities as ones that are guided by idolatry and superstition. He also stipulated that they practiced uncivilized beliefs. Moreover, he regarded Protestants as corruptors of belief (Quinton, p, 3). Therefore, in this perspective, it is true that Hume was skeptical about religion. Kierkegaard Kierkegaard was a religious poet. In this case, he stipulated that Christianity is a matter of subjective passion. He questioned why people behave as if everything is the way it is supposed to be.

He attacked the church whereby he said that Christians live according to the New Testament. However, he stipulates that the New Testament has gone out of life. He adds that the human race has exceeded Christian beliefs (McDonald). Therefore, it is true that Kierkegaard advocates for people to embrace contemporary livelihood. Nietzsche Nietzsche is regarded as one of the most influential critics of Christianity. He is the one who invented the phrase “God is dead”. This statement meant that the object for human belief is dead.

In this case, he seems to imply that it is impossible to believe in God. Therefore, if God is dead, then there is nothing to hold on to life (Saugstad). In this perspective, it is true that human beings are in search of a meaning in life. Works CitedAsiado, Tel. "Blaise Pascal Biography and His Religious Views." 2008. Suite101. web. 12 Dec 2012. .Graves, Dan. "Voltaire." 2005. Adherents. web. 12 Dec 2012. .McDonald, William. "Søren Kierkegaard." 2012. Stanford University. web. 12 Dec 2012. .

Quinton, A. Hume: The great philosophers. New York: Routledge, 1997. Print. Saugstad, Andreas. "Nietzsche & Christianity." 2000. Go Inside Magazine. web. 12 Dec 2012. .