In the mid-seventeenth century, Pascal argued that believers would lose nothing by simply believing, and by extension atheists risked eternal damnation by not believing. In his view, there was nothing to lose and everything to gain, simply by having faith. Centuries later, his simple assertion still influences the belief in and debate surrounding the existence of God.
There are four basic problems with following Pascal's reasoning to its conclusion.
Believing Doesn't Just Happen
First, believing requires belief. As counter intuitive as that might sound, it's a simple truth. Surely any truly omniscient God would know if someone's professed beliefs were genuine. An atheist lives life as though no god or gods exist, so for such people to profess belief would merely be lip service, easily exposed by a judgmental deity in the afterlife. Without proof no honest non-believer could or would suddenly begin to believe. Conversely, tangible proof of the existence of God would remove the need for faith and the point of the Wager would be moot.
A Wide Selection to Choose From
Second, which god should a non-believer bet upon? Should the average atheist try to develop a belief in the Christian God, Islam's Allah or the Norse Odin? Surely if only one of the thousands of gods of history is the genuine article then choosing to worship and follow the laws of one of the thousands of false gods would give greater offence than not believing in the first place? Isn't belief in the wrong deity likely to garner an even harsher punishment than simply stating that no god had shown sufficient proof of its existence?
It All Adds Up
Third, believing in a god of any sort does indeed tally up a cost. Whether it is the money tithed to their religious organization, the time spent in worship or the effort expended in beseeching a supernatural being to intervene in the natural world, the cost is quite real. It might be argued that the rewards outweigh the cost, but it cannot be stated that there is no cost in the first place.
The House Always Wins
Finally, Pascal's Wager speaks to the veracity of belief. Taking the Wager in hopes of some ultimate reward in the afterlife rather than a genuine desire to worship and honour a god or gods is perhaps a more dangerous bet than not believing. Is an omniscient god likely to be impressed by a soul that appears before it professing its devotion in return for personal gain?
For atheists it is seen as a safer bet, based observable evidence including scientific studies of the effectiveness of prayer, to try to live a good and full life in a manner uninfluenced by belief in the existence of any supernatural force. There is simply nothing to lose.
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