Originally posted by Symmetric ChaosI think that you should do it the other way around, choose the one that will give you the worst punishment if you don't believe so that if it turns out to be real you are safe and if not you will get a lesser punishment.
Not at all. Your odds are the same no matter what, unless you're an non-theist in which case you have no chance.
Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
Just to play devils advocate you are still statistically "safer" if you believe in a deity than if you don't.
Granted, though the percentage is so small as to be negligible.
But the original point still stands that a person can't convert themselves to a belief they don't have because of safety. They could go through the motions and pretend at it, but if you don't believe, you don't believe. The deity would have to be oblivious of internal thoughts in order for acceptance of the wager to prove beneficial. Pascal's Wager is entirely moot because of this.