Their Money To The Church example essay topic

Edgar Milroy would be considered a hero to readers of Scepticism Inc. Edgar literally took money from the rich churches and gave to the poor. This Robin Hood image brings Edgar to the spotlight as a champion of sorts and the reader ends up rooting for him throughout the story. The means by which Edgar took the money was, on the surface, legitimate.

However, the bet could never be won and the emotions of the betters influenced their decision-making abilities. Can a person taking a wager, in good conscience, accept this bet when no definitive outcome can be reached? Is it allowable for Edgar to take this money, knowing that it could never be won back, and then use it for good purposes? The churches that are placing the bets appear to be the foolish victims. The reader does not necessarily feel sorry for them though. Through our own experiences, the churches take tithing from its congregation supposedly to support the routine maintenance of the building, pay the salaries of the office staff, and support the meager lifestyle of the priest, reverend, father or head-guy-in-charge.

Most Congregationalist do not ask where the excess goes, they do not have to ask, announcements are made weekly about the church's good deeds and how they were able to feed and clothe the needy. Yet, these religious bodies are some of the wealthiest institutions in the world. Third world countries are thought to have the highest percentages of believers, and in the story they are. These people are also among the world's poorest and uneducated. These masses of struggling people weekly buy the lotto ticket that the church is selling.

This lotto, salvation and heaven, can not ever be won, nor can the jackpot be proven to exist. Nor can the church prove that they are authorized lotto ticket distributors. They rely on the emotions and acceptance of their followers, and routinely ask them to give money to support their cause. They are taxing the poor and becoming more wealthy and powerful because of it. They even ask their Congregationalists to give them more money in order to place higher bets. Both Edgar and the religions of the world would fall under the same criticism from Clifford.

Although the churches are giving their money to Edgar in proof of their unverifiable beliefs, and the churches sell redemption to their parishioners by convincing them that it is advantageous to give their money to the church. Both are perpetuating fraud and it is wrong under any circumstance. Clifford states in The Ethics of Belief: If I steal money from any person, there may be no harm done by the mere transfer of possession; he may not feel the loss, or it may prevent him from using the money badly. But I cannot help doing this great wrong towards Man, that I make myself dishonest... This is why we ought not to do evil that good may come; for at any rate this great evil has come, that we have done evil and are made wicked thereby. According to Clifford the parishioners are also wrong.

They are gullible and self-loving. They believe without any evidence and contrary to the uniformity of nature, and place the authority into individuals who study and interpret the religious teaching, but who do not truly know anything for sure. James would argue that the bet makers were not confronted with a genuine option, and therefore should not have made these bets. As far as the live / dead consideration, the betters were very willing to act and the subject was very live for them. However, there were no consequences to their actions, good nor bad. Whether they placed a bet or not, had no impact on their believed salvation.

It was merely a symbol of their belief and a competition of faith. Therefore, the betters should not have acted. By doubting everything, Descartes would not have participated in the betting and found all participants to be deceptive. The betters could not possibly know for certain anything but their own existence. His concerns were not with what was morally right or wrong, nor would he be concerned with decision-making process.

His concern would be how could the better be certain enough to actually place the bet. The better could not be even marginally certain that his belief was true or not, with those odds, it would be foolish to bet any amount of money. Edgar justifies his bet taking by claiming that mankind throughout the centuries has made wild metaphysical bets. Mankind habitually makes immoral, avoidable and self-loving decisions.