As one of the brightest jewels of the Renaissance, Blaise Pascal has a mathematical theorem, a law of physics, and the SI unit of pressure named in his honor. In this episode, we hope to better acquaint you with his famous wager and fervent Christian faith.

<p>As one of the brightest jewels of the Renaissance, Blaise Pascal has a mathematical theorem, a law of physics, and the SI unit of pressure named in his honor. In this episode, we hope to better acquaint you with his famous wager and fervent Christian faith.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

GYC Southeast

Great in God's Sight Season 2

Rhonda Grakov

Johannes Kepler: Thinking God’s Thoughts

Blaise Pascal: Where Faith and Reason Intersect

Sir Robert Boyle: Christian Virtuoso

Sir Isaac Newton: On the Shores of the Ocean of Truth

The Celestial Railroad: Part 1

The Celestial Railroad: Part 2

The Celestial Railroad: Part 3

The Celestial Railroad: Part 4

Johann Sebastian Bach: This Art Still Lives

John Bunyan: Progress in Prison


Hello and welcome to Grading God's Sight, the podcast that explores underrated heroes. This is Season 2, and we're so glad you've joined us for this episode entitled Blaise Pascal, Where Faith and Reason intersect. Please be sure to subscribe and check out the terrific artwork that goes along with today's story on our website thegreatpodcast.org Thanks for listening! By the light of a candle, a young man quickly searched for a piece of paper. With intense thoughts flooding his mind, the 30-year-old scholar, inventor, and socialite grabbed a pen and began to express the emotions that had just overwhelmed him.

This spiritual awakening late in the night of November 23, 1654, would drastically alter the course of the remaining years of Blaise Pascal's short life. Born in France in the middle of the 17th century, Blaise Pascal lived at a time of great change. The Protestant Reformation, which had begun a little over a century before, was shaking the medieval Roman Catholic Church to the core, creating factions within the Catholic Church itself. Around the same time, a scientific revolution was also underway, laying the foundations for modern scientific thought. Blaise Pascal would find himself caught between these 2 seismic shifts in both the scientific and religious realms.

When Blaise was only 3 years old, his mother died, leaving his father, a well-educated government official, with the sole responsibility of caring for young Blaise and his 2 sisters. The elder Pascal took it upon himself to educate his children, giving rise to 2 child progenies. His daughter Jacqueline became extremely proficient in writing and showed great literary skill, while Blaise demonstrated a similar level of promise in mathematics and physical science. By his 18th birthday, Blaise Pascal had published a major essay on conic sections in geometry. In his early 20s, He invented a calculator to aid his father in his work as a tax collector.

And by the time he reached the age of 30, Pascal had made groundbreaking discoveries in the realm of physics. Today, Pascal's triangle is taught in most algebra courses, Pascal's Law is familiar to all students of hydraulics, and a Pascal is the standard measurement for fluid pressure accepted by physicists around the globe. However, during his rise to fame in the world of science, Pascal, a lifelong member of the Roman Catholic Church, began to take matters of faith more seriously. To fully appreciate his journey to faith, we must understand major developments in the Christian world during Pascal's life. The Protestant Reformation, which had begun a century earlier, generated a mixed response from the Catholic Church.

The popes and most high-ranking church officials staunchly opposed the Protestants and their critical assessment of church doctrine and policy. Among the most militant individuals in this counter-reformation were the Jesuits. They were members of a religious order which had been created within the Catholic Church to uphold and defend the Church against all enemies and detractors. 1 fundamental principle practiced by the Jesuits was that the end justifies the means. They were willing to use any method, including deception, cruelty, and intrigue, to punish heretics and bring dissenters back into line with church dogma.

It is no surprise, then, that within the Catholic Church there arose a movement in reaction to the philosophy and work of the Jesuits. This movement, known as Jansenism, identified corruption and false doctrine in the Church, but did not go as far as the Protestants and their reforms. In his mid to late twenties, Blaise Pascal was attracted to Jansenism and introduced his sister Jacqueline to Jansenist teachings. Not long after, Jacqueline fully immersed herself in religious pursuits and declared her intentions of entering the Jansenist convent in the city of Port Royale. Blaise Pascal was staunchly opposed to his sister's decision.

Their father had died a few years earlier, and in choosing to become a nun, Jacqueline must donate her share of the inheritance to the Port Royal Convent. It has been suggested that while Blaise disagreed outwardly with his sister's use of her inheritance, he was really dealing with an inward spiritual struggle. More and more, the young eminent scientist was feeling a distaste for the pleasures and privileges he enjoyed with his successful career and sensed a need to refocus on God. As he witnessed his sister's desire to relinquish secular concerns for total devotion to spiritual things, this desire began to grow in Pascal himself. Jacqueline followed through and became a nun at the Port Royal Convent in 1654.

For several months, Blaise Pascal's inward struggles continued. Finally, in November of the same year, Pascal had a unique and momentous experience that forever changed his life. While the details are not known, Pascal left behind a written note expressing the thoughts and sentiments that had overwhelmed him. Fire. God of Abraham.

God of Isaac. God of Jacob. Not of the philosophers and scholars. Certitude. Certitude.

Heartfelt joy. Peace. God of Jesus Christ, my God and thy God, thy God shall be my God. Whatever Pascal's experience was, 1 thing is very clear. He chose to surrender himself to God wholeheartedly.

Throughout the rest of his life, Pascal carried the written memory of this late night experience in his cloak. After this definitive moment in November of 1654, Blaise Pascal basically ceased his scientific and mathematical work and dwelt mainly on religious topics. Based on his sympathy with the Jansenists, Pascal published a series of polemic works against the ethical system of the Jesuits. These essays, published under a pseudonym, became known as the Provincial Letters. They soon sparked controversy and likely contributed to the political storm that resulted in the closing of the Jansenist school in Port Royal.

Pascal sought not only to address those within the Church with whom he disagreed, he also sought to persuade the non-religious of the validity and importance of the Christian faith. In the last few years of his short life, he worked towards publishing an apology, a defense of the Christian faith. In preparing this major work, Pascal recorded his thoughts in a journal that was published after his death under the title Pensée, a French word meaning thoughts. Pascal was never able to complete his apologetic book, but we do have many of his ideas recorded in the Pensée. Here is 1 of his thoughts.

Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true. The cure for this is to show that religion is not contrary to reason, but worthy of reverence and respect. Next, make it attractive. Make good men wish it were true, and then show that it is.

Another of the ideas recorded in the pensée is what has come to be known as Pascal's wager. The basic idea behind the wager is this. When confronted with the Christian faith, 1 has 2 options, belief or unbelief. If the Christian faith is true in its teachings about eternal life for believers, then those who believe will gain everything, while those who do not believe will lose everything. However, if the Christian faith is not true, individuals do not gain or lose anything in the end.

If anything, Those who believe still gain more in this life than unbelievers, as the believer's life is often characterized by some sense of certainty, hope, and even moral living. In Pascal's own words, a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all. If you lose, you lose nothing.

Wager then, without hesitation, that he exists." Pascal's wager is not really a proof for God's existence, as some have claimed. Rather, it is a logical appeal to those reluctant to embrace faith. In the final days of his life, he sold all his possessions for the poor, except for his Bible and the writings of St. Augustine, who was highly regarded among the Jansenists. Pascal died in Paris at the age of 39 on August 19, 1662.

In modern history, the French scientist and philosopher Blaise Pascal stands out as 1 characterized by great intellectual ability coupled with deep devotion and faith in God. His journey to faith reminds us to focus on the most important things in life, knowing God and making Him known. Thank you for listening to Great in God Sight, a podcast by GYC Southeast. We hope you have enjoyed this adventure through time and pray it serves to deepen your relationship with God. While we strive to bring you a unique perspective on each believer, we encourage you to use your God-given curiosity to explore these topics for yourself.

Please remember to hit the subscribe button and share this episode with your friends via text or social media. You never know who might be encouraged! To God. God's blessing as you seek to be great in His sight too.

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Series

Great in God's Sight Season 2

Blaise Pascal: Where Faith and Reason Intersect

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Parent Series

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Other Teachings in Series

Johannes Kepler: Thinking God’s Thoughts

11m

Blaise Pascal: Where Faith and Reason Intersect

10m

Sir Robert Boyle: Christian Virtuoso

11m

Sir Isaac Newton: On the Shores of the Ocean of Truth

11m

The Celestial Railroad: Part 1

13m

The Celestial Railroad: Part 2

13m

The Celestial Railroad: Part 3

11m

The Celestial Railroad: Part 4

13m

Johann Sebastian Bach: This Art Still Lives

13m

John Bunyan: Progress in Prison

9m

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