Paschal Pascal's Wager

 

This year, Trans Day of Visibility happened to fall on the same day as Easter. No, this wasn't a deliberate plot to take away from Christians' holiday, despite what a number of Christians seemed to think. But by non-existent God, a number of people who identify as Christian went out of their way to be hateful towards trans people because of it.

And it occurred to me: Maybe if it was framed like a variation on Pascal's wager, more conservative Christians would get it...


If you continue doing what you're doing regarding trans people (and let's be honest, ALL non-straight people), here's the possible outcomes:

1. There is no god, and you wasted the only life you have making things harder for the only life trans people have - for no reason.

2. There is a god, and She/They are pissed at you for mistreating Her/Their trans children.

3. There is a god, and he's pleased with you for mistreating his trans children, which means you are stuck spending eternity telling a bigoted asshole how great he is - which sounds far more like hell than heaven.

So... there is no possible scenario in which mistreating trans people turns out well for you, in this life or the next.


On the other hand, if you treat trans people with love, kindness, and respect, here are the possible outcomes:

1. There is no god and you spent the only life you have being kind to trans people, you got to spend your life doing good things.


2. There is a god and She/They are pleased with you for treating trans people as your siblings, so you have spent your life well and will be rewarded in the next life.


3. There is a god and he is a bigoted asshole, so now you don't have to spend eternity kissing the ass of someone who declares people to be abominations and consigns them to eternal torment for no good reason - you can spend it where no one who thinks like him will ever bother you. How much of a hell can it be, really, if it's full of people who celebrate love in all forms? And how much of a heaven can it be, really, if it's full of people who condemn all but one very narrow definition of love?


TL:DR - You have everything to gain, and nothing to lose, by treating trans people with dignity, respect, and kindness.

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