At one time, I was complaining to Lindsay (and a few other people) online about how I hate folding laundry. It really is quite a bother. When I get my own home, I’m living out of the dryer. However, as she remarked, the clothes get all wrinkly if you leave them in there.

I don’t remember exactly, but if my memory serves me right: My appropriate rebuttal was that wrinkly clothes never hurt anyone, unless space aliens suddenly came and killed everyone who had wrinkly clothes.

A bit later, she calmed my fears, properly noting that if space aliens came and killed everyone wearing neat-pressed clothes, I would be safe.

You know what this reminds me of? Pascal’s Wager.

Think about it. Since we know nothing of these space aliens, it’s just as likely that they’ll come and kill either group of people… Or, to set up the religious analogy some more, let’s say the aliens send them to be tortured on a spaceship named “Hell.” Which way can you wager? It’s impossible to know. Just as it’s impossible to wage correctly in Pascal’s Wager.

Wait a second, you might think, “All the religions don’t set up such a mutually exclusive situation.”

However, if we know nothing of God, which Pascal’s Wager posits, it’s just as likely that God will send us to Hell for believing in him, as it is that God will send us to Hell for not believing in him.

When it comes down to that, it’s best not to worry about what the space aliens think, and do what you like best. Wrinkly clothes, or ironed clothes. As for me, I’ll keep my clothes slightly wrinkly, and keep on not believing in a god.