They say there are no atheists in foxholes, and the next time I’m in one perhaps I’ll convert. In the meantime, though, I do wonder about these proselytizing efforts that are based on Pascal’s Wager. Since we can’t know if God exists, Pascal wrote, we have to bet one way or the other . . . but you can make that bet a sure thing: if God doesn’t exist and you bet on Him, you lose nothing; if He does and you bet against Him, you will be paying for a long, long time. “Wager, then, without hesitation that He is” . . . whether you really believe it or not. Heads you win, tails you don’t lose. I’m betting that if God exists, he can see through that. But I also know that eternity lasts forever, which is a frightening thought. Still, as I look at a world in which God does not seem to be paying much attention or perhaps he just doesn’t care, I don’t want to be diverted by what may happen next. All I know is that I am here, now, and I want to make some small contribution.

We are all seeking something . . .a god that will shed meaning not just on our own lives, but on life itself. The god I am looking for is one who would make a world in which the only beings living in foxholes are foxes. I think the only god that can do that is us.

Correction: Yesterday’s entry inadvertently turned ex-candidate Huntsman into a four-letter word. His first name is Jon. The h is absent, not silent. I apologize for the error.