Gambling With God

Einstein famously asserted that God does not play dice with the universe. Nevertheless religion and gambling have a long history.

Yuddhishtira in the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata is the eldest of the five Pandava brothers, and he has a list of virtues as long as his wife’s sari (check that story out), but also a fatal flaw, a weakness for dice games. The brothers are to inherit the kingdom, but Yuddhishtira is lured into a “friendly” game of dice by his cousin Duruyodhana who wants to usurp the throne. To no one’s surprise (except the Pandavas – apparently a knowledge of human nature is not on that long list of virtues, like Vitamin C missing from the nutrients the body produces – talk about design flaws!), Duruyodhana has enlisted a ringer to play on his behalf, and after initial winnings, Yuddhishtira begins to lose. Like all gamblers after him, he feels his luck must turn, but it doesn’t, and not only does he lose all his earthly possessions, but also his birthright, their wife (again, you really have to check this story out), and finally the lives of himself and his brothers, who must become slaves. And after the many years they submit to their loss and work off their debt, they return to claim their inheritance, and are refused. This ultimately results in the battle of Kurukshetra, on the eve of which Lord Krishna reveals to Yuddhishtira’s brother, the master archer Arjuna, the Bhagavad-Gita, holy book of the Hindus.

Fast forward to 17th century Cartesian France. Mathematician Blaise Pascal, dour and sickly, a Jansenist Catholic, whose previous claim to fame was demonstrating the existence of a vacuum, was contacted by a gambler to help increase his odds of winning, and through their correspondence the laws of probability were first established, sparking a revolution in European intellectual and philosophical thought. Then he had his “night of fire,” his personal mystical meeting with God, a fact which was not discovered until after his death – people simply knew he had changed, though they couldn’t fathom the reason. It caused him to want to integrate his mathematical knowledge with his newly-intensified belief. And so he formulated his “wager” on belief in God, which consisted of only four possibilities:

1. You believe in God, and are correct. You win the jackpot in heaven forever.
2. You believe in God, but you are wrong. All you have lost is a few years of debauchery, a blink in the infinite vastness of time. The House wins.
3. You don’t believe in God, and you are right. So you spend a few years following your own passions, but when it’s over, it’s really over. The House wins.
4. You don’t believe in God, but you are wrong. You are in deep deep doodoo for all eternity.
So roll the dice, how do you like the odds? What’s it going to be?

Now gambling is expressly forbidden in the Bahá’í Writings, though interestingly the playing of lotteries is not, and many Bahá’ís assert that the Faith would see the fruits of their winnings. But the most famous example of gambling in the Bahá’í Faith involved no less a person than its Founder, Bahá’u’lláh. It happened during the early 1860s in Baghdad. The local clergy were not amused at the high esteem in which He was held by members of all levels of society, including not only high-standing government officials, but some among their very own ranks. Plus there was that endless stream of visitors paying him homage, traveling hundreds of miles on foot to do so, a worship they could only watch and covet, regardless of how much they desired it for themselves. And He had never studied Qur’anic exegesis, philosophy, theology – in short, He was an amateur! This would not do. But getting Him denounced as a dangerous heretic didn’t fly, as they couldn’t obtain the necessary signatures. So they resorted to a ploy of public humiliation, which would see His career come tumbling down. A mullá was dispatched to interview Him and then ask that He perform a miracle for them, which would be solid proof of His divinity. Instead of being insulted that these clowns would make a circus of religion, He called their bluff: "Although you have no right to ask this, for God should test His creatures, and they should not test God, still I allow and accept this request.... The [scholars] must assemble, and, with one accord, choose one miracle, and write that, after the performance of this miracle they will no longer entertain doubts about Me, and that all will acknowledge and confess the truth of My Cause. Let them seal this paper, and bring it to Me. This must be the accepted criterion: if the miracle is performed, no doubt will remain for them; and if not, We shall be convicted of imposture."*

The clergy deliberated for three days, but couldn’t decide. Their problem now was: what if He actually pulled it off? Then they would have no further recourse. Oops! – they hadn’t quite thought this one through. They were forced to cut their losses and drop the matter. They gambled and lost. The House, as always, won.

And finally, from the words of Baha'u'llah: "Even or odd, thou shalt win the wager." The friends of God shall win and profit under all conditions, and shall attain true wealth. In fire they remain cold, and from water they emerge dry. Their affairs are at variance with the affairs of men. Gain is their lot, whatever the deal. To this testifieth every wise one with a discerning eye, and every fair-minded one with a hearing ear.**
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* Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, pg. 144
**Baha'u'llah (The Compilation of Compilations volume. I, pg. 154)

p.s.: In response to several comments made, I should make it clear that what I meant is that the clergy were gambling, not Baha'u'llah.