There's a 20% Chance a Higher Power Will Read This Post

Ireland's largest online bookie, Paddy Power--and I make no insinuation either way over if this humble gambling blogger knew of Paddy Power before today--is now accepting wagers over proof of the existence of God.

It began taking bets on the question that has plagued thinkers for centuries in September, to coincide with the switching on of the Large Hadron Collider that physicists hope may lead to the discovery of an elusive sub-atomic object called the "God particle".

Initially the odds that proof would be found of God's existence were 20-1, and they lengthened to 33-1 when the multi-billion pound atom smasher was shut down temporarily because of a magnetic failure.

But interest in the wager has increased greatly following the recent launch of a campaign to have atheist adverts placed on London buses declaring that "there's probably no God".

Isn't it interesting to note that, whenever the skeptical/atheist crowd become more militant in their beliefs, a counter-reaction naturally pushes back with an increase in faithful thought?

A spokesman for Paddy Power said that confirmation of God's existence would have to be verified by scientists and given by an independent authority before any payouts were made, however.

This screams "sucker bet" to me. Irrefutable proof of an almighty power is nearly by definition not going to arise via means of science, reason, or logic (with apologies to Thomas Aquinas). Therefore--apart from the arrival of the End Times in the next few months--it remains very unlikely that anyone placing a wager on the Lord will walk away with cash money.

Then again, maybe that is the secret, nefarious skeptical conspiracy: fill the ranks with legions of disgruntled gamblers.

H/t to Skepchick.