ABSTRACT
Blaise Pascal lived in France in the seventeenth century; he was also a committed religious believer. Over a number of years he wrote notes or reflections, most or all of which are on religious matters, directly or indirectly. Although many who are religious may never have asked themselves if their religious belief is reasonable, just as they may never have asked if God's existence can be proven, the question of the reasonableness of religious belief has a long history within religious reflection. Blaise Pascal was right, William James thought, that there are instances where it is permissible to believe when there is no proof, no deciding evidence, but Pascal left something out. One way is that it is supported by the other beliefs in that person's noetic structure, so that those other beliefs provide evidential support for it. William Alston is another contemporary philosopher who has given us a new way of understanding religious belief and its epistemic propriety.
