You are making the bet of buying flight insurance for a given trip. Put a few quarters in the machine and if the plane crashes, somebody gets a big payoff. What are a few trips to church in return for eternal life? Trouble is, the human survival mechanism is reason, not faith. Putting faith (that for which there is no evidence) above reason (that for which there is evidence) is to affirm irrationality.

Well, if the Christians might be right--don't forget the Buddhists, the Zorastrians, the Hopi and Zuni sky gods, Voodoo, etc., etc. They have just as much of a chance of being right.

You're obviously not now, and have never been an Objectivist.

Nonsense.

As I understand Christianity it requires a sincere acceptance of Jesus as your savior. Simpley saying "I'm a beliver" is not enough. One must actually elieve.
If Jesus is the Messiah/Savior then he is beyond being fooled by someone making a false clam in belief no matter how well practiced and delivered.delivered.

To profoundly appreciate Existence and the processes that came together that culminated in what we observe as You...is in a pagan bicameral sense...God.
We do not know what that is, why that is, but we can observe that this existence exists and if one is creating value or at least not destroying value and represents the values and intentions of the ways in which existence exists, ie the physical laws...(reflecting the image), then there is nothing to worry about.
Reject that image, (indulging in quantum divorce with the given quantum entanglements) is destroying value; a denial of existence and it's consequences itself would maybe cause your future existence to be reduced to a single particle...bouncing around with no entanglements and no purpose...(without so much as a numbered T shirt on anyone's wall)

This is what the teachings of Jesus is all about. ( How to behave when you become aware of your own behavior). Unfortunately, that conversation continues in pagan bicameral speak and never evolved with the journey into the "Mind" (a quantum field outside your head) taken by, only 50% of western civilization.
It's not about a guy in the sky. It's about the continued existence of existence, staying within those few laws that create just enough resistance to keep everything going...not to much (totalitarian, over regulation) and not to little...(anything goes); and being happy, creative, prosperous and naturally sharing any abundance,( beyond your own survival and your own happiness), you may have with others when needed and justified.

It's not mystical, it's quantum physical. Each and every cell in your body has the same instructions, the same expectations...however, the cells in your body do not have choice...you do have a choice...do you chose Max entropy via value destruction?, do you chose 0 entropy via a total rejection of existence or do you chose abiding by a few simple rules that will ultimately allow existence and your own existence and happiness, to continue to exist for yourself and others.

This is one of the dumbest things I have ever read. Becoming a Christian because of a fear of "burning in hell" goes against Christian teachings in every way. And linking this decision in any way to Objectivism is just silly.

True, and I agree, however self preservation, even believing in something/someone who is beyond that which we perceive as reality, is self-interest and a rational action no?

This is why discussing faith and belief beyond the narrow scope of Objectivism (statement not criticism) on this site is s moot point. Self-interest is subjective to each individual. By what right does anyone have the ability to tell anyone else what to or not to believe?

The logical conclusion of Objectivism is to rely upon one's ability to think and act rationally.

There are hundreds of mutually exclusive religions. Your chance of randomly picking the right one is very small. Being an atheist is a better bet, since many religions reserve their harshest punishments for those who worship false gods.

You could use this rationalization to believe anything - including extreme radical Islam.

If they are wrong - everything matters in the real world.

Makes as much sense as voting in fear for Trump or Hillary and ignoring reason.