A religious philosopher like Pascal was not happy about how Descartes “used” God to prove there is someone operating the world. Descartes should have treated God as religious person (submit to God) according to Pascal. The conflict isn’t just about “God putting the world in motion” idea. Both of them believed in God. But the way they understand God is different. Pascal understands through his heart (by heart he means intuition most likely) and Descartes, as we know, through reason. I think both should be used to understand and believe in God.
Pascal says, “I cannot pardon Descartes; he would have liked, in all of his philosophy, to do without God; but he couldn’t prevent himself from giving him a flick to put the world in motion; after that, he no longer has anything to do with God”. He also says, “It is the heart which perceives God and not the reason. That is what faith is: God perceived by the heart, not by the reason”. I can understand he might be offended as he is in the first quote. But I disagree that God must be understood only by “heart”. Reason have limits yes, but until its limits it should be used. Descartes tries to understand God in his attempt to prove his existence, by saying there has to be something perfect that makes him think. And saying, “actual existence is a perfection” so if he(God) does not exist then he is not perfect…Human has limits, reason has limits so when confronted by things (about God) man can’t possibly understand, man can try to perceive by his “heart”. Hence, by combining reason and “heart” a man can or try to understand God.
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