NWT

I frequently hear religious enthusiasts claim that they feel safe because God will protect them. When they have good fortune, it is because God intervened on their behalf. (i.e "I'm not afraid of a terrorist attack because I prayed to God, and I have faith he will protect me"). It seems to me this (likely erroneous, but common belief) can be evaluated by statistical analysis. This might be by analyzing the incidence of accidental death that occurs in strong Christian believers versus non-religious individuals. Effects of lifestyle differences would have to be minimized in the analysis. Does anyone know whether such a study has ever been done?

Jesus Freak

Christians don't need statistics to back up thier beliefs. I know God protects me. I don't need to do the math to see if the days I don't pray I have a worse day, or the days I do pray, I am blessed. The Lord blesses me at all times. Others may see a bad day as a curse, I see it as a blessing, a trial from God, the lesson for the day. He uses all things to teach us.

Also, statistics mean little to me. Statisticly the average person has one ovary, and one testicle. Statisticly this is true, but I don't make the assumption that you have one testicle and one ovary.

Jesus Tap-Dancin' Christ

Aaah, just like he protected those faithful Jews in Europe. Or what about those Christians during the Albagensian Crusade? Or those misionaries in the Phillipines, China, et al? God sure seems to have a funny way of protecting people from minor things, but when it comes to some massive, dreadful, terrible injustice, well...he's sort of not there.

Jesus Freak

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" -Paul
Phillippians 1:21

Foxhole Atheist

“Christians don't need statistics to back up thier beliefs. I know God protects me. I don't need to do the math to see if the days I don't pray I have a worse day, or the days I do pray, I am blessed. The Lord blesses me at all times. Others may see a bad day as a curse, I see it as a blessing, a trial from God, the lesson for the day. He uses all things to teach us.”

I see it as someone who has turned their mind off to those things going on around them. This is just another way of saying: “I don’t care what the evidence indicates, I’m going to believe anyway”. <img src="graemlins/banghead.gif" border="0" alt="[Bang Head]" />

-RRH-

I am advocate of math. I feel that math has done more good than harm. I vote to keep math.

NWT

In reply to Jesus Freak.
If you are not willing to belief in what is true, than the inevitable conclusion is that you must accept that others may take the same attitude. i.e. Bin Laden who believes it is Allah's will that Christians and other infidels be killed.
Also your statement about testicles portrays an almost complete lack of knowledge about statistical analysis. (Without which this computer I am using could not have been built)

NWT

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" -Paul
Phillippians 1:21
If this is true than why do so many Christians pray to God to protect them from death?

luvluv

I think Jesus made it pretty clear that anyone who followed Him would suffer. I could go get chapter and verse if you make me. We even get special brands of suffering that other people don't get. A pain-free religion is simply wish-ful thinking.

Christians who believe otherwise are in various forms of immaturity.

It is true, though, that suffering is not totally bad because it makes us better people, generally speaking. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

Jeremy Pallant

I think this view is supported by Paul. What bothers me is those Christians who seem to revel in their suffering. To suffer, it seems, is to be holy. Yuk.

Not necessarily. What doesn't kill you can make you into a mental vegetable. Sure, suffering can make you a better person, but victims of child abuse often go on to abuse their children, so it's not what you should regard as a hard and fast rule.