A great survey!!

[RATTER15]

Wouldn't it be interesting if a survey could be undertaken to see if atheists suffered more illness, more tragedies, more accidents and losses than Christians through lack of a belief in god, or maybe between practising and non practicing christians!!

We will never prove whether their is a heaven and hell etc but this survey would prove (if done correctly) any physical benefits whilst still alive.

We always hear from Christians that: God was with me that day! or someone was looking down on me when that happened!!

Do they really believe that good fortune was due to some god or is it just a saying?

[WaldoMcFroog]

Numerous surveys have been done on things such as the efficacy of prayer on cardiac patients and results are frankly so inconclusive as to be meaningless*.

I've seen double blind tests that claim to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that prayer has no value, but I've also seen others claim to prove that prayer has great value. I've even seen one that showed that those receiving prayer did significantly worse than those who did not!

It is known that those with religion convictions tend to live slightly longer than those without, but since this effect is noted regardless of the faith followed and *all* faiths cannot, by definition, be true only a fool would attempt to claim there is anything supernatural at work here, instead giving a psychological explanation. It may also be that us unbelievers die earlier because we're just more fun.

* although one could argue that this shows there is no attributable effect.

[Octavius]

I think belief in God is more to do with spiritual well-being than physical health, so any such survey would indeed be meaningless.

[RATTER15]

I'm not knocking believers! but if that is the case that it is for spiritual well being, why do so many Christians pray for the sick to be healed, is that not physical or are they just wasting their time?

[Octavius]

Because it gives them an enormous sense of well-being.

[RATTER15]

Tonyted, who is winding who up?

[Whickerman]

It's a great idea.