An Article By Matt Roper In The Daily Mirror, Admittedly Not A Newspaper Of Record, States That The More You Go To Church...

[sandyRoe]

...the longer you live.
"The University of Texas said: 'There is a difference in life expectancy between those who never attend church and those who attend weekly'."
How can this be explained?

Incidentally, in was the churchgoers, not the UnGodly, who enjoyed 2 or 3 extra years of life.

[LazyGun]

If that view comforts you, Sandy :) I would just point out that the evidence to support that view is equivocal at best.

And it seems to me that the stats do not bear our your wish. Religiousity, at least in the G20 countries, is showing a significant and persistent downward trend.

[WaldoMcFroog]

I expect that Sandy was being somewhat facetious, but living longer does not mean there will be more of you, just that more believers are going to be crumblies.

[keyplus90]

I personally believe that living longer or dying early is not the issue. Main issue is the satisfaction in the life you have. And people with faith (whatever faith that is) have more satisfied life as they have something to look forward to and then they take calamities positively because they consider it a test from the creator.

[WaldoMcFroog]

The fact that the benefit is agnostic (ha ha!) about which religious belief confers it strongly suggests that the effect is nothing whatever to do with religion being true but more likely to be related to psychology.

[ludwig]

This is similar to khandro's 'is ignorance bliss?' question.

It seems to be saying 'Ok, so we're probably delusional - but we're happier, and we live longer - HA HA!*'

(*to be said in the style of Nelson Muntz)

[naomi24]

//And people with faith (whatever faith that is) have more satisfied life as they have something to look forward to and then they take calamities positively because they consider it a test from the creator. //

Unless he has a twisted streak, I’ve never understood why a creator would feel the need to test people when he already knows the outcome - what he did to Abraham was positively cruel - but that aside, of course the perceived benefits of religion have a basis in psychology. I deal with calamities capably, and I’m very satisfied with life - but I call it positive thinking.

[keyplus90]

////Unless he has a twisted streak, I’ve never understood why a creator would feel the need to test people when he already knows the outcome -/////

You are right that why would a creator who knows the outcome would test people? Reason is very simple. Creator knows the outcome but people do not. There is a hadith explaining but I would not give you hadith because you do not like so therefore I would give you an example from your and our own life.

Suppose you are a teacher who knows which of his/her students would pass the exams and which ones would fail. Now you have two options,

1 – Because you know so you might say no test and I know what the result would have been had I given you a test and therefore A, B, D pass the test and C fails it.

Now the problem would be that A,B and D would be laughing trusting the judgment of the teacher (or creator) but what about C? He/she might say that had I been given the test I might have passed it and therefore it is unjust. And to be honest he/she has good point.

Or let’s see the second option creator (or teacher) have,

2 – Teacher knows what would happen if he had taken the step 1, and therefore he/she lets the test happen and after that the result is still same as in scenario 1. A,B and D pass it and C fails it.

Now you tell me, would C has an excuse that had he/she been given an opportunity he/she might have passed the test?

Now apply above example on yourself and see where you stand, are you A, B, C or D?

[mibn2cweus]

The point of testing a subject is not to reward or punish but to evaluate a students knowledge and abilities to determine strengths and weaknesses so that the curriculum can be tailored to their specific needs and rate of progress . . . if not that of the instructor.

The purpose of education is not to weed out the weaklings or those who simply do not fit the mould. One doesn't educate a classroom but rather the individual students within the classroom according to their own unique potentials and requirements.

Students who are expected to bow and conform without question to the divine will and authority of instructors are victims of the same model as religion of using intimidation and instilling fear and guilt as their sole means of motivation rather than being taught how to use their own minds to think critically for themselves.

[naomi24]

Keyplus, your analogy doesn’t work because just as God knows the outcome before the test is set, all your students know the answers before the test is set. Do as you’re told and don’t blame God for anything. There you are. An A-plus.

[keyplus90]

////The point of testing a subject is not to reward or punish but to evaluate a students knowledge and abilities to determine strengths and weaknesses so that the curriculum can be tailored to their specific needs and rate of progress . . . if not that of the instructor.////

That is the difference between teacher and the creator. Teachers need to tailor the curriculum and they need to rely upon students knowledge and FEED BACK, wheras creator has already perfected the curriculum.

For Naomi I would only say that believe what you want to believe but tomorrow you would not be able to say that you were not made aware of it and were not given the test. And now we will leave another thread until that time comes because for few things you have to wait and see as no one can prove that.

[emmie]

no, it just seems like it

[naomi24]

Keyplus, if I didn't know better I might be tempted to think you're Goodlife in disguise. He spends his life needlessly quaking in fear too.

[Zacs-Master]

Proof that, if God exists, he is cruel. Making his believers wait like that! Terrible.

[joko]

has there been some actual study on this, some survey or evidence?

or is he really just trying to say religious people are happier in general - because they are fooling themselves - so they live longer because they have less worry and stress etc?

do you have a link to the results?

if there is no test then the answer to your question is not it cant be explained because its not true