Cohabitation and marriage...thoughts?

[MartyFunkhouser]

Very interesting. Lots of data to support this.

You know what else correlates strongly to health and happiness? Religion/activity in a church.

Listen Dude, if those Jesus commercials during the Super Bowl didn't work to get me to buy the product, your claims about it bringing health and happiness are certainly not going to work either.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Listen Dude, if those Jesus commercials during the Super Bowl didn't work to get me to buy the product, your claims about it bringing health and happiness are certainly not going to work either.

Ha. Worth a shot.

I think my favorite super bowl ad was the statue of liberty Etsy thing. And the Christopher Walken BMW ad.

[Non Sequitur]

Do you have data showing the general health/happiness of the cohort of adults who go their whole life believing in Santa, much less orienting their personal guiding principles around said belief in Santa? If so please provide. If not please stop with the straw man BS.

Kids are generally happier than adults for a variety of reasons, mostly because they aren't self-aware, developed, or intelligent enough to have the existential struggles that adults grapple with. The key to being a happy adult at peace with the world is finding those guiding principles and belief system that can ground you. Doing the ridiculous Santa or spaghetti monster in the sky comparison routine is not only insulting, it's a really simplistic and stupid argument because it conveniently ignores the kind of data about adults that was posted above. But knowing your challenges as the head cynic of the board, I forgive you.

Did you really think a joke about mall Santas warranted analysis? I only made a joke because I found it odd to hear religion being promoted as a lifestyle choice, because it makes you happy. Since there is only one true religion in the world, it stands to reason that the majority of religious people are happy despite believing in religions that aren't true. When I hear the idea of religion being promoted, because it makes people happy, what I'm hearing is an indictment of religion, not a selling point.

[Bo Diddley]

Did you really think a joke about mall Santas warranted analysis? I only made a joke because I found it odd to hear religion being promoted as a lifestyle choice, because it makes you happy. Since there is only one true religion in the world, it stands to reason that the majority of religious people are happy despite believing in religions that aren't true. When I hear the idea of religion being promoted, because it makes people happy, what I'm hearing is an indictment of religion, not a selling point.

I think we all recognized it was a joke, but it was also a pretty loud statement which is what invited the analysis. This being a discussion board, you had to expect that could happen.

The Army promotes soldier fitness across five dimensions: physical, emotional, social, spiritual and family. They don't really care what religion a soldier might follow, but they recognize that accommodating and promoting activity in any religion will produce healthier soldiers. I think a logical connection would also include a happier soldier.

To channel The Dude, I can't believe this is controversial.

[Omaha 680]

Did you really think a joke about mall Santas warranted analysis? I only made a joke because I found it odd to hear religion being promoted as a lifestyle choice, because it makes you happy. Since there is only one true religion in the world, it stands to reason that the majority of religious people are happy despite believing in religions that aren't true. When I hear the idea of religion being promoted, because it makes people happy, what I'm hearing is an indictment of religion, not a selling point.

This is my favorite rhetorical dodge: make a stupid, invalid, and slightly offensive comparison that you clearly believe is valid, then when someone engages directly you claim "GEEZ I WAS ONLY JOKING LIGHTEN UP!" The issue I take is you weren't joking, and everything after your first sentence in the response above backs that up. You believe that a faithful adult life following the precepts of a religion that professes belief in God is as silly and irrational as an adult believing in Santa and you use this as an insult to avoid addressing the actual data that was being discussed. My observation based on your posting history is you have a debilitating cynicism about all things religion that causes you to automatically assume the worst about any religious person or institution in any situation and generates unprovoked dickish responses to people who are seeking genuine dialogue. I won't speculate on what life experiences produced this cynicism, but I genuinely hope you can get to a more peaceful place.

Side note: Simplifying the case for a faithful life to "it makes people happy" in the same way Santa does and comparing a relationship with God to sitting on Santa's knee asking for presents is very revealing. That approach to religion is not sustainable and if that is what you believe about faithful people, I guess your cynicism is somewhat warranted, albeit lazy.

[Non Sequitur]

I think we all recognized it was a joke, but it was also a pretty loud statement which is what invited the analysis. This being a discussion board, you had to expect that could happen.

The Army promotes soldier fitness across five dimensions: physical, emotional, social, spiritual and family. They don't really care what religion a soldier might follow, but they recognize that accommodating and promoting activity in any religion will produce healthier soldiers. I think a logical connection would also include a happier soldier.

To channel The Dude, I can't believe this is controversial.

It's far from controversial.

[Non Sequitur]

This is my favorite rhetorical dodge: make a stupid, invalid, and slightly offensive comparison that you clearly believe is valid, then when someone engages directly you claim "GEEZ I WAS ONLY JOKING LIGHTEN UP!" The issue I take is you weren't joking, and everything after your first sentence in the response above backs that up. You believe that a faithful adult life following the precepts of a religion that professes belief in God is as silly and irrational as an adult believing in Santa and you use this as an insult to avoid addressing the actual data that was being discussed. My observation based on your posting history is you have a debilitating cynicism about all things religion that causes you to automatically assume the worst about any religious person or institution in any situation and generates unprovoked dickish responses to people who are seeking genuine dialogue. I won't speculate on what life experiences produced this cynicism, but I genuinely hope you can get to a more peaceful place.

Side note: Simplifying the case for a faithful life to "it makes people happy" in the same way Santa does and comparing a relationship with God to sitting on Santa's knee asking for presents is very revealing. That approach to religion is not sustainable and if that is what you believe about faithful people, I guess your cynicism is somewhat warranted, albeit lazy.

You presume to know a lot about me. Nearly everyone in my orbit is religious, and whether I get along or not with them never has anything to do with religion. My wife attends the temple regularly, and I don't think less of her for it. I simply don't understand religion. It doesn't make sense to me. I also don't understand the appeal of Kim Kardashian, and I've also been known to good-naturedly poke fun at those who like her. Most of those people don't become apoplectic when poked.

[Jeff Lebowski]

You presume to know a lot about me. Nearly everyone in my orbit is religious, and whether I get along or not with them never has anything to do with religion. My wife attends the temple regularly, and I don't think less of her for it. I simply don't understand religion. It doesn't make sense to me. I also don't understand the appeal of Kim Kardashian, and I've also been known to good-naturedly poke fun at those who like her. Most of those people don't become apoplectic when poked.

Ha. I can't think of a response that would more fully validate the point that Omaha was making.

[Non Sequitur]

Ha. I can't think of a response that would more fully validate the point that Omaha was making.

I guess I lost track of the point he was trying to make. Was it that I can be a dick when it comes to certain topics? No shit, Sherlock. If someone wants to be a Swiftie for Jesus, go for it, but don't get butt-hurt if I don't give you a thumbs-up emoji for it.