False Facts: Why We Love Bad Stats

[Revmitchell]

One of the dangers of being a reporter who goes to church is that you know when the preacher is wrong.

Not wrong in theology. Wrong in facts.

Like this one, which came halfway through a recent sermon on marriage. Things are scary out there, the preacher told us. And there’s no difference between people sitting in these pews and everyone else when it comes to divorce.

It made a great sermon illustration.

Only it’s not true, says Bradley Wright, a sociologist at the University of Connecticut and author of “Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites … and Other Lies You’ve Been Told.”

Wright looked at marriage statistics from the General Social Survey (GSS), a national random survey of Americans, taken since the 1970s. Half of the “Nones”—people who claim no religious identity—were divorced. Only 42 percent of self-identified Christians—and members of other faiths—were divorced.

Catholics (35 percent) were least likely to divorce, followed by Mainline Protestants (41 percent) and evangelicals (46 percent).


http://factsandtrends.net/2014/01/07/false-facts-why-we-love-bad-stats/#.Us0zzIXheSr

 

[Revmitchell]

Setting aside the other thread that only perpetuates the lies about Christians this thread debunks,


How many times have you been told that the divorce rate among Christians is the same as it is among the lost?

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

Setting aside the other thread that only perpetuates the lies about Christians this thread debunks,


How many times have you been told that the divorce rate among Christians is the same as it is among the lost?

Countless, too many to mention. Always knew it was false, always pointed that out, always got an argument.

>>sigh<<

 

[Zaac]

WHO HAS ABORTIONS?

• Eighteen percent of U.S. women obtaining abortions are teenagers; those aged 15–17 obtain 6% of all abortions, teens aged 18–19 obtain 11%, and teens younger than age 15 obtain 0.4%.[6]
• Women in their 20s account for more than half of all abortions; women aged 20–24 obtain 33% of all abortions, and women aged 25–29 obtain 24%.[6]
• Non-Hispanic white women account for 36% of abortions, non-Hispanic black women for 30%, Hispanic women for 25% and women of other races for 9%.[6]
• Thirty-seven percent of women obtaining abortions identify as Protestant and 28% as Catholic.[6]
• Women who have never married and are not cohabiting account for 45% of all abortions [6]
• About 61% of abortions are obtained by women who have one or more children. [6]
• Forty-two percent of women obtaining abortions have incomes below 100% of the federal poverty level ($10,830 for a single woman with no children).[6]
• Twenty-seven percent of women obtaining abortions have incomes between 100–199% of the federal poverty level.* [6]
• The reasons women give for having an abortion underscore their understanding of the responsibilities of parenthood and family life. Three-fourths of women cite concern for or responsibility to other individuals; three-fourths say they cannot afford a child; three-fourths say that having a baby would interfere with work, school or the ability to care for dependents; and half say they do not want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner.[7]

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html

 

[quantumfaith]

37.6 % of all statistics are made up.

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

Hmm ... Our OP deals with the "bad stat" of failed Christian marriages, and another member comes along and, out of the blue, posts a nonsense stat on "who has abortions."

Can we all say it together?

 

[Revmitchell]

Hmm ... Our OP deals with the "bad stat" of failed Christian marriages, and another member comes along and, out of the blue, posts a nonsense stat on "who has abortions."

Can we all say it together?

He loves to bash the church and blame everything on it. Between him and another who loves to bash pastors you would have to wonder how the church could ever survive. You see the op doesn't place the church in a bad light so he hates it. I have never seen such a weird infatuation with tearing the church down. There is a serious mental issue there.

 

[Zaac]

37.6 % of all statistics are made up.

PRECISELY. That's why the folks who did the stats in the OP can go through and decide the criteria for how they are gonna measure who is/is not Christian enough to be included in their stats.

You can skew stats any old kinda way.

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

You can skew stats any old kinda way.

ANd your post on who gets abortions proves that, doesn't it?

 

[Revmitchell]

ANd your post on who gets abortions proves that, doesn't it?

Ignore his posts in this thread so as not to derail it.

 

[Zaac]

ANd your post on who gets abortions proves that, doesn't it?

Sure does.

 

[Zaac]

Ignore his posts in this thread so as not to derail it.

3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 2 Tim. 4:3-4

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 2 Tim. 4:3-4

This goes against your previous advise, Rev, but gotta say ...

Now he thinks his word is "doctrine."

OK, no more. Now I'm done. Let the thread continue unabated.

 

[Scarlett O.]

Back on topic:

[a] I teach math. I teach probability and statistics as part of my curriculum and have for a long time.

When I was in grad. school 25 years ago at Texas A&M (math ed.), I took a statistics class. We learned from very thorough and competent professor that "researchers" can take those numbers and make them say anything that they want to say. Part of our course was to take random dissertations from the library and to critique them - specifically looking for flaws in validity and reliability. We were shocked at the poor scholarship - or should I say the purposeful manipulation of numbers.

[c] Since then, I don't trust research must. I don't care who its from Christians, atheists, liberals, conservatives .... I don't care. If they give any background on what they did - who they tested, how they tested, etc.....I find myself checking it out and finding much bias. I'm a cynical person anyway.

 

[Zaac]

Back on topic:

[a] I teach math. I teach probability and statistics as part of my curriculum and have for a long time.

When I was in grad. school 25 years ago at Texas A&M (math ed.), I took a statistics class. We learned from very thorough and competent professor that "researchers" can take those numbers and make them say anything that they want to say. Part of our course was to take random dissertations from the library and to critique them - specifically looking for flaws in validity and reliability. We were shocked at the poor scholarship - or should I say the purposeful manipulation of numbers.

[c] Since then, I don't trust research must. I don't care who its from Christians, atheists, liberals, conservatives .... I don't care. If they give any background on what they did - who they tested, how they tested, etc.....I find myself checking it out and finding much bias. I'm a cynical person anyway.

I had a very similar experience with statistics Scarlett. That's why I always look at who is asking the questions and the possible motive behind asking the questions the way that they do.

 

[Scarlett O.]

I had a very similar experience with statistics Scarlett. That's why I always look at who is asking the questions and the possible motive behind asking the questions the way that they do.

I think more people need to know this. People are gullible and too many leaders (of any persuasion) like to use stats to fuel agendas.