Do Statistics Substantiate the Truth of Your Religion?

[Left Coast]

I have witnessed many believers over the years claim that some statistic validates the truthfulness of their religion. E.g.:

"Mine is the fastest growing religion on the planet!"

"___ number of people can't be wrong!"

"Hardly anyone from my religion deconverts."

Sometimes the argument works the opposite way, and believers argue that the smallness of their religion somehow validates them:

"God says that narrow is the way that leads to life, so it makes sense that not many people follow this path."

Do membership statistics ever demonstrate that a religion is true or likely to be true? If so, please explain how.

 

[Secret Chief]

Hell no.

 

[Altfish]

I have witnessed many believers over the years claim that some statistic validates the truthfulness of their religion. E.g.:

"Mine is the fastest growing religion on the planet!"

"___ number of people can't be wrong!"

"Hardly anyone from my religion deconverts."

Sometimes the argument works the opposite way, and believers argue that the smallness of their religion somehow validates them:

"God says that narrow is the way that leads to life, so it makes sense that not many people follow this path."

Do statistics ever demonstrate that a religion is true or likely to be true? If so, please explain how.

Non-belief is the fastest growing 'religion' - so that must be true ?!?

 

[Rival]

I think these are silly arguments.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

They're just meaningless statements to me - similar to statements like "Everything happens for a reason", "A penny saved is a penny earned", etc.

 

[Kenny]

I have witnessed many believers over the years claim that some statistic validates the truthfulness of their religion. E.g.:

"Mine is the fastest growing religion on the planet!"

"___ number of people can't be wrong!"

"Hardly anyone from my religion deconverts."

Sometimes the argument works the opposite way, and believers argue that the smallness of their religion somehow validates them:

"God says that narrow is the way that leads to life, so it makes sense that not many people follow this path."

Do membership statistics ever demonstrate that a religion is true or likely to be true? If so, please explain how.

Good point.

I would hold that statistics has nothing to do with truth. Statistically, more people believed in a flat earth in its heyday. Then again, now it is a minority so it must be true.

 

[Secret Chief]

Statistically, more people believed in a flat earth in its heyday.

Show us these stats then.

 

[Revoltingest]

Revoltifarianism is based upon probabilistic analysis.
Let's say there are 1000 religions that are mutually
exclusive, ie, believe contradictory things. Not one
has any proof. This suggests that each has a 0.1%
chance of being cromulent.
The best course is to not believe in any of them.

 

[The Hammer]

Statistically, more people believed in a flat earth in its heyday.

Even the Egyptians and Greeks knew it was round....

 

[sun rise]

As other have written, numbers has nothing to do with truth claims. People will grab onto anything which appears to justify whatever their belief is.

 

[Kenny]

Even the Egyptians and Greeks knew it was round....

they certainly were some smart people!!!

 

[Secret Chief]

Even the Egyptians and Greeks knew it was round....

- Myth of the flat Earth - Wikipedia

 

[DNB]

I have witnessed many believers over the years claim that some statistic validates the truthfulness of their religion. E.g.:

"Mine is the fastest growing religion on the planet!"

"___ number of people can't be wrong!"

"Hardly anyone from my religion deconverts."

Sometimes the argument works the opposite way, and believers argue that the smallness of their religion somehow validates them:

"God says that narrow is the way that leads to life, so it makes sense that not many people follow this path."

Do membership statistics ever demonstrate that a religion is true or likely to be true? If so, please explain how.

It could work both ways.
Yes, 'many are called, but few are chosen' asserts that a minority demography will come to the truth.
On the other hand, the fact that a very small persecuted group who claimed that their Messiah had risen from the grave, and were willing to die on this conviction (countless martyrs throughout history), to the point that now that such a formerly ostracized group has grown to such proportions around the globe, that even the world-wide calendar system is based on their Messiah's birth, does bear a rather compelling testimony.

So, statistics evince a rather paradoxical claim to the veracity of a certain truth.
But, where there is smoke, there is usually fire. So that, if one were to take the major religions around the world, one is guaranteed beyond a shadow of a doubt, that there will be either some semblance, or precept of truth, in many of their tenets. Again, guaranteed.

Therefore, yes, statistics offer some indication of viability, at least on a certain level.