This week the federal data-gathering agency released a study that seemed to show godliness reinforces marriages. Indeed, Alan Mirabelli, of the Vanier Institute for the Family, interpreted the findings as meaning it wasn't the power of faith but the family social-support component of organized religions that was being measured. But even the mighty Statistics Canada has limits, especially when it comes to measuring the effect of God on man. This presents us with a modern metaphysical problem. Numbers are iconic in our age.
Statistics elevate social trends from the anecdotal to the general.
But we can only measure what is measurable. If something is of the spirit, apparently it can't be quantified. But just because statisticians can't poll for it, doesn't mean the spirit isn't there. The life of religious people may be different not because they follow certain rules and consort with similar thinking people, but because being religious changes you. Religion makes marriage, for lack of a better word, holy.