Pastoral Meanderings: Does Lutheranism contribute to happiness?

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Does Lutheranism contribute to happiness?

According to Gallup's well being stats, the states with the highest concentration of Lutherans in America just happen to be the top four states Gallup scored on the well-being index.

Hmmmm.

In other words, being Lutheran bears the fruit of contentment in the soul, life, and faith of the person. At least I would like to think so...

What do you think?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...: Dear Pastor Peters,

I think you're reaching a bit here. The entire spread in that table, 70.4 all the way down to 68.2 is hardly significant. The difference between the "Lutheran" Dakotas, Nebraska, and Minnesota versus "atheist" Vermont, Hawaii, and Washington states is extremely small.

Based purely on this data set, I would be inclined to conclude that being Lutheran makes no difference at all on the so-called Well-Being Index.the data suggest to me that something else is the key factor, such as, perhaps, economic prosperity.

Fr.D+
Anglican Priest; March 9, 2014 at 2:36 PM
Unknown said...: Post hoc ergo propter hoc much? I call major logical fallacy.

Coincidence, nothing more.; March 9, 2014 at 2:42 PM
Anonymous said...: Wisconsin is conspicuously absent...; March 12, 2014 at 2:29 AM

The Window

This is the Means of Grace Window that is above the altar of Grace Lutheran Church where I serve. It reminds us of the keys (confession and absolution), the wheat(the bread which is the Body of Christ), the cup (which is His Blood), the Word (Scripture), and the Pastoral Office (the red stole). In this one wonderful window we see the treasures of the Church in the Word and Sacraments and I love that it is available for all to see. I realize that this image has been stolen all over the internet but it is a real window, a copyrighted image, belonging to Grace Lutheran Church, Clarksville, Tennessee, which has kindly allowed my use of it...