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We asked a question: Are we able to see how God performs? How does he advocate for our issues and how does he help us? We asked this question not to God, but to the people. Thousands of people around the world willing to assist in this experiment. We have technical and statistical data which created this report - the first of a series, which gives us insight in the situation of “God’s performance.”
Last months in people’s assessment
The report is based entirely on data contained in the GodIndex - the index is quoted on RateTheGod.com, and it shows overall God’s performance and assessment. The period that took into account began on 1 May 2008 and ended 24 August 2008. There are 4 months of intense analysis and calculations. At the time, participated in the survey 545 324 people who gave 2 270 940 votes - those votes were included in this report.
Chart 1. GodIndex in the period from May 1 to August 24. Marked important events. (Click to enlarge)
First months were tested at the same time when we have begun to collect data forming GodIndex. There was a large increase in the value of the GodIndex in the first days of May (index reached a point +2.5 in four days). This increase was due to the necessity of adjusting index counting algorithm to increased number of voters.
Adjusting index lasted for 8-10 May. In those days GodIndex reached a state of balance and found that, since then, is a well-balanced. Number of votes placed in fluctuating at 3-4 thousand per day and daily fluctuations of the GodIndex did not exceeded more than 0.3 point. The period of relatively stable horizontal trend ended 12 May 2008, when the disaster happened in China - an earthquake, which absorbed 69 000 lives.
For the first time in GodIndex history, God turned away from people, his rating decreased significantly after that. With the influx of China’s new information about the victims and people trapped under destroyed buildings, there was conviction among RateTheGod.com visitors that God deserves only negative ratings. Number of voters increased strongly in this period. It was the first test of God’s popularity, which unfortunately was lost by him. In mid-May GodIndex reached its lowest level in its history -0,958 point.
Between 12 and 16 May, during disasters in China, the number of recorded votes was more than 24 000, the average rating was fluctuating around -1,943 point. Only 6.7% of voters gave at that time the highest rate +5, at the same time, 26.1% of people gave the lowest rate -5.
People quickly forget harm caused by God. God has regained its popularity as early as several days after the fall of Chinese, GodIndex returned to a relatively stable horizontal trend, which lasted until the first days of June 2008 when on June 7 disaster happened. Heavy rains caused floods in mid-western United States, thousands of people lost their houses, several people lost their lives. TV and radio were transmitting information about the tragic events all the time. This caused that ratings collected by God began to deteriorate again.
Due to large proportion of the US Index in the GodIndex - US Index contains all ratings issued by people voting from US (this proportion is over 42%), floods in the United States affected the global God’s assessment measured by GodIndex. Events in Central States caused the fall in the main index by more than 1.64 point within 8 days, leading to negative -0,332 point.
Like the earthquake in China, so this time people quickly forgot about the “destructive activity of God”. GodIndex quickly returned to the level before the floods stabilizing in long-term dawnward trend.
The third event, having a direct impact on God’s rating and on the shape of GodIndex was Russia’s attack on Georgia. Barbaric aggression - named by one, peace mission - named by other turned into political turmoil between Western countries and Russia. People differently assess the conflict in Georgia. Europe is divided into two camps. Western Europeans believe that the Russian intervention in Georgia was justified. For this reason, failed to decide whether the action of God - who is involved in this conflict, had been good or bad. Let’s look at below charts, in France and the UK, people reacted intensely on the events associated with this conflict. Indexes were volatile and trend had been disrupted.
Chart 2. FR Index and GB Index during Georgian crisis.
Then let’s look at other countries as Poland and Germany, where people in the initial phase of the conflict condemned Russian aggression. In these countries the popularity of God had fallen sharply.
Chart 3. DE Index and PL Index during Georgian crisis.
And now, the most interesting case. Russia is the only country in which people judge God better than before the conflict in Georgia. The question is, why only in Russia? Answers will provide insight into the social relationship in this country to the Georgian conflict. The society in Russia was somewhat manipulated by the authorities and media. The conflict has been identified as a peaceful mission. The Russian Army had come to Georgia to save its own citizens against whom georgian authorities waged war. This action was therefore called “peace mission” and Russians were put in the role of liberators. Russian society had been looking at all these events from a different perspective. Somewhere in the middle of these was God who was exalted by the Russians, one can say - even glorified.
Chart 4. RU Index during Georgian crisis.
The last thing, which should be deeply studied is the GodIndex. Let’s take a look at the matter globally. Countries as Germany and Poland brought GodIndex down caused by conflict in Georgia while Russia pushed it up. Unfortunatelly, overall rating of God fell down drastically. All this had been caused by the conflict in Georgia.
Chart 5. The GodIndex during Georgian crisis.
War in Georgia made God’s popularity fell by 0,545 points within 7 days. Although the world was divided on the issue of guilty of outbreak this conflict. The war has caused casualties among people. People believe that God is responsible for that as the initiator of all things.
Does God act only to our detriment?
Since the beginning - GodIndex moves in a downward trend. You can see this at the chart number 1 (trend is indicated by green lines). This movement suggests that people rate God’s bad activities mostly, while not paying attention to the good. When events go wrong people react emotionally, they want to give vent to their emotions of the moment and show the world they are dissatisfied. Therefore God is punishment, as the initiator of this evil. The events in this report confirms this thesis. However, you can also see the event, which in the eyes of many people give hope to improve their fortunes, as well as the fate of the world in the future. Such event is unquestionably what has taken place 3 June 2008 in the United States. On this day Barack Obama - the candidate for president of the United States received Democratic presidential nomination. Obama is seen as a symbol of the transformation that solve problems not only of America but also around the world. His victory in the presidential elections is, and will be a special event. Not surprisingly, that the actions of God are better evaluated in a situation where Obama climbing to the top and his chances of victory increase. It is not surprising that fact, because God evaluators believe that it is God is the initiator of these events.
Obama nomination has caused GodIndex increase by 0,689 points. The number of recorded votes was more than 64 000, the average rating was fluctuating around +2,59 point. As many as 36% of voters gave at that time the highest score +5, at the same time, only 7.1% of those who voted gave the lowest score -5.
Chart 6. Left side: Obama Rally is marked as 4. Right side: Obama Rally and the US Index are circled in red.
How God will be rated after a 6-month period?
This report has proved that people react to bad events more emotionally than to good. Ratings are issued to God and generally they are retaliation for bad things experienced by people. Assuming that this thesis is true, GodIndex is sentenced to fall down deeper and deeper. Is it so happens? Attempt to answer this question in the next “Report of God’s performance” issued in January 2009.
