The parables in luke chapter 15, are compared to:
being when you need it
the nearness of god
the joy in heaven over one sinner that repents
eating a meal with publicans and sinners

C: the joy in heaven over one sinner that repents.

Explanation:

 A parable is a simple story that is told to explain a basic moral truth or religious principle. The parables told by Jesus in Luke Chapter 15 are compared to the joy in heaven over one sinner that repents . As explained in verse 7: "...joy shall be be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth..."; verse 10: "...there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner thar repenteth." Also, verse 32:"...make merry, and be glad...thy brother was dead, and is alive; and was lost, and is found."

answer; by working independently, the states have a high likelihood of developing innovative solutions that can be employed in other states;

answer; i believe the correct answer is (a) the correlation between the cause variable and outcome variable is zero;