Logically, isn't it safer to leave a gas oven on, than not on? If it is on, any gas is immediately burned up by the flame. If there is no flame, and there was a slow leak in the appliance, then it gets messy!

Maybe I am misremembering, but didn't it used to be the norm for commercial stove tops to have pilot lights which were permanantly burning gas for that very reason?

The pilot light is on so that it can ignite the main burner. They're not limited to just commercial stoves.

Same principal with fireplace pilot lights.. but true, once the pilot light wasn't on and the gas was.. but a total malfunction for us and gas filled the air in the Master Bedroom. What needs to happen is that a safety mechanism shuts off the gas if the pilot light is not on, to keep the house safe..

Newer systems have this. Systems even newer than this are pilotless.

Rather than stating it all here, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilot_light

Wow, I didn't realize this topic would generate so many opinions! :D

Due to the length of time I'll be gone, I don't feel comfortable leaving the oven on while I'm not there. However, in the future, should I only be gone for a few minutes, I probably will leave it the oven on with something in there cooking.

Few minutes.. like running out to the car to grab something is a game changer.. I would actually hazard to do this myself..

So, does that mean you wouldn't sit out in the garden with your oven on?

Well.. I would hazard to go outside for say a few or five minutes.. but to leave the house unattended for even 10 minutes, I would be worried that something could go wrong. Just guessing that would be my theshold, especially now seeing the trouble my parents went through to deal with the smoke in the house.