Much of the Bible is false. God never visited this world as a man. We are on our own in this world, without direct intervention from God. So it would seem to me.
How do you react to those statements? Does it make you feel sad to think that someone would write them?
Perhaps to you, Christ is the only hope in this world. Your life is centered on him. He is your purpose in life. He is your Lord and your Redeemer. I understand. I have been there. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior many years ago. I have read the Bible from cover to cover six times — every chapter, every verse, and every line. I have spent literally hours a week in prayer, as I grew in my personal relationship with the Lord. In college, I never drank alcohol. Instead, I attended prayer meetings and went door-to-door witnessing to get my thrills. I have taught adult Sunday school classes, sung in the choir, and worked in the children’s ministry. I have been there and done that. I know what it is like to discuss all of the details of my life with the Lord, believing that he was right there in my heart listening to me. I know the excitement of doing God’s work all day Sunday. And I also know the emptiness that would come on Monday. I used to wonder why a person that was so committed to the Lord would feel that way on Monday. It seemed that the more I allowed myself to get excited on Sunday, the worse I would feel on Monday.
I am no longer a Christian. I am no longer marching in the Christian army, for I have found something different. I have learned to question, to explore, to climb, to think, to be free, to be me. I have the freedom to freely grasp life without the restraint of religion. I have found a purpose that is as good on Monday as it is on Sunday. Life without Christianity can be far more fulfilling than anything that I had ever found inside of Christianity. And there are hundreds of others who testify to the same thing. I am not a Christian, and I am happy.
Have you found joy in Christ? I am glad that you are happy.
But tell me something, please: Why do so many Christians struggle to find that joy? Where is their peace? Why are they so discouraged? Why are they so sad?
How do I know that many Christians are sad? Here is one way that you can see the problem for yourself. Fire up your search engine and search for “sad discouraged depressed Christians.” What do you find? As I write this I find 576,000 sites. Sure, not all of those sites are relevant, but most of the top sites are. They are written by Christians to help sad, depressed Christians. Why are all of these people trying to help discouraged Christians? It seems that there is a problem. There must be many thousands of sad, depressed Christians out there.
Let’s look at the solutions offered on these sites. What are Christians depending on to give them hope? Some Christians look to Christ alone as their source of happiness. Others look to other sources also, such as psychology, to help them find their way. What do the top Christian sites propose? I found the usual smattering of Bible verses, and then I found suggestions such as these:
Replace negative with positive thoughts
Keep a journal of what you think and feel
Give yourself affirmations
Listen to relaxing music
Get more light or less heat
Change your normal routine
Seek professional help
Take St. John’s Wort
Try cognitive therapy
We see here a variety of techniques. Can you understand why it would appear to me that these suggestions have little to do with Jesus? Can no freethinker ever listen to relaxing music? Can no atheist go into the sunlight or affirm himself? These things apply to unbelievers as well as Christians. The unbeliever is not missing out, is he?
In fact, many have found that it is easier to enjoy the good life without religion.
Does Jesus really give his followers peace and joy? Then why must Christians walk around giving themselves affirmations to avoid depression? Many unbelievers find that life is a thrill. They do not need to constantly affirm themselves. So why must Christians do this? Why, indeed?
Do you see the problem in all of this? Non-Christians are told that they need to accept Christ to have peace and joy in their life. Yet many believers are missing peace and joy, and Christians recommend that these believers turn to therapies such as cognitive therapy, a treatment that was developed in the secular world. Is this consistent? If cognitive therapy is the cure for the troubled mind, why do evangelists tell us that Jesus is the cure?
Do you need to give yourself pep talks to avoid depression? Do you have a daily struggle trying to find peace and joy? Then you cannot tell me that I need what you have to be happy, can you? Can you see that it would be hypocritical to claim on Sunday that one has peace and joy in life, and then visit the psychiatrist to overcome depression on Monday? Wouldn’t it be better to face the facts? Wouldn’t it be better for one to admit that, in spite of religion, he is not really happy? Wouldn’t it be better for such a person to say that his Christianity has not really satisfied him?
Perhaps you have indeed found genuine happiness in Christianity. I am glad for you. I hope you understand that others have found happiness elsewhere. You may not need what I have to be happy, and I may not need what you have.
But not all Christians are happy. Many are very sad. Some tell me that it is only weak, carnal Christians who experience such prolonged sadness. They will tell me that mature Christians overcome and are happy. Then why is it that there are sites dedicated to helping depressed missionaries?
With so many missionaries in need of recovery from depression, it is difficult for me to see that I must listen to them in order to have peace in my life.
There are many ways to happiness. As for me, I have found no greater joy than that of being free — free from the need to believe a religion that my mind has found to be false. I can explore the world around me and learn, without the need to force my observations into a preconceived mold.
Albert Einstein once wrote,
The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.
Do you have that holy curiosity? Are you free to ask questions — even about your faith? Are you free to take intellectual journeys away from the path that you have been taught? I think you will be happier if you choose to be free. Isn’t that what you really want?