“Stop Worrying and Enjoy Life”

That's the atheist solution to the human dilemma. So certain are atheists of this cure that they've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars putting this message on billboards and buses. For the sake of interest, lets apply this balm to these real life situations:

. My partner of 15 years is dying of cancer

. I no longer love and respect my wife

. My son / daughter is addicted to meth

. I wish I wouldn't wake up in the morning

. Our child was born with cystic fibrosis

. I have never felt such profound loneliness in my whole life

. We've both been laid off and we don't have enough money to feed the kids.

. I feel hopeless that my life will ever improve

. I don't think anyone will ever love me

. I'm consumed by envy. Everyone has newer and better than me

. I'm afraid of the future

. My life has no meaning or purpose

. I was sexually abused for eight years

. I'm not smart enough to succeed at school

. I've had Clinical Depression since I was a child

. I don't belong anywhere

. My husband is addicted to porn

. My 12-year-old daughter is sexually active

. Inner happiness? What's that?

For atheists to stop worrying and to just enjoy life, they are required to look to things that stand no chance of being their Saviour. The things of the world cannot heal broken hearts. Relationships, jobs, money and good looks cannot make you into a good person or give you peace. Looking to these things for help only leads to disappointment.

When those in a healed relationship with Jesus possess inner joy, freedom from worry, and forgiveness from real guilt, it allows us to open our lives to others through the giving of self. We are made better people than we were before Jesus came into our lives. Is any given Christian a better person than any given atheist? Not necessarily. But then again “better” or “good” is not the main issue.

The issue of eternal importance is one of being forgiven.

For followers of Jesus, the main reason for doing good, to stop worrying and to possess the ability to enjoy life is that the very Spirit of Jesus lives within them, compelling them to change their priorities and values about life. This causes meaning, purpose, security and belonging to become things that are part and parcel of being an adopted member of God's family.

For atheists, as the Bus Ad notes, the main reason for avoiding wrong (which is apparently a hardship for atheists) is, if God exists then we must avoid punishment for doing wrong behaviours. However, since God probably does not exist, says the atheist ad, Stop worrying about consequences of selfish behaviours and take part in the atheists vision of an enjoyable life – i.e. do whatever you want.

Thankfully, for those who try atheism, it won't work as a means of enjoying life. From CNN and the British Journal of Medicine

"On mental health issues, the study said spiritual but not religious people were more likely to suffer from “any neurotic disorder,” “mixed anxiety / depressive disorders” or “depression” than their religious counterparts.

The phrase “Spiritual but not religious” is generally used to describe people who do not attend church, atheists who believe in some sort of higher power, free thinkers and the unaffiliated. It is also used for people who blend different faiths.

In short, King writes, “People who have a spiritual understanding of life in the absence of a religious framework are vulnerable to mental disorder.”

King, who said he has received a substantial amount of hate mail over the study, defended his findings, “If you take drug dependency, they are about 77% more likely than religious respondents, 24% more likely to having a generalized anxiety disorder. These are quite obvious differences.”

And that is why atheism bleeds more adherents after 10 years than any other religion.