Unlike those who want to convince the Western populace that religion is somehow the bane of our existence, Christian principles have shown to actually benefit society. Here are seven basic Christian principles and ethics that help us:
1. More blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35)
Research suggests that giving is good for us! Also, volunteering has a positive impact on mental and physical health. Statistics show that religious people are more generous financially than secular folks.1
2. Love of money disappoints (Matt.19:23-24; Mark 10:25; Luke 18:24-25; 1 Tim. 6:10)
Sadly, becoming well-off financially has now overtaken raising a family as a top priority in American culture. Becoming wealthy appears to be what everyone wants, and yet research has shown that wealth only has a small direct effect on happiness.2 Yes, being impoverished is not a good thing, so there is a line to draw when measuring this effect. But once a person hits a middle-income level, making more money does not equate with more happiness.
So, if you choose to invest your life in money over relationships, the returns will not satisfy. Think “Scrooge.”
3. Work as a “Calling” (Col. 3:23-24)
Christians are called to see work as part of their worship, no matter what the job. Consider the attitude of a janitor. One who goes to work each day counting the hands on the clock until their job is done, will not rate high on the job satisfaction level. But to those workers who see themselves as part of a team to help, creating a healthy environment because of cleanliness (and heaven knows we appreciate these essential workers in the pandemic-era), enjoy work much more.
God calls us to work as unto the Lord, and He is much more concerned about our motivations and work ethic, than what we do for a living.
4. Happy in All Circumstances (Phil. 4:12-13)
Paul espoused the idea of being content in all circumstances. And modern psychology has caught up with this Biblical principle. Psychology has shown that when we have an ability to synthesize happiness, it immunizes us against suffering. This is not meant to say this trait prevents suffering, but cultivating contentment definitely helps us cope with it.
5. An Attitude of Gratitude (1 Thess. 5:16)
Conscious, daily gratitude is literally good for you! For example, those who keep a gratitude journal feel better about their lives. Thankfulness is not just a positivity technique: it is a deep attitude of gratitude towards a life-giving and life-saving God.
6. Self Control & Perseverance (2 Peter 1:5-7; Heb. 12:1-2)
Contemporary culture preaches instant gratification, but Christians are called to self-control and perseverance. Both of these character traits appear to be key predictors of flourishing across a range of indexes. Perseverance, or what some call “grit”, helps people reach the finish line and has shown to be a more predictive measurement of success than social intelligence, good looks, health or IQ.
7. Forgiveness (Matt. 18:21-22; Luke 11:4)
Forgiveness is foundational to Christianity—forgiven people must forgive! And forgiveness is linked to positive mental and physical health outcomes. This is not an abandonment to justice; rather acknowledging that final justice lies in the hands of God.
Christians are called to protect the weak and vulnerable, but not seek revenge or vindication. This is grounded in the radical forgiveness of God (Luke 23:34).
Conclusion
When grounded in Christian principles, society is NOT better off without religion. Studies show that religious people also have a happiness advantage.
Yet, George Bernard Shaw sarcastically remarks: “The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one.”
Rebecca McLaughlin, the author of Confronting Christianity (where I got the facts for this blog post) rightly points out that drunk people are not more self-controlled, more likely to care for others, more deeply engaged with their work, more likely to be healthy and long-lived, or less likely to divorce than are sober people. The metaphor of religious participation as an elixir to improve mental and physical well-being is far more apt.4
Religion does NOT poison everything, as critics of religion would have people believe, but actually promotes human thriving.5
- Rebecca McLaughlin, Confronting Christianity (Crossway 2019), 23.
- Ibid.
- Ibid, 28.
- Ibid, 30.
- There are always exceptions to the rule. Any extreme belief that is contrary to the teachings of Christ can harm.
Well done, Lisa! I appreciate you taking the time to walk us through the truth of this matter. So many character traits that are admired in our culture have their roots in Christianity. God’s Word and His ways are good, true, right, just, forgiving and loving. Against such things, there should be no law!
Thanks, Melissa. It is not an easy job defending Christianity against an ever-growing critical culture that does not see Christianity in a positive light, but this is what God has called me to do. Not only to defend the truth of Christianity, but to do it in a loving way that doesn’t create more division. So, you could be praying for me on that one! (Ha ha ha) God bless you!
The way you laid out those facts concisely, with brief commentary and Scripture references, was really helpful. This post reminded me a little more today, of what a great life we have as Christians. Our culture’s lie is that secularists have all the fun, but your post points out that the exact opposite is true. Sure, there are rules Christians have to follow, and sometimes they are inconvenient, but taken all together, we have the much happier life. Great post, thanks for writing this!
Thank you! Yes, studies show that religious people are, overall, happier people. And with the message of forgiveness and eternal love knowing God, it is easy to understand why we are happy! God bless you.
Lisa, you’ve hit this nail dead on. I would propose that we became disconnected spiritually from our work when our education became disconnected from our spirits. We shifted education from shaping the person to building job possibilities. The spiritual building curricula became “unnecessary” for the future workplace. We lost our love and respect for honest, hard work. We’ve lost ourselves.
God bless!
Hey Nancy! Thanks for your comment. Yeah, we have lost our way, to be sure, but I am thankful for people like you who are helping others find their way out of the darkness and back into the light. God bless you!
Great post Lisa. These 7 ideas from scripture make a great foundation for starting a conversation about our faith. I think many are unaware of how our Bible has influenced society for the good.
Thank you, Yvonne. We have become untethered to our past. So much of our human rights and societal justice comes from a Christian worldview. Now, it’s our job to remind people why we have it so good, at least here in the USA.