Are Humans "Broken" and in Need of a "God"

I remember the first time I heard the narrative we are all broken souls and in need of being helped. It was a told to me by a Pentecostal elected colleague. He told me he wanted to see our entire city come to the realization we are all broken souls and unit together in accepting the salvation of Jesus. I was dumbfounded and did not know what to say. I had never heard this particular interpretation of reality even in my childhood evangelical church. 

Reading a review of a book written by a deep Christian I was taken back to that conversation. The case made by the Christian was that one not should go around asking for evidence of a god or questioning the historicity of the Bible. The evidence and historicity does not exist and there is no point in looking for it. Instead, we are to acknowledge Christians are required to believe and get on with it.

The book author argues that people who leave the faith were never believers in the first place. If they had been genuine Christians they would never consider leaving. Even though the Bible discusses doubt, the general drift of Christianity, as it is practiced, is to never allow doubt to enter you mind. This is exasperating to some of those who have left the faith. They see their former selves as all in for the faith. Their friends confirm they were sincere in belief of all things Christian. But, after the exit the conclusion is always the same, it was the fault of the ex believer the faith is gone. Whether it is the "hardened heart" or lack of will, it's not God's fault. 

The author says those who have left the faith can return. The formula for success is repent, believe and go to church. What does the first one, repent, mean? The review says it is, like the rest of the faith, all about sin. You must become so remorseful of you sin, so broken, you cannot find your way out without returning to the faith. This, apparently, is what my former political colleague was talking about, the broken soul. Anyone who retains self esteem cannot repent. This, then, is followed by buying into the beliefs in unlikely or even impossible things and then off to church whether you like it or not.

The book author acknowledges to repent requires a mental state that is not healthy for all people and claims there are studies showing evangelical Christians do not score as high in mental health as non Christians. I don't claim this is true but it is interesting to see it come from a Christian.

I don't subscribe to the generalization that humans are "broken" and can be helped by Christianity. There must be some who are helped but the rest of us are doing fine without it, thank you.