Hi BillK-----I don't know Bill ,do you mean happier than befor you where Christian? Or happier than those who don't believe?The Chritians I know are not any happier than those who don't believe, some  are very happy well at times some can be down. When we become a Christian  Bill as you know we still must war aginst the flesh, that wants .Most though if not all the Christians I meat are happy God is with them in this.They are looking forward to the day when they walk with God and can talk to Him ,as you and I. But face to face.Most of us I believe if we were if a dark place and could not see . Would be happy to know, someone is with us that knows the way. -----God Bless------airclean33

I couldn't access the link, so I'll just respond to the question:   Are Christians happier?

I can only answer for myself.  I think I am a pretty happy person most of the time.  I generally am quite contented (which I equate with happiness).   I've been a Christian for as long as I remember; sometimes with doubts, always with questions, always seeking, but generally a follower of Jesus, a Christian.   So I really don't have anything to compare my life to if I wasn't a Christian or didn't follow any religion. 

Still, I think my feeling of connectedness to something beyond myself gives me a felling of relationship, or hope and joy that I wouldn't have otherwise.   Yes, I worry.  I limit my time in the Global Issues and the Politics threads because they fill me with worry - about global warming, and about the way this country and the world is going.  I worry about my family's health.  I worry about the symptoms of aging that I'm experiencing.   But through it all I have confidence that I am not alone, that I am surrounded by a love that will not let me go, by family and friends, by strangers who care, by my virtual friends here on the Cafe, and by the Holy One whom I call God.    And I am happy!

First of all-I suspect the magazine's support of wondercafe was a paid ad. Really!

Oriville James article seemed familar-ah yes-the fine print said it had appeared in the Observer.

Like most folks Orville initially talked to my first impulse is to say No-being a Christian is not a happiness guaruntee. But on reflection-perhaps Christians are happier. We have a sense of pupose, of God being in heaven and all being well in the world.

Life is just not chaos there is meaning even if it eludes us now and again.

anyhow I like the way Orville writes and think he would make a fine moderator!

I agree with Orville that a sense of faith can make you happier regardless of what that faith is. I also think he'd do fine as a moderator, but he's my minister so I'm biased :)

There are not only happy Christians, Jews, and Muslims, there are happy atheists and agnostics out there, too.

Buddhists are, by and large, a happy lot—if contentment is happiness. I think the most content country on our planet is Bhutan, where Gross National Happiness is national policy, were social equality and justice and preservation of the natural environment are common practice, and most people are content to live simple lives in harmony with each other and nature.

There is this German prayer I have learned in my childhood, and think of frequently:

Herr, schicke was du willst,

Ein Liebes oder Leides,

Ich bin vergnügt das beides,

Aus deinen Händen quillt.

(Lord, send me what you will,

Pleasant or unpleasant,

I am happy that both

Flow from your hands.)

I think and feel that joyous, unconditional acceptance is a source contentment. But so is the sense that social justice is done, and social equality observed. To me, environmental protection is also a source of contentment.

So is getting what I want.

(I always get what I want by always wanting what I get. :-)

This doesn't mean passive acceptance. I do what I can, and accept what I get. This keeps me happy. Creating our future, in co-creation with my fellows humans and the ultimate creator, also keeps me happy.

I suspect that it would be fairly easy to make an argument that Christians are happier than the norm.   As a surface observation I might even agree with it.  Many of the Christians I know project an attitude of happiness while living with there heads tucked into the sand as they ignore aspects of real life that they don't want to address.     It is easy to say 'we are welcoming', and one may even feel sweet while saying it.  The reality is that many groups of Christians do nothing to welcome new members, especially new members who aren't 'just like us'.

The Christians who are most happy would be equally happy if they followed a different religion or none at all.  They are people who are aware of the complexity of life and the interconnectedness of all things.  They are the people who listen to society's outcasts, the grieving who aren't in there immediate social group, the person who has just lost there job.

Belonging to a group that claims to be loving doesn't necessarily mean that you are loving! 

Kay, I know that all UCC congregations are not the same.   But my experience with the congregation I belong to seems to be the opposite of what you are describing.  We have people in our congregation who are heavily involved in social justice issues, both locally and around the world.  One woman I know was involved before but since her retirement seems to spend all her time bring issues to our attention, issues as different as mining in the Philipines, the distruction of a woodlot to build Costco and other big box stores, and the legal justice system of our province.   And she is not alone in her concerns.

We not only provide food for the hungry, but we welcome them into our building, for worship and for fellowship.  

And tomorrow (if it doesn't snow) I will be attending a social group and pot luck lunch that started last year and at first was, more or less, exclusive but has recently made a point of stating that the invitation is open to all.   It is a 'rainbow' lunch group. 

As for concern for the sick - we do our best to visit, to provide hot meals delivered to their homes, to encourage their families, to drive people to appointments, and to promote health care in the city, province and country.  We recently have two Parish Nursing students working with us.  

And we also support the unemployed.  

And when the offering plate is passed on Sunday morning our ushers are alert for those who do not contribute  (some of them are on par, some have nothing to offer, and some may be sitting separate from the family member with the envelop).  No judgment is made.  

And I find that most of the people attending my church appear to be pretty happy - despite the fact that they know what's going on in the world.

I  too see contentment as  happiness. And also this verse came very true for me when we lost our babies:

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted"

Our situation was so very sad but the blessing was being able to experience God's supernatrual peace and comfort.

Having access to that kind of power and experiencing it first hand goes a good deal towards Happiness / Contentment /  Being at Peace.

Being at peace is also a big part of happiness. Being Happy has so many different dimensions.

When I was a kid, my family had a lot of rules and restrictions.  You sat at your place at the table and ate what was being served.  You didn't go out to play after supper until you had your homework done. You did chores. You were in bed at a set time.  My best friend, the youngest of a big family, was permitted to do pretty much as she pleased.   She often told me about how much fun she had; getting into her sisters' makeup, sneaking into the back seat of a boyfriend's car, playing their records when they weren't around.    

I remember one time rebelling against our family rules and declaring, "I want to be happy.  I want to have fun like Mary does."  and my older sister turning to me and saying, with rare wisdom, "Yes, Mary seems to have fun but do you really think she is happy?"  

(sorry, as I type those words I seem to remember posting them to a thread a few years ago - but it seems to apply here as well - you don't have to 'have fun' all the time to be happy).