Jillian Hannah D.

Uy Grade 12 Respect G 18

The Positive Effects of Believing in God

God is a difficult subject to approach, especially for atheists. Believing in God requires a leap
of Faith. Many have argued that there is a dearth of evidence pointing to the existence of God; Shook
even writes that because humans do not have the intellect necessary to understand a being like God,
a belief that God’s incomprehensibility agrees with, they cannot truly give proofs about God (Shook,
2011).

I do not write to claim that God is indeed real; my belief in His existence makes anything I
write biased to that conclusion. I do not write to prove that Christians are superior; we are the same
as all humans — prone to error. Nor do I claim that the only way one can be good is through absorbing
the Christian doctrine; I am painfully aware of Christians using God to justify their misogynistic or
homophobic views. I write to show that whether God is real or not, there is positive effects linked to
belief in Him because these positive effects are not directly due to the existence of God, but due to
the belief that He exists and through the tangible manifestations of their belief: The Bible, the church
community, and the people.

First, God is a role model that Christians aim to emulate. One question all young Christians
are taught to ask all the time is “What would Jesus do?” as it is a belief that God is impeccable i.e. that
He cannot sin. They are taught to use the parables in the Bible as a guide to answering that question
as those parables contain life lessons like turning the other cheek and lending a nonjudgmental hand
to all. Furthermore, while not based on the Bible itself, they are taught that the goal of emulating Jesus
can be done — the saints are proofs of this as, because they have lived a holy life while here on earth
by following the teachings of Christ, they are now with God.

The Bible also holds records of the ten commandments, the seven corporal works of mercy,
and the seven spiritual works of mercy. These are the rules a Christian must follow, from worshiping
God as the only god to burying the dead. None of these rules are evil in any sense; and in fact, are
logical. For example, the fifth commandment is “Thou shalt not kill,” which implies a respect for life;
something that everyone, whether they believe in God or not, should have. Jesus Himself followed all
these rules despite being God, a being who can do anything (omnipotence), because He was setting
an example.

Additionally, the Bible shows instances of servant leadership. Jesus is known for the rite of
washing the feet of his apostles, a task usually delegated to servants of the household. This rite was a
symbolism that Jesus came to serve, not to be served. In Philippians 2:3-4 He says: “Do nothing out
of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking
to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” For Jesus and His apostles, there
was no task they were “too good for or too important for to perform” (Swanson, n.d.), and because
the Christians are His disciples, they too are called to do the same.

God does not require that everyone go out and preach the faith, offering sermons and gospels
all around in the same way that Jesus Christ did. He instead encourages the perpetuation of simple
acts that will constitute service. Simple things like helping someone pick up their things, offering time
to serve at the altar, and talking to classmates who are crying, are already ways to follow the example
Christ has given the world. You don’t need to be the Pope or the President to fulfil the mission; you
have to be the little boy willing to offer his five loaves of bread and two fish for the benefit of others.

For all we know, the Bible could have just been a collection of stories and the saints, tales of
humans whose life was devoted for the good of others, but all these still serve as a guide for Christians
to emulate the life Jesus Christ lived whilst here on Earth — a guide to be a good man. Even if one
does not believe in the existence of God, one cannot deny the effect that the Bible, the book of His
Word, has on the people.

In the same way, one may indeed become a good man despite the absence of belief in the
Lord due to the influence of others; however, this does not contradict the fact that there are also a
good many who, despite their initial wrongdoings, have followed the path of the Lord and emerged
all the better for it because of their faith. It helps to have a role model, a guide, who can do no wrong;
a guide unhindered by the inevitable humanity of mortal beings.

Second, God unites. The faith in Him unites people who otherwise would not have any contact
with each other, helping them help each other. Numerous researchers have found that “religious
service attendance is associated with an increased likelihood of subsequently making new friends, of
marrying, of having nonreligious community membership, and of higher social support”
(VanderWeele, 2017). This means the act of attending communal worship, most commonly found in
the Catholic Faith as mass and fellowship, encourages people to not only meet and interact, but also
give time for each other. Their faith is the bond that unites them and gives them a sense of community
and comfort.

Furthermore, God brings hope. Belief in God provides that ray of hope that in the darkness
of the world that surrounds us, there is something better. “Hope energizes and mobilizes us”
(Nowinski, 2011). Resiliency is brought about by the hope of a better tomorrow, of a better future. It
gives the motivation and energy necessary to look for better options, to seek the infamous road-not-
taken, for the chance of a better life.

Belief in God feeds that hope, because their faith in a miracle allows them to hope. It is a
lifeline. Nowhere is this more prominent than in the field of medicine. Science proves that belief in a
treatment has a great effect on one’s health, which doctors call the placebo effect. This effect is
incredibly strong; it is now viewed as a vital component of treatment and therapy as belief “creates or
enhances” their effectivity (Brynie, 2012). Indeed, the belief in the possibility of a cure is a cure in
itself, for if there exists hope, there exists a will to fight.

Faith in God provides that hope. Even if some do not believe that miracles are works of God,
as long the patient himself/herself decrees it so and believes that God can and will provide miracles,
that hope remains. That hope gives them a reason to hold on in the face of adversity. Placebo it may
or may not be, but one cannot deny that it works. It may not happen in all cases, and indeed, it is
undeniable that in many, faith is never enough to move mountains, but some do recover from a
mixture of mortal medicine and the resiliency of mind that comes with faith.

This faith comforts. In the face of the unknown future that is death and what lies beyond,
faith gives the living comfort to know that in death, they will find rest in God’s arms. It is reassuring
to know that what people do on Earth matters; that they are not living their lives to just die. The end.
Fin. It gives them a sense of purpose; that the life they have on Earth is a preparation of the life
beyond.

The belief of life after death is based on the tenets of Christian Faith. The Nicene Creed has
this to say: “I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the
forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world
to come. Amen.” It may or may not be true; in fact, the validity of the claim that there is life after
death is one that nobody may never verify until their death, and by then it is too late to confirm or
deny such a claim; but there is no denying the sense of reassurance that one has when they believe
that there is heaven after Earth.

God guides, unites, gives hope, and comforts. His teachings guide the people in their daily life.
His church unites them. His word brings hope and comfort. It does not even matter if God is actually
real or not, because despite not knowing, despite not having any tangible proof of His existence,
people believe in Him. All these effects show that even when others doubt the existence of God, faith
in Him still positively affects those who believe. As long as their faith holds, all these are possible.

Resources:

Brynie, Faith. (2012, January 10). The Placebo Effect: How it Works. Retrieved from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/brain-sense/201201/the-placebo-effect-how-
it-works

Nowinski, Joseph. (2011, February 18). Hope and Survival: The Power of Psychological Resilience. Retrieved
from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-nowinski-phd/hope-survival_b_819005.html

Shook, John. (2016, November 11). Proving God’s Existence is Impossible. Retrieved from
https://centerforinquiry.org/blog/proving_gods_existence_is_impossible/

Swanson, Eric. (n.d.). Servant Leadership. Retrieved from

https://www.cru.org/us/en/blog/leadership/servant-leadership.html

VanderWeele, T. J. (2017). Religious Communities and Human Flourishing. Current Directions in

Psychological Science, 26(5), 476–481. http://doi.org/10.1177/0963721417721526