Divine Butler and Cosmic Therapist?

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Divine Butler and Cosmic Therapist?

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The National Study of Youth and Religion, conducted from 2001 to 2005, led sociologist Christian Smith to conclude that “the de facto religious faith of the majority of American teens is ‘Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.’”

By this he means teens imagine a God who created the world and “wants me to be nice.” But this God “is not demanding. He actually can’t be, since his job is to solve our problems and make people feel good. In short, God is something like a combination Divine Butler and Cosmic Therapist” (from Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers).

But how does this square with the Bible? The Bible describes the real Jesus Christ who is both Ruler and Savior; who has demanding standards and greater love; who will not make people “feel good” if it is not for their eternal good. The complex character clearly revealed in the Bible is nothing like the caricatures so often found today.