Q. My friend says that Christianity is a crutch and that I need to learn to stand on my own two feet. How can I answer this?
A. Long ago I had a friend who said that he was big enough to face God on his own terms. Just three weeks later he phoned to tell that he had knocked over a child in his car and had to go to Court. He was terrified and asked if I would go along with him to give him some emotional support! I found it strange that he could face God alone but not a Magistrate, a mere human being, just as weak and sinful as he!
Karl Marx, who wrote The Communist Manifesto, said, “Religion is the opiate of the masses.” He believed, like many others, that religion was designed for people who couldn’t cope with life’s pressures. Some say they don’t need emotional comfort, as though that would cancel out Christianity. No matter how emotionally strong one is, every one of us still needs to be saved from our sins by Jesus Christ.
To imply that Christians are weaklings in need of a crutch is both “sense” and nonsense. It is “sense” in that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” – Rom 3:23 – and thus all need Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Without Him there is only everlasting horror!
The argument is nonsense in that it is palpably clear that millions of unsaved people are in the chains of dependence on drugs, alcohol, tobacco, sex, money, power, other people, material possessions and a lot more. Surely this demonstrates needs for a crutch. I believe that Atheism is a crutch for those addicted to a lifestyle contrary to God and His ways.
Weakened by our sinfulness, every human being needs the assistance that God alone can give through the Lord Jesus. Rather than being weak, Christians are strong in Christ. They have stopped depending upon themselves and placed their faith in Jesus – for everything – here, and in Eternity – peace, forgiveness and relationship with the living God through Jesus Christ.