Ultimately we need a sense of being accepted unconditionally. Only if God accepts me, and I become convinced of this, do I know definitively: it is good that I exist. It is good to be a human being. If ever man's sense of being accepted and loved by God is lost, then there is no longer any answer to the question whether to be a human being is good at all. Doubt concerning human existence becomes more and more insurmountable.

Where doubt over God becomes prevalent, then doubt over humanity follows inevitably. We see today how widely this doubt is spreading. We see it in the joylessness, in the inner sadness, that can be read on so many human faces today. Only faith gives me the conviction: it is good that I exist. It is good to be a human being, even in hard times.

What is not understood by the religious is that this mindset is wrong. If a person loses faith and keeps this mindset, then yes, a major depression will probably follow. The core problem is that religion has not prepared people to answer existential questions and has not prepared people to find their own meaning in life. Living without God requires a new set of eyes and understanding.