“The Biblical faith teaches that man and God are co-workers in the business of living.”

Is psychiatry a replacement for religion? During the 1960s reliance on the former was growing in popularity while the latter was waning. In his March 22, 1964 radio sermon, Rabbi Olan did not treat these two disciplines as competitors. Instead, he proposed the need for both.

Olan’s thesis was that religion cannot cure mental illness. People struggling with mental illness need the assistance that professional psychological care can give. However, most people are not mentally ill. People who are stuggling with the normal stresses and emotional problems of life can benefit from the the spiritual salve of Biblical faith: a belief that the world is good, that life is hopeful, that we each have a purpose beyond ourselves, and that “God helps us in many ways.”