Happy Lies: The Book You Didn’t Know You Needed—Until Now

I cannot recommend this book enough. Happy Lies by Melissa Dougherty is the book of the decade—so needful for this hour. I’m so excited about it that I had to sit down and write a post about the highlights and offer a bit of discussion.

So, for some background, in 2019 I began noticing the same deceptive framework everywhere I turned. It didn’t matter if it was friends immersed in MLMs, self-help books, marketing, conspiracy theories, politics, the functional medicine doctor; I kept encountering something icky that carried the same exact DNA.

The most disturbing thing about it was that my own church was preaching and teaching doctrines that aligned perfectly with it—which terrified me.

I remember asking God at the time—“What is this?”

I was definitely concerned about falling prey to a counterfeit, but this thing—especially in our church—was so wily and shapeshifting. It was wrapped in Bible verses and everyone was so triumphant, victorious and humble that it disarmed me.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t nail this thing down. We used the same words; we used the same Bible—but something was off. It was a slippery beast!

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a ton of information available online back then, and I wasn’t equipped with terms to define it, so I gave up prematurely—and suffered immensely for it.

Melissa however, answers that question in one cohesive, instructional, compassionate book.

The thing I kept encountering—unbeknownst to me—was: New Thought.

[Just a warning before you begin: this article may or may not be organized. I’m squeezing it in while I fix lunch and homeschool children. Enjoy the ride! Ha!]

First, Let’s Chat About the ‘Metamystigorical’

That’s Melissa’s word—and I think it’s fabulous! (I’m a huge fan of made-up words, by the way—I love words so the more the merrier!)

Metamystigorical seeds were planted in my life when I was 10 or 11 years old. We had been attending a Pentecostal church and one night several zealous women surrounded me and began attempting to cast demons out of me. (Yikes, I know) They believed I was “too shy”, and this was an attribute of something demonic. It was “negative” and “negative is always demonic” so obviously it needed to be counteracted. (eyeroll)

This encounter was traumatizing. The very notion of having demons inside of me sent me into a panic. They pinned me on my back and I began sobbing so hard that mucus blocked my airways. With no way to breathe and gravity working against me, I thrashed and fought for air. They perceived this as confirmation that demons were fighting back against their “powerful prayers.” (double eyeroll)

I survived this, but it deeply affected me for years. Not only did it embed in my mind that something was very wrong with me—because I was an introvert—it gave me an inner yearning to redeem myself and change people’s minds. To be in a position of their acceptance, rather than this extreme form of rejection. (Notice they never illuminated sin—the “negative” this highlighted was a God-given trait—something He intentionally designed in me, not to be fixed or overcome. Instead of recognizing and embracing how He made me, I was pressured to conform to a counterfeit ideal, as if my natural wiring was the spiritual defect rather than actual sin being the spiritual defect.)

I spent years after this reading self-help books, (Yes, starting at 11 years old!) chasing this elusive personality—the outgoing, happy, spiritual persona—everything I wasn’t. Somewhere in there, tween Becky was given a book called “Practicing His Presence” by Brother Lawrence.

Cue the “holy ghost.”

The little ‘h’ and little ‘g’ are very much intentional.

Melissa talks about the “metamystigorical” Jesus. Honestly, in these circles, Jesus is rarely mentioned. He’s part of the Bible; He’s talked about as a benefactor quite often—but the front and center of the Pentecostalism I grew up in was always the ‘holy ghost’.

EVERYTHING was about the holy ghost.

The metamystigorical ‘holy ghost.’

(I said that with a crazy, spooky voice, bugged out eyes and my hands shaped like claws. You might have to re-read that with this context to get the full effect.)

The metamystigorical hg is not to be confused with the Biblical Holy Spirit—I’d love to discuss this now, but it’s a whole other article! The topic deserves its own space. I’m trying so hard to be a person that stays on topic.

ANYWAY.

The baptism of the ‘holy ghost’ was a rite of passage. Once kids are 12 or 13 they are shipped off to as many youth camps and conferences as you can cram in a summer, with one resolve. Get those kids ‘baptized in power.’

I was attracted to this experience, because this ‘holy ghost’ was supposed to make me something entirely different than what I was. People didn’t like “real Becky”. Real Becky was shy, (remember shyness was an awful demonic thing to be purged of) but holy ghost Becky would be BOLD. Real Becky was kind of sad but holy ghost Becky would be TRIUMPHANT. Real Becky was a bratty teenager, but holy ghost Becky would be a holy saint. And not to mention—all the extra bells and whistles. Experiences in the hg came with emotional highs, and special words that made you feel good, and lofty, important callings and purposes and insights. Who wouldn’t be attracted to that?

And that’s kind of what happened.

When I was 13 I had that “holy ghost” baptism experience, which brought the stamp of approval of the church-people I was among. Plus, I made a super-determined commitment to be holy. It was like getting a spiritual steroid to do and be all the things basic Becky couldn’t be.

That was the beginning of my experience-based mysticism Christianity.

This counterfeit spirituality, erroneously labeled as the Holy Spirit, set the framework for decades of deception and catastrophic spiritual trauma. (I talk about these things here and there on my blog and FB page—poke around and you’ll find them)

I had an entity (the holy ghost) inside of me, which prompted me, guided me, helped me make major life decisions, revealed ‘hidden things’ in Scripture to me, spoke to me, etc—but this was NOT the Holy Spirit of Scripture. YIKES!

What a mess!

Disentangling from the Metamystigorical

When I finally started disentangling in 2021 from the metamystigorical holy ghost and the Word of Faith theology it inevitably led me to, I traced the roots back as far as E.W. Kenyon and Mary Baker Eddy. From there, I made the connection to metaphysics, Gnosticism, and ultimately back to Babylon. But actually, it goes back even further—to the Garden of Eden itself.

“For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God” (Genesis 3:5).

Goodness, that’s always been the lie, hasn’t it?

Somehow in my research however, I missed New Thought, but Melissa’s book shows that this movement is a crucial landmark for understanding how these ideas crept into the church. From there, it’s clear how they influenced the Word of Faith movement, the prosperity gospel, and the experiential, mystical trends that have overtaken so many denominations.

Melissa lays this out with stunning clarity. I especially love how she’s broken it down step by step, so anyone—whether they’re just starting to disentangle or have been digging into this for years—can follow the thread.

Let’s Talk About Those Happy Lies and the Power of Positive Confession

When I saw the title of her book I FLEW to Amazon and bought it on pre-order, and I’ll tell you why. I have long contended that the “positive confessions” of the Faith Movement are insidious and demonic lies. It burns my biscuits that these teachings require you to deny reality and call falsehood virtuous.

But what does Scripture say?

“Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” (Ephesians 4:25)

It’s no small thing to be forced to lie in the name of “faith.” And yet, that is exactly what these teachings require. If you are sick, you must confess that you are healed—because admitting reality is seen as a lack of faith. If you are struggling financially, you must declare prosperity—because anything less is “speaking death” over your situation. (If you get a chance, pop on over here and read this article I wrote about destructive lies called ‘faith’.)

I remember an elderly man in our church who learned that he had cancer right after my dad died of cancer. His wife stood up, service after service, boasting about his healing. I couldn’t help but wonder—why did God heal him and not my dad?

When it came to ‘faith’ as defined by the Faith Movement, mine had been impeccable. I said and did everything just as I was taught. I went to unhinged, insane lengths to ‘stand in faith’. I paralyzed my mind so effectively against EVERYTHING that said otherwise. I was so convinced that my dad was healed that when he died, I was BLINDSIDED. It shouldn’t have, because we had 11 weeks to acclimate ourselves, but it did—because I BANISHED the notion from my mind.

This couple, however, claimed to have tests that proved this man was healed. The unspoken (or covertly spoken) conclusion this small congregation came to is that, in my situation, someone just didn’t have enough faith, but in theirs, someone did.

Too bad, so sad, better luck next time. Oof.

The truth is, it turned out that this man was never healed.

He actually died within weeks.

There was never any proof of his healing.

They were “speaking in faith.”

In other words: Lying.

And if I’m being brutally honest, they were cruel, insidious, careless, inconsiderate lies.

Lies that perpetuated a counterfeit. Lies that impacted others faith. Lies that impacted the way people perceive God. Lies that allure the naive and vulnerable.

This is one of the ugliest facets of “faith” teachings and so contradictory to the character and nature of God.

God is truth.

TRUTH.

Who is the father of lies?

Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44).

So, when we are forced to deny reality, who are we really aligning with?

*sigh*

I could keep talking about this for awhile but I’ll switch gears.

A Little Chat About the Legitimate Gospel

If you’ve been following my blog, you know I spent 20 years as a steadfast, hardcore “Christian” before I ever encountered the basic Gospel message.

Go ahead and let that sink in.

I was a Bible college teacher and had never been presented with the legitimate Gospel.

How is that possible?

Because a sneaky, masterful counterfeit has subverted the Gospel message.

Melissa calls it Metamystigorical Jesus—”a shapeshifting, subjective, mystical construct that bears no resemblance to the Jesus of Scripture.”  

In my case it was Metamystigorical holy ghost.

But this counterfeit has crept into all denominations.

The true Gospel is black and white. It is salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

But these false gospels of works and self-reliance attack the sovereignty of God and place the burden on you. They say:

• You must manifest your healing.
• You must decree your breakthrough.
• You must align your words to unlock God’s promises.

These teachings put you in the driver’s seat. They make God a spectator, a vending machine, or a force you can manipulate. These teachings circumvent grace and dismantle the very nature of salvation.

That is not the Gospel. That is sorcery. It is paganism dressed up in Christian lingo. And it is so deeply embedded that most people can’t even see it anymore.

The line is not blurry because God blurred it. The line is blurry when we crossed it so long ago that we’re looking at it from a distance.

God’s truth is clear.

“There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)

There is no confusion in the Gospel.

“What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14). There is no redeeming pagan methods. God does not mix His truth with pagan methods. He does not redeem mystical practices and use them for His glory. He forbids them—plainly.

Final Thoughts

I’m having a lot of fun chatting about this stuff, but I’ve got to get back to my domestic duties which include mopping, and bathing children, and baking brownies. I’ll wrap it up by saying this:

Everyone is saying, “This is the book you didn’t know you needed.” They’re absolutely right. Honestly, if I had $500 to spare, I’d buy this book by the pallet and disperse it indiscriminately, because Melissa is addressing something that isn’t just affecting the church—it’s affecting everyone everywhere.

The shadowy subjectivity of mysticism is obscuring the Gospel, and I am so grateful for voices like Melissa Dougherty, who are rising up, speaking out, and bringing us back to the clarity of the true Gospel message.

This is the book I desperately needed five years ago when I was trying to make sense of a lifetime of deception. Back then, nothing like this existed—no clear, comprehensive tool to help navigate the theological fog that had crept into the church. Now, I’m thrilled to have a resource that can help others disentangle from the teachings that have subverted the Gospel in their churches.

I am just a small voice in a quiet corner of the internet with about 200 followers, but I’ve made it my mission to start chipping away at this deception, piece by piece, because my heart is burdened for the thousands who file into church settings week after week, calling themselves Christians—but never encountering the legitimate Gospel because it has been marred, butchered, and maimed by false teachers and false gospels.

I have been praying for God to raise up voices and laborers in this particular sphere, and I’m beyond grateful to see that prayer being answered. If you’re a brother or sister in Christ reading this, I’d ask that you’d join in prayer for this, because there’s an incredible need for this right now.

If you are starting to ask questions, or if you are watching loved ones fall into this deception, read this book. It is so needful, so timely, and so well done.

And then, test everything by the Word of God.

“Test all things; hold fast to what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

Melissa has done the church an incredible service by exposing these lies. And for that, I am deeply grateful.