Peace, Purpose, and Hope

So, I went to church on Sunday, as is my custom when I'm visiting my parents in Dallas. I don't mind going, partly because it makes my mom happy, and partly because I like to see what the church is up to these days.

Listening to the sermon, I heard a familiar theme repeated - one I heard often while I was growing up... and I realized that it was a lie. Not a deliberate lie, but an untruth told by people who honestly believe it is true. According to the sermon, without Jesus, there is no peace, purpose, or hope in life. Can people possibly believe this? Is it that only desperately unhappy people convert to Christianity, become happier, and then believe that everyone without Christ is unhappy, anxious, aimless, and despairing?