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"...there are many people in the world that are not Christians. These same people successfully pray and are happy. They too have similar high moral standards. "

I think in general Christians are happier than non-Christians and involved Christians are happier than marginal Christians. But it is by no means an absolute.

There are also atheists who have high moral standards and are genuinely happy. Living according to a high moral code and doing good things brings joy regardless of the motivation. Being still and meditating brings a sense of peace not unlike being still and praying. Some of the false religions use that effect to their advantage: "Just pray about it and see if you don't feel peace".

I maintain that the most joyful are those that have entered into a relationship with their creator and are following His commandments. And I use Joyful instead of happiness, because God sometimes asks His followers to do really difficult things. Paul sat in prison for years. But through that and because of that Paul wrote the letters which make up much of the New Testament. The world has been blessed greatly because of Paul's suffering.

I also maintain that the standard in the Bible is the "highest" moral code. That the Bible calls for a more active love than many other religions.

A few years back my wife and I were shocked to learn that her aunt's inlaws were not Christian. They are some of the sweetest people I have ever known. We never said anything to the, but my wife and I began praying for them and prayed sporatically for 4-5 years, before they accepted Jesus. At 70 years you don't expect people to suddenly accept Jesus, when they've been happy for that long without Him. Just another one of those answered prayers.

Conversely, one of the most miserable creatures is the Christian who is not living according to God's will. It tears them up inside. They are much more miserable than someone who does not believe or know God's will.

And there is one really big difference between Christianity and other religions. Christianity says you can't save yourself, that only God can save you. The other religions say you can save yourself through good works. The motivation for the Christian to do good is not to earn salvation for that was given to him. The Christian's motivation is love for God. Once that love kicks in, it's a makes a powerful difference.