http://www.slate.com/id/2164909/entry/2165121/
I now understand why Ecclesiastes is the favorite Bible book of people who don't much believe in God. It offers the only viable competition to the Bible's main theme of heaven, redemption, and judgment. If you believe in God, you can explain injustice and wickedness on earth with an afterlife or judgment day, where the good get their just desserts. (Pecan pie for me, please!)
But what if death is just death? What if there is no afterlife, no second chance? How do we live then? Koheleth faces this head on. Koheleth believes that you die and that's it—"even a live dog is better than a dead lion … the dead know nothing … their loves, their hates, their jealousies have long since perished." Koheleth's answer for this dilemma is: Seize the day. "Whatever it is in your power to do, do with all your might." "Enjoy happiness with a woman you love." This is all we get, so make the most of it.
I am not criticizing one bit when I say: This is a godless philosophy. It is literally a way to live well without God. So what on earth is it doing in the Bible? Why did the rabbis and bishops keep Ecclesiastes all these thousands of years?
I can think of a couple reasons.
First, it may be that there is a powerful agnostic strain in the Judeo-Christian tradition—hey, that's certainly my strain—and Ecclesiastes is a way to speak to that crowd, a way to acknowledge their doubts but keep them in the fold. (A few weeks ago, an evangelical Christian friend told me that Ecclesiastes is his favorite book, which makes me like him even more but wonder if his pastor should worry about him.)
Second, maybe they kept it in the Bible because it's so provocative. It riles people up, it makes them think, and that may make them more active in their faith.
-------------------------------------------------
That last reason is the most interesting one of all, and helps the reader of the Bible to think more than just believe as many of the various other parts of the Bible demand.
I now understand why Ecclesiastes is the favorite Bible book of people who don't much believe in God. It offers the only viable competition to the Bible's main theme of heaven, redemption, and judgment. If you believe in God, you can explain injustice and wickedness on earth with an afterlife or judgment day, where the good get their just desserts. (Pecan pie for me, please!)
But what if death is just death? What if there is no afterlife, no second chance? How do we live then? Koheleth faces this head on. Koheleth believes that you die and that's it—"even a live dog is better than a dead lion … the dead know nothing … their loves, their hates, their jealousies have long since perished." Koheleth's answer for this dilemma is: Seize the day. "Whatever it is in your power to do, do with all your might." "Enjoy happiness with a woman you love." This is all we get, so make the most of it.
I am not criticizing one bit when I say: This is a godless philosophy. It is literally a way to live well without God. So what on earth is it doing in the Bible? Why did the rabbis and bishops keep Ecclesiastes all these thousands of years?
I can think of a couple reasons.
First, it may be that there is a powerful agnostic strain in the Judeo-Christian tradition—hey, that's certainly my strain—and Ecclesiastes is a way to speak to that crowd, a way to acknowledge their doubts but keep them in the fold. (A few weeks ago, an evangelical Christian friend told me that Ecclesiastes is his favorite book, which makes me like him even more but wonder if his pastor should worry about him.)
Second, maybe they kept it in the Bible because it's so provocative. It riles people up, it makes them think, and that may make them more active in their faith.
-------------------------------------------------
That last reason is the most interesting one of all, and helps the reader of the Bible to think more than just believe as many of the various other parts of the Bible demand.