How to Raise a Heretic

[pastor's wife]

Oh, I know some people have found an answer for them that is not Christ. Not all are content with simply questioning. I wasn't trying to say everyone is one or the other, although I was focusing on those who are content to simply question.

For me, though, as a believer, any answer that rejects Christ would break my mother's heart and any search that continues unendingly with no end in sight ever, as if the search along were enough, is also unacceptable for me.

[squiz]

(01-23-2012 12:29 PM)pastors wife Wrote:  Oh, I know some people have found an answer for them that is not Christ. Not all are content with simply questioning. I wasn't trying to say everyone is one or the other, although I was focusing on those who are content to simply question.

For me, though, as a believer, any answer that rejects Christ would break my mother's heart and any search that continues unendingly with no end in sight ever, as if the search along were enough, is also unacceptable for me.

The goal is not the search. The goal is to find out truth. Sometimes, though, there are things that can not be known, or cannot be known yet. Nevertheless, although it is hard, we are all more likely to get closer to some truth if we question our assumptions, especially if we have been indoctrinated since birth in an absolutist belief system that discourages questioning.

But, I understand your feelings regarding your children. My mother was brought up in the same belief-system and was very hurt that I rejected it.

[squiz]

(01-23-2012 11:30 AM)Darrell Wrote:  

Quote:Perfectly pointless, says the Teacher, perfectly pointless.
Everything is pointless. (Eccl. 1:2 CEB)

Then he says "under the sun" which is the key phrase in that book. That phrase indicates that he's talking about a strictly human perspective.

But if you read the rest of the book he ends this way:

Quote:When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is: fear God and keep His commands, because this is for all humanity. 14 For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.

He's saying that the meaning comes from the fact that there is a God and that he will eventually judge what happened here.

So in reality The Preacher is making my point for me.

We have 2 threads going on in parallel here.
I can see that the phrase "under the sun" might mean what you say. It could have also been a figure of speech as if to say "in the whole world". Either way, surely the points he is making apply equally "above the sun", where everything is just as pointless.

But even if it does mean in the earthly realm, he does not actually say that the existence of God brings meaning. This seems to be what people read into the text in order to make it consistent with other doctrine. The epilogue actually says that although life is meaningless, we should obey God's Law for fear of judgement. Ignoring the fact that this epilogue smells like it was tacked on to the end, I choose to interpret it (and a couple of other bits in the poem on youth and old age) as meaning that although everything is futile, we should enjoy this life while we can and do good.