What the...?!?!?
My apologies!!! I was directing that to robrog and somehow my multiquote (quoting by highlighting text) got all jacked up there! I'll fix that in an edit after this post!
Life is wearisome to the flesh.... not sure how reading sends you to an earlier grave than working 40 hour work weeks..?
I remember when I was young my older brother was sitting on the floor "indian style" (legs crossed). He had his hands on his knees and was just relaxing. My dad came into the room and flipped out "ARE YOU MEDITATING??!?!?!" and he got a beating even though he was pleading for mercy as he was simply relaxing. You see, in the religion of my father, all external sources of, well anything were blasphemous or demonic. No two ways about it. If you weren't getting your koolaid from the local cult leader, then you were drinking the wrong koolaid.
Trusting any one source for anything is foolhardy. I've attended services for many a Christian sect, many an Eastern religion and read up on much of the "dark" arts. You find common themes... those firmly embedded nails as quoted above. Go to any one spot and you find some of the same nails, but they all have their own special painting and fluff all around the nails, and each have unique nails. I believe what Solomon was getting at was that you can spend your entire life searching for some truth when the simple truth of living a good life is all that really matters. He speaks of commandments, but I would be wary of any such commandment in a book used to justify mass murder. Not to say I don't believe there is divinity within the Bible, but I'm not sold on every scripture. As above, could an unconditionally loving God promote one man to own and beat another? A bit contradictory no? Perhaps (again) you're being sold a half-truth wrapped in self serving lies.
