Secularismo e o vazio existencial: uma reflexão a partir de Eclesiastes 2.1-11

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between secularism and existential emptiness based on the theological reflection of Ecclesiastes 2:1–11. The phenomenon of secularization, characteristic of modernity and intensified in postmodernity, redefines human experience by shifting the meaning of life from the sphere of the transcendent to the domain of the immanent, producing an individual centered on autonomy and self-sufficiency. This reconfiguration, as contemporary authors indicate, intensifies inner fragmentation, anxiety, and the feeling of purposelessness. The exegetical reading of Ecclesiastes 2:1–11 shows that Qohelet undertakes an existential experiment involving pleasure, wisdom, labor, power, and wealth, concluding that such paths, when pursued “under the sun,” inevitably result in frustration and emptiness. Based on biblical analysis and dialogue with studies on secularization, it is demonstrated that Qohelet’s diagnosis remains relevant by revealing that any existential foundation built apart from God becomes unstable and insufficient. The study concludes that the fear of the Lord—understood as reverence and dependence on the Creator—offers a robust theological alternative to confront the void produced by contemporary secularism, restoring meaning, direction, and hope to human existence.