In 2003, my commentary on Ecclesiastes was published.  In it, I included a few lines from Stephen Crane’s poem about the utter indifference of nature to man’s plight:

A man said to the universe:

“Sir, I exist”

“However,” replied the universe,

“The fact has not created in me

a sense of obligation.”

Like nature, secularism is eerily silent and offers no hope:

“The epidemics [during the early Church] swamped the explanatory and comforting capacities of paganism…”

“Indeed, the pagan gods offered no salvation…Galen [distinguished medical researcher, born 129 AD] lacked belief in life after death. The Christians were certain that this life was but prelude. For Galen to have remained in Rome to treat the afflicted would have required bravery far beyond that needed by Christians to do likewise.”

(From Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity)

And then there is Jesus:

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Jesus raises and answers the most important question of life.