Question 21.
Are there any Bible passages that actually counsel against hedonism or argue against the pursuit of pleasure?
Answer 21.
There are many such passages:
It is better to go to a house of mourning Than to go to a house of feasting, Because that is the end of every man, And the living takes it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, For when a face is sad a heart may be happy. The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure. (Ecclesiastes 7:2-4)
"Hedonism" is both mentioned in the Bible and is severely condemned by the Bible. In the Greek the word "hedone" means "hedonism" or "pleasure". This word is used in James 4:1-3:
"What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your hedonism that wage[s] war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your hedonism."
Many more such passages can be found in the article:
List of Bible Verses that Challenge Hedonism.
A counter-argument some may use regarding passages that devalue and deflate pleasure and hedonism might be, "but these passages do not explicitly forbid living by the philosophy of hedonism, they merely counsel against it." True. However, to state the same objection in slightly different words would be to say, "fortunately, God only calls hedonism and the lifestyle of pursuing pleasure to be unwise and foolish, but He does not outlaw it, so we can still pursue it with all our strength." As always, it is up to the individual to decide how appropriate it is to pursue an unwise and foolish lifestyle.
The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure. (Ecclesiastes 7:4)
