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Quote 317
St. Theophan the Recluse
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Quote 317 - Форум
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Quote 317
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| readeralexey | Дата: Воскресенье, 31.08.2025, 01:47 | Сообщение # 1 |
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| In general, one must so dispose the mind of pupils that they do not lose the conviction that our chief work is the pleasing of God, and that learning is a secondary quality, something incidental, which is good only during the present life. This is why it should not at all be placed so high and in such an attractive form that it will occupy all one’s attention and absorb all one’s concern.
St. Theophan the Recluse, bishop of Tambov (On the raising of children)
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| sophianesterenok | Дата: Понедельник, 01.09.2025, 22:39 | Сообщение # 2 |
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| I agree that the work of pleasing God is of more importance that any other ambition, and children should be taught to prioritise it. However, it is not least through our honest work, and, in the case of children, schoolwork and learning, that we please God (see Exodus 20:9, Colossians 3:23, and a large portion of Proverbs).
Moreover, while a lack of schooling is not an obstacle to salvation, we know from the parable in Matthew 25:14-30 that God is pleased by those who multiply their talents. Reason, access to education and interest in it are all gifts to be used for gloryfying God in service of other people, be it through teaching, healing, clothing, feeding or any good work. What's more, regardless of the practical application of the subject, all science is study of God's creation.
All in all, I think there is nothing in our lives, either good or bad, that has no relevance to eternity, so there is really nothing "good only for this present life". For example, we should not intentionally harm ourselves or neglect our health, even though there is no illness in heaven. We should treat knowledge in the same way; it is only as incidental as everything we do in this life. As long as our primary intention is to serve God, there is nothing wrong with making learning a valuable, respected and attractive aspiration for our children.
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| runovasveta2005 | Дата: Воскресенье, 07.09.2025, 22:27 | Сообщение # 3 |
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| It is a very good point to think about. I partially agree with it and partially disagree.
I disagree, because I don't see any contradictions between pleasing of God and putting learning first. As it reads, learning is related to our present life and I think we should use this time to explore the world which the Lord gave us. Yes, this life and this world is our temporary shelter, but it is also important for us. And if someone has outstanding learning ability, I think they should use it because if they do not, it would be "hiding their talent in the ground" (Matthew, 25:14-30) and it would be not God-pleasing.
But I remember the story of our poor Dr. Faust as well. He was very talented man, but his talent and bright mind didn't bring him happiness. By contrast, his insatiable desire to know the whole world led him to his death. What's the matter then?
To my mind, the answer lies in your relation to the learning process and your vision of who you are in this process. The Lord gave you the world to explore, but you should not think you are able to know it all. To think in such way means to put yourself into the God's place. You're welcome to study, you're welcome to explore everything you're interested in, you're welcome to make learning your mission and the deal of all your life. But you should always remember that you only have this opportunity thanks to God and you only make all your revelations by His will. To put it simply, we just should study hard with God in mind and do everything for God's sake. Because without Him this process will be worthless.
And in this way I agree with this thought and I think every teacher should convey this idea to his students (but, of course, he must do it in such a way that they do not consider it an excuse for not studying).
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