by St. Philaret the ConfessorX. Learning and Religion
Psychologists recognize three basic powers or capabilities in man’s soul: mind, emotion (heart) and will. Through his mind, man acquires knowledge of the surrounding world and its life, and also of all the conscious experiences of his personal soul. Through his emotions (heart), man responds to the effects and impressions from the external world and from his own experiences. Some of them are pleasant for him and he likes them, others are unpleasant and he does not like them. Moreover, one person’s concepts of “pleasantand “unpleasantdo not coincide with those of another. What one person likes is not always liked by another and vice versa (from this fact, we derive the saying, “in matters of taste there can be no dispute”). Finally, man’s will is that strength of soul through which he enters into the world and acts in it. Man’s moral character depends very strongly upon the character and direction of his will.
Returning to the question of the development in man of his spiritual personality, we must note that in working on his “I”, man must develop those capabilities of his soul mind, heart and will–correctly and in a Christian way.
Man’s mind develops most rapidly of the three, primarily through the study of the sciences, and through education. It is not correct to think that Christianity considers the so called “worldlysciences or education as unnecessary (or even harmful). The whole history of the Church in the ancient centuries speaks against this erroneous view. It is sufficient just to look at the three great teachers and hierarchs, Sts. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom. They were among the most highly educated people of their time, having learned well the purely worldly science of their era. The science of that era bore a definite pagan cast, but they were able to master what was necessary and useful in this learning and to discard what was useless and unnecessary. Moreover, we must value learned worldly education now, when past pagan admixtures have disappeared from learning and it strives for a comprehension of pure truth. It is true that even now many scholars erroneously assume that science contradicts religion and they add their antireligious views to scientific truths. But pure science is not at fault in this and Christianity always greets and blesses serious worldly education in which the thinking powers and capabilities of man are formed and strengthened.
It is self-understood that a Christian, while accepting worldly education, places an even greater significance upon religious education (and up-bringing). One must remember that Christianity is not solely and exclusively a sphere of experiences and feelings. No, Christianity is a completely finished cycle, a system of corresponding knowledges, of the most varied data relating not only to the religious, but also to the scientific area. To begin with, how could we Christians fail to know the life of the Saviour, His miracles and teaching! How, moreover, could we fail to know the history of our Holy Church and its divine services which must be known and understood: and for this, learning is necessary.
The significance of Christianity as an all-sided and finished system of learning is particularly clearly seen in the courses in Christian morality and doctrine (formerly taught in Russian secondary schools). In these, Christianity is seen to be a very rich system of learning, encompassing and explaining to man the whole world, himself, and showing the true sense and aim of his earthly life.
But this too must be remembered: having received the learning of a religious education, the fullness of knowledge about God’s Truth, man, knowing truth, must serve it and heed its voice. The Lord Himself said, “He who is not with Me is against Me.And in relation to Him and His holy will and law, indifference, coldness and failure to fulfill this law are disastrous for the soul and make man an enemy of Christ and His Truth. Thus, one must never forget His words: “Why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and yet not do what I say?Similarly, His Apostle says, “Not the hearers of the law, but the fulfillers of the law will be justified.”
STUDY GUIDE
Write and answer five questions which highlight this lesson.
XI. Emotional Development
Let us now turn to the matter of the development of man’s heart. Under the category of the heart we understand the capability of pleasant and unpleasant sensations. These sensations are of different sorts–from the lowest organic sensations up to the highest esthetic moral and religious feelings. The higher feelings are also called emotions. The education of man’s heart consists in the development of these emotions in it.
Let us pause on one such emotion–the esthetic feeling. Esthetic feeling is the term which signifies the sense of the beautiful–the ability of man to behold and understand, to enjoy and be enthralled by any beauty, by all things beautiful no matter where or how they appear to us. Such delight in beauty can either reach a turbulent, fiery ecstasy or a quiet, calm, profound feeling. Thus, the esthetic feeling is indissolubly tied with the idea of the beautiful, with the concept of beauty.
“But,one asks, “what is beauty?”
This question may have different answers. The best reply is this: beauty is the full harmony between the content and form of a given idea. The purer, the more salient and more perfect the form in which this idea is transferred, the more there will be beauty present, the more beautiful the phenomenon will be. Of course, Orthodox Christianity sees the highest beauty in God, in Whom there is the fullness of all beauty and perfection.
Esthetic feeling of one degree or another is inherent in every person, but is far from being developed correctly, in full measure, in every case. Its proper development and direction are brought about by uncovering the person’s ability to correctly evaluate one or another phenomenon, or work of art. An esthetically educated person is able to find features of perfection and beauty in a good picture, composition or literary work. He can himself understand and evaluate it and can explain to another what, precisely, is beautiful in a given work of art, what its content is and in what form it is transferred.
Orthodox Christianity knows how to evaluate and love beauty. And we see beauty in Orthodoxy everywhere–in church architecture, in the divine services, in the music of church singing and in iconography. Moreover, it is notable that beauty in nature was loved and valued by the strictest of our ascetics, who had completely renounced the world. The leading monasteries of Russia were founded in localities distinguished by their beauty.
In this, the bright spirit of Orthodoxy is manifested in its relationship to everything truly beautiful. In the Gospel, we see how Christ our Saviour tenderly and lovingly regarded lilies of the field, birds, fig-trees and grape-vines. Even in the Old Testament times the prophet King David, contemplating the beauty and majesty of God’s creation, exclaimed, “In wisdom hast Thou made them all ... glory to Thee O Lord Who has created all things...In another psalm, he addresses nature as if it were conscious, saying, “Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord ... Praise Him sun and moon, praise Him stars and lights ...”
But, of course, Orthodox Christianity can not limit its concept of the truly beautiful only to what pleases our sense of beauty by the elegance of its form, but must see as truly beautiful all that is morally valuable. True beauty always elevates, ennobles, enlightens man’s soul and sets before it the ideals of truth and good. An Orthodox Christian never acknowledges as beautiful that phenomenon or work of art which, even though it be of perfect execution, does not purify and enlighten man’s soul but rather debases and soils it.
STUDY GUIDE
1. What does the education of man’s heart consist of?
2. What does esthetic feeling mean?
3. What is beauty?
4. What can an Orthodox Christian limit himself to?
XI. Emotional Development
Let us now turn to the matter of the development of man’s heart. Under the category of the heart we understand the capability of pleasant and unpleasant sensations. These sensations are of different sorts–from the lowest organic sensations up to the highest esthetic moral and religious feelings. The higher feelings are also called emotions. The education of man’s heart consists in the development of these emotions in it.
Let us pause on one such emotion–the esthetic feeling. Esthetic feeling is the term which signifies the sense of the beautiful–the ability of man to behold and understand, to enjoy and be enthralled by any beauty, by all things beautiful no matter where or how they appear to us. Such delight in beauty can either reach a turbulent, fiery ecstasy or a quiet, calm, profound feeling. Thus, the esthetic feeling is indissolubly tied with the idea of the beautiful, with the concept of beauty.
“But,one asks, “what is beauty?”
This question may have different answers. The best reply is this: beauty is the full harmony between the content and form of a given idea. The purer, the more salient and more perfect the form in which this idea is transferred, the more there will be beauty present, the more beautiful the phenomenon will be. Of course, Orthodox Christianity sees the highest beauty in God, in Whom there is the fullness of all beauty and perfection.
Esthetic feeling of one degree or another is inherent in every person, but is far from being developed correctly, in full measure, in every case. Its proper development and direction are brought about by uncovering the person’s ability to correctly evaluate one or another phenomenon, or work of art. An esthetically educated person is able to find features of perfection and beauty in a good picture, composition or literary work. He can himself understand and evaluate it and can explain to another what, precisely, is beautiful in a given work of art, what its content is and in what form it is transferred.
Orthodox Christianity knows how to evaluate and love beauty. And we see beauty in Orthodoxy everywhere–in church architecture, in the divine services, in the music of church singing and in iconography. Moreover, it is notable that beauty in nature was loved and valued by the strictest of our ascetics, who had completely renounced the world. The leading monasteries of Russia were founded in localities distinguished by their beauty.
In this, the bright spirit of Orthodoxy is manifested in its relationship to everything truly beautiful. In the Gospel, we see how Christ our Saviour tenderly and lovingly regarded lilies of the field, birds, fig-trees and grape-vines. Even in the Old Testament times the prophet King David, contemplating the beauty and majesty of God’s creation, exclaimed, “In wisdom hast Thou made them all ... glory to Thee O Lord Who has created all things...In another psalm, he addresses nature as if it were conscious, saying, “Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord ... Praise Him sun and moon, praise Him stars and lights ...”
But, of course, Orthodox Christianity can not limit its concept of the truly beautiful only to what pleases our sense of beauty by the elegance of its form, but must see as truly beautiful all that is morally valuable. True beauty always elevates, ennobles, enlightens man’s soul and sets before it the ideals of truth and good. An Orthodox Christian never acknowledges as beautiful that phenomenon or work of art which, even though it be of perfect execution, does not purify and enlighten man’s soul but rather debases and soils it.
STUDY GUIDE
1. What does the education of man’s heart consist of?
2. What does esthetic feeling mean?
3. What is beauty?
4. What can an Orthodox Christian limit himself to?
XII. Emotional Development in Children; And on Christian Hope
The esthetic feeling which we examined in the preceding chapter is but one of the emotions of the human heart. Understandably, many other emotions have a greater significance for the Christian. For example, the elevated feelings of sympathy and antipathy of mercy, compassion, etc. must be developed in the heart of the Orthodox Christian –if possible, from the very earliest years.
Alas, all too often this does not happen. Unfortunately, in many good Orthodox Christian families, life is arranged in such a way that the parents consciously guard their children from contact with human need, sorrow, heavy difficulties and trials. Such an excessive protection of children from sober reality brings only negative results. Children who have grown up under greenhouse conditions, separated from life, grow up soft, spoiled and not well adjusted for life, often thick-skinned egoists, accustomed only to demanding and receiving and not knowing how to yield, to serve or to be useful to others. Life can break such people cruelly and sometimes punishes them unbearably, often from their early school years. It is necessary, therefore, for those who love their children to temper them. Above all, there must always be one definite Orthodox Christian aim set before both parents and children: that children, while growing and developing physically, must also grow and develop spiritually, that they become better, kinder, more pious and more sympathetic.
In order to accomplish this, however, it is necessary to allow children to come into contact with people’s needs and wants, and to give them the opportunity to help. Then children themselves will strive for goodness and truth, for everything that is pure, good and bright is especially near to the soul of the unspoiled child.
Those emotions about which we have spoken, including the highest of them –mercy and compassion–are met with in all people. Speaking now of feelings of a purely Christian kind, we pause on the feeling of Christian hope. Christian hope can be defined as a sincere, vivid remembrance of God, inseparably tied with the assurance of His Fatherly love and help. A man who has such hope always and everywhere feels himself under the Father’s protection just as he everywhere and always sees the infinite vault of heaven above him in the physical world. Therefore, an Orthodox Christian having hope in God will never come to despair, will never feel himself hopelessly alone.
A situation can seem hopeless only to an unbeliever. A believer, one who hopes in God, knows His nearness to the sorrowing human heart and will find comfort, courage and help in Him.
Of course, the crown and summit of Christian hope is in the future. We Orthodox Christians know that our Symbol of Faith, in which all the basic truths of Christianity are gathered, ends with the words, “I await (expect and earnestly long for) the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come, Amen.”
So a full realization of the bright Christian hope will arrive when life finally triumphs over death and God’s truth over worldly untruth. Then every woe will be healed, for “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more, neither shall there be anguish nor grief nor pain anymore...” “And eternal joy will be in their hands.(Rev.21 :4; Is.35:10).
Here is the summit, crown and full realization of Orthodox Christian hope and the triumph of those who, in this earthly life, were persecuted and oppressed and banished for Christ’s truth.
STUDY GUIDE
1. What are the “greenhouse conditionsin many families?
2. What happens to children raised in a “greenhouse”?
3. What should be one common goal of both parents?
4. Define Christian hope.
5. What is the Symbol of Faith?
