Metropolitan Kirill's statements about the Orthodox upbringing of children. The role of Orthodoxy in the patriotic education of youth
We met with you on the eve of the school year and have just been praying for those who are due to start teaching on September 1st. There is a lot of good in our youth, but there is something that turns children today into easy prey for people with evil thoughts and intentions in relation to both our Fatherland and the Church.
The fact is that the current generation of students does not remember the past. They do not remember the hardest Soviet times, they do not remember how our people lived. They do not remember much, and therefore they do not have the opportunity to compare our days with what it was. But people of the middle and older generation have such an opportunity, and therefore we must cherish everything that is happening today. This does not mean that we should idealize the present, but we must clearly understand that the country and the Church have traveled a very significant path over these 27 years - through thorns, disappointments, losses. But what is happening now in the Russian land fills the heart with joy. Joy is not simple-hearted, not the one that closes the vision of the problems that exist in society.
We are called upon - both our generation and those that come to replace us - to solve existing problems so that the historical path of Russia continues and that nothing darkens the spiritual life of people, their well-being, so that no one will ever encroach on independence and the freedom of our people. Praying today for students, I asked the Lord to protect them from temptations, because temptations are what seduces a person, and as a result brings misfortune, tragedy in personal, public and state life. We must keep ourselves from these temptations, and, undoubtedly, the Lord helps us in this.
No human wisdom is sometimes enough to separate good from evil in the current difficult conditions, because even the most terrible evil sometimes speaks with the voice of good and confuses people. Sometimes this evil has surprisingly attractive arguments that seduce people. In order to prevent all this from happening, in addition to the wisdom that comes with experience, God's help is also needed. May she be with all of us. We believe that through the prayers of all the saints who shone in our land, he will incline mercy to our Fatherland. May the Lord bless us all, strengthen our faith, give spiritual and physical strength to worthily pass our life's career and, standing before God, hear the words: "Come to me and inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world." Amen.
On the feast of the Don Icon of the Mother of God
Today we heard the parable of the Savior about the seed. The Lord explained that the seed is the word of God. Thrown along the road is a word that is heard, but the devil tears out the Divine truth from the heart of a person. Thrown on the stones is a seed that was taken up and grew, but, having no solid foundation, withered. The third one that has fallen into the weeds is a word that is drowned out by everyday worries. But the fourth is the seed that brought forth fruit.
Soil is a given. We are born with different predispositions, scientists call it heredity. But no one can say that he is categorically predisposed to evil and cannot do good, or that he is absolutely predisposed to unbelief and cannot believe in God. It happens that due to the lack of care on the part of parents or teachers, stony soil is created in the heart of children. Even if a child or an adult with such a heart at some point perceives the Divine truth, this truth cannot germinate, because there is a stone in the heart.
We must work so that our souls do not turn to stone. We must work on ourselves, on our children, on those who went to school today, because even there a stone can be laid in the soul, not to mention such phenomena of modern life as the influence of the Internet and the media.
If the word of God does not enter into the consciousness and heart of a person, then no special tests are needed. It's just that a person gives himself up to temptation, forgetting about everything - about God's commandments, about laws, about honesty, about decency - and nothing holds him back.
Why the word of God, when so much money can be obtained in one way or another illegally? Or indulge in pleasures, making many people unhappy? But we do not think about this, because the devil easily takes power over us. Everyone who is engaged in agriculture knows: you can weed the land, and there will be no weeds. And in our soul those very weeds can grow that will choke not only God's, but also every reasonable word. After all, if a person gets into a whirlwind Everyday life, then, of course, the word of God will be stifled by this everyday life. But it depends on us what we do with the soil of our souls.
And finally, fertile soil. It bears fruit, but it is also necessary to work on this soil, because one and the same soil brings good harvest, and in another year may not be as fruitful. Therefore, spiritual life constantly requires a vigilant attitude of a person to himself, to his thoughts, actions, feelings. Assimilation of the Word of God is a feat of all life, and this is the most important feat. If we do not assimilate the word of God, then we will not receive the Kingdom, and even in this life we will not be lucky.
This parable teaches us spiritual vigilance. We must pay attention to what is happening in our soul, in our thoughts. These thoughts are very timely on the eve of the school year. Parents are responsible for children, so be vigilant. Think not only about your own soil, but about the soil of children's souls. Try by personal example to make sure that the soul of a child never turns into stone, because a stone soul will reject not only the Word of God, but also love, and will not perceive the true joy of life. This is very difficult to do now, but it must be done. It is necessary to protect children from the influence of the environment, and if something happened, then everything should be done to expel sin from the heart and consciousness of the child - both in word and prayer, and, of course, by the participation of children in prayer life, communion of the Saints of Christ Mystery. We believe that the Lord will keep our children. But everyone needs to work very hard - both the authorities, and the public, and parents, and schools, and the Church, in order to protect our children from those dangerous spiritual states that the Gospel tells us about today. Amen.
Questions of the spiritual and moral formation of the younger generation invariably constitute the most important sphere of pastoral care of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. During the first six months of the primatial service His Holiness Patriarch repeatedly held meetings with thousands of youth students in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod. Particularly significant in this series were the patriarchal worship and sermon in the Tatian Church at Moscow State University. M. V. Lomonosov March 23, 2009 In a number of speeches, the Primate pointed out the need for young people to understand the priorities of their lives that are significant from a Christian point of view, and also outlined the contours of that youth policy of the Russian Orthodox Church, which today is largely in the stage of active formation.
On February 14, 2009, Patriarch Kirill delivered a welcoming speech to the participants of the III Candlemas Meetings of Orthodox Youth, who represented about forty Orthodox youth organizations in Russia.
“The line of struggle between Light and darkness, between God and the devil runs through the hearts of young people in a special way. We live in a culture in which the idea of sin has been banished and the idea of freedom has arisen in its place. Freedom is the greatest gift of God, for the sake of it people went to the barricades, sacrificed their lives, died. Ask any person - no one will say that he is against freedom, but in history it turned out that this God's blessing was used to the detriment of a person, freedom liberated a person, and, most importantly, ousted the idea of sin,” His Holiness the Patriarch began his speech with these words.
He further stressed that the Church has always insisted that repentance should be at the center of human life. But, according to the thought of His Holiness the Patriarch, the call to liberate oneself is perceived by a person much easier than the call to repentance. “Repentance always requires some kind of stop, and calls for it among the youth and across the country and across the scale of civilization, unfortunately, remain not very clear,” said Patriarch Kirill. “So it happened that the value of freedom was used to crowd out another value, the value of repentance, and thus freedom emptied itself.”
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill touched upon the issue of understanding freedom in society and recalled that the Russian Orthodox Church, since the 1990s. called for society to rethink the understanding of freedom, but if earlier the word of the Church was ignored by many, today something very important is happening both in the country and in the world.
“The crisis has become a very strong proof of the thesis that the Church has always offered. The thesis that freedom must be accompanied by moral responsibility. But people ask what morality is, does the Church want to take on the role of a judge, does this smack of clericalism, an attempt to occupy human consciousness? And then we answer - no, the Church does not take on the role of a judge, the Church is not a punitive institution, but a loving Mother; The Church is called upon to testify to people that any sphere of human existence is connected with moral responsibility and awareness of sin,” His Holiness Patriarch Kirill continued. “And God judges not only at the Last Judgment and after death, He judges us during our earthly life, and the human conscience is the most important instrument of this God’s judgment.”
Further, His Holiness the Patriarch addressed the responsibility that lies with the young: “The struggle between light and darkness is passing through you, young people. You now have a time when a person is able to learn, and when a person loses the desire to learn, he becomes old. But there is also some danger here. With age, a person develops his own position in life. And mature people have enough experience to overestimate the information they receive, while young people, although by virtue of their qualities they are tuned in to perception, do not have such an internal criterion. And that is why young people not only perceive the new, but also perceive less critically what the older generation tells them.”
His Holiness the Patriarch warned young people against the danger of not seeing a substitution, since information comes to them through a colossal flow of mass media. And at young man there is a danger of being captured by this pressure of information. “If we analyze everything that happens in the field of influence on human consciousness, we will see that the impact is not only on the spiritual component, but also on the instinctive principle of a person, which in modern system is a very important receiver of information,” Patriarch Kirill emphasized, also noting that modern secular culture is working to tear the image of carnal purity from the human personality.
“That is why youth is the front line of the struggle not only for the future, but also for the person himself. If we wrest young souls from the clutches of sin, then we are doing a great thing. The Church cannot but have the youth theme in its priorities precisely in modern conditions. We are doing and will do everything to change the life of human society. So that such concepts as kindness and fortitude become attractive to young people,” His Holiness the Patriarch said in his speech.
Further, His Holiness the Patriarch turned to the tasks facing the church youth. According to the Primate, youth should provide for the future. What is being said and created today will fall on the shoulders of young people, because society, along with the expectation from the Church of preaching and mission, also has a fear of whether the Church will be able to cope with the tasks assigned to it: “In order to we turned out to be worthy of our calling, and in order for modern preaching to lead to real changes in people's lives, very serious work is needed at the intersection of the Church and society. And it is more convenient for a young person to work at this junction than for an older person. After all, you are in many ways a part of this society, except for what you have as Christians.
Missionary tasks, according to His Holiness, seem to be very ambitious. And this is precisely the common task of Church leadership and the young people of the Church. “That is why your meetings should be filled with both philosophical discussions and issues of organizing youth and missionary service,” urged His Holiness the Patriarch. “Sretensky meetings should become important forums where questions would be raised and forms, ways and means of mission would be proposed.”
“I really hope for you as a Patriarch, you are my allies, I would very much like to do together with you what we all must do today, reviving the life of our people. We are fighting for every person, for his soul, for the future of our country and for the future of the whole world. And I would like you to take our very important mission in the life of the Church very seriously,” His Holiness Patriarch Kirill concluded.
In the course of answering questions, His Holiness the Patriarch stated with regret that, in general, the system of spiritual education does not currently train, but should train missionary priests, so that seminarians, along with general theology, receive special education for working with youth.
At the opening of the XVII Christmas Readings, His Holiness the Patriarch dwelled on one of the key tools for the spiritual and moral formation of youth, which consists in the active presence of the Church in the modern educational space. According to the Patriarch, today representatives of the Church can and should, through dialogue with the Ministry of Education and Science and all interested circles and structures, come to decisions that would be accepted by the Church, the state, and the entire Russian society.
“I am deeply convinced that the national educational system cannot be excluded from the spiritual and moral education of the individual,” said His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. — Only strong-willed and pure-hearted people will cope with the problems facing modern world. And there is no need to be afraid to admit to yourself and others that religious and moral motivation are tightly interconnected for a large part of people in Russia and the world.
He also recalled that Russia and other countries of the canonical space of the Russian Orthodox Church are secular states, where religious institutions are separated from the organs government controlled. The Church respects the constitutional foundations of the established state system, said Patriarch Kirill, but at the same time, it cannot but respect the rights and freedoms of citizens, including their right to receive education and educate their children precisely in the spirit of the worldview that is adhered to in the family .
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill stated that today in Russia the practice of teaching the basics of religious culture - Orthodox, Islamic and some others - has already become widespread. This practice, demanded by students and their parents, according to the Primate of the Russian Church, does not cause any conflicts, except for discussions within the interested circles of the metropolitan elites.
“I believe that the practice of teaching the foundations of religious culture should not be destroyed,” the Patriarch noted. “The accumulated experience of teaching the basics of Orthodox culture (and this experience was summarized by the Ministry of Education and Science, as well as the Public Chamber) cannot be thrown overboard.”
The efforts of the state and the Church in the educational sphere, in the opinion of His Holiness the Patriarch, should contribute to the consolidation, and not the division of society.
“In the process of dialogue, we must act as partners, using not the language of a dispute, but the language of mutual support and a common cause. After all, the Church and secular pedagogy, by and large, have one task: to educate not only a knowledgeable and hard-working person, but also a full-fledged person who lives meaningfully and spiritually, has a moral dimension of his words and deeds, which benefits not only himself, but also his neighbors, as well as to his Fatherland,” summed up the Primate of the Russian Church.
May 23 at the Universal Sports and Entertainment Complex of the Russian state university physical culture, sports, youth and tourism, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with the youth and students of Moscow.
His Holiness the Patriarch delivered a speech in which he shared his thoughts on the challenges and problems of our time. The primate also called for a serious and responsible dialogue between the Church and youth: “When we single out youth, there is a kind of paternalistic approach in this, there is some kind of top-down view. Youth is the mature part of our society. I think that the mistakes of our pedagogy also boil down to constant paternalism: we are very fond of criticizing the youth, we are very fond of correcting, we are very fond of demanding that the youth should certainly live the way we lived, or the way we live. In fact, young people are an organic part of the whole society, and it is necessary to speak with young people in the same language that we speak with people of the older generation.
In a conversation with young people, His Holiness the Patriarch emphasized that the Church, being outside of politics and not giving any political preferences to one or another force, asserts that the current course of the country is in line with our national interests.
“God forbid that speculation on the economic difficulties that actually arose in our society today through no fault of our country, but were introduced from outside, would bring us back to the reality of the 1990s, when we could easily lose Russia. This is where we all need to be very vigilant. And here theological reflection is also very important. And the voice of conscience must work to be able to distinguish truth from lies, good from evil,” the Primate noted.
Answering the question of how modern youth hobbies and Orthodoxy are combined, His Holiness suggested that a distinction be made between hobbies, which may include, for example, sports, and a specific youth subculture.
“Within this subculture, as within any culture, there is something that is very important to support and develop in every possible way, but there is something that poses a danger to the integrity of human life,” His Holiness Patriarch Kirill noted. He recalled that the word "culture" comes from a Latin root, which has two meanings: on the one hand - worship, veneration of the Divine, on the other hand - the cultivation of the earth.
“These two meanings are very important for understanding what culture is. If culture is cultivation, then cultivation of what? Human personality. And as a result of cultivation, growth should occur - intellectual, aesthetic, moral, spiritual growth. The person must grow. It means that if culture ensures such cultivation of human nature, as a result of which good fruits appear, then such culture, undoubtedly, is of great importance for the life of man and society. Well, if within the framework of this culture instincts are liberated, a person behaves like a beast, if as a result of this alcoholism and drug addiction spread, families are destroyed, the sacred concept of love is destroyed, then this is not a culture and not even a pseudo-culture - it is an anti-culture, ”He emphasized. Holiness.
According to the Primate’s deep conviction, the prevalence of anti-culture in the youth environment over culture destroys the human personality: “There is something in youth hobbies that needs to be supported and encouraged in every possible way, but there should not be unreasonable reverence for any manifestations of youth culture.”
On July 23, 2009, answering the questions of Ukrainian journalists on the eve of the First Hierarch's visit to Ukraine, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia characterized the modern approach of the Russian Church to the work of mission among the youth.
“The Church is not doing anything new,” His Holiness the Patriarch began his answer to the topic of the missionary line of the Church in the current conditions with this thesis. “If we turn to the patristic period, we can see that the Church churched pagan culture, went towards pagan ancient science and art. And we are aware of such a remarkable phenomenon as the patristic synthesis, the patristic synthesis. This is the ability to synthesize the Divine Revelation, which is contained in the teachings of the Church, with the cultural reality of its time. This is a fundamental principle - the Church should not close itself off from secular culture, she should not shy away from it. But this does not mean that it should accept everything that is present in this culture,” the Primate emphasized.
His Holiness paid special attention to the erroneous ideas that the Church should address the word of the sermon only to a narrow circle of traditionalist people: “Today we are talking about the fact that in any society there are several subcultures. And it seems to some that the preaching of the Church should only appeal to the bearers of a certain subculture - for example, to people who are inclined to consider themselves included in the traditional Orthodox subculture. This is a fairly comfortable audience [...] Then you feel calm […] But a huge number of people do not belong to this subculture. And the question arises: should church preaching somehow be limited to this? “I am deeply convinced that this is a very dangerous and erroneous thesis,” said His Holiness the Patriarch.
“It is the task of the Church to address even those who are spiritually deaf and dumb, to trust in the will of God, to remember that no eloquence, no missionary technology can reach the human heart. God's grace reaches the human heart. But it reaches this heart through people, through religious experience, which often arises in contact with the bearers of religious knowledge,” Patriarch Kirill emphasized. “We have no alternative - we must go to the youth,” the Primate of the Russian Church is convinced.
In the words of His Holiness, "The Church must find an opportunity to appeal to the bearers of any subculture, even a dangerous subculture, even one that liberates instinct and is anti-culture."
At the same time, the Primate dwelled in particular on the need to observe sobriety in the matter of adapting the church word and missionary work to the level of a young secular audience. “There is no need to mimic the youth subculture,” His Holiness the Patriarch emphasized. “If now our clergy start preaching in shorts at youth discotheques, it will be a huge mistake and even a sin, because there will be lies and hypocrisy.” “But this does not mean that the priest cannot come where the youth has gathered,” concluded the Primate of the Russian Church.
Thus, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill outlined the most important principles of missionary service to the Church. This is the activation of church preaching and mission among the youth, overcoming an unproductive paternalistic approach, an overly critical attitude towards the new generation. With the inadmissibility of mimicry under the youth subculture, the clergy should have the audacity to address the Orthodox sermon to the most diverse youth audiences, even those that are still very far from the church fence. Among the primary tasks, His Holiness also singled out the organization of the missionary service of the youth itself, expanding the range of the system of spiritual education, practical pastoral training by introducing a missionary, educational orientation, as well as the active integration of the Church into the modern educational environment, cooperation with secular pedagogy in the upbringing of a spiritualized personality.
On November 20, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia turns 70 years old. On the occasion of the Primate’s birthday, we have collected from various speeches his statements about education, religious schools, organization educational process and the tasks facing pastors. For thought and inspiration.
About education
I am deeply convinced that the national educational system cannot be excluded from the spiritual and moral education of the individual. Only strong-minded and pure-hearted people will cope with the problems facing the modern world. And there is no need to be afraid to admit to yourself and others that religious and moral motivation are tightly interconnected for a large part of people in Russia and the world.
The Church and secular pedagogy, by and large, have one task: to educate not only a knowledgeable and hard-working person, but also a full-fledged personality, living meaningfully and spiritually, having a moral dimension of his words and deeds, benefiting not only himself, but also his neighbors, equally as well as to his Fatherland.
I am constantly learning, and this is not some hackneyed common phrase. This learning process gives me great pleasure - I love to hear people's voices, to learn different views on life, I try to match this contradictory chorus of human opinions with what is happening in my heart, in my mind. I think that without this I would not have uttered a single word that would be worth attention.
In a sense, education is the ability of a person to constantly learn, constantly grow. And so for you and me, for people who have dedicated themselves to the Church, the main task is to be able to read the word of God. Sometimes it happens like this: we read the text, and then we take some commentary of the 17th-18th centuries and retell it. And this comment does not convince anyone! Out of respect, they listen: “Yes, of course. Right". But it does not capture the hearts, people's eyes do not burn, they do not quote a priest who repeats old comments in his sermon. Therefore, learning to read texts based on a modern context is a very important task. It involves constant learning - you need to constantly, every day, read the word of God, and patristic texts, and theological literature. When a thought does not move, it begins to stiffen, and a hardened head is not capable of producing anything that could captivate people.
The cognitive value of education should be organically combined with the educational function. This is the only way to the wholeness of the worldview of a maturing person. Only in this way will we educate people who will be able to create, invent, make decisions based on Divine precepts and the experience of culture
Of course, you need to get an education, and it's good when a woman, feeling the appropriate abilities in herself, makes, as they say, a career. We see remarkable women both in the government and among scientists, diplomats, production managers. In some areas, the female mind is more insightful than the male, and men are aware of this and pay tribute to women's abilities. Therefore, it would be wrong to close the possibility of a secular career for a woman, whether it be scientific or any other, just because she is a woman and should become a mother, it would be wrong.
But it is also wrong for a career to deform the value orientations of a girl or woman. And the value orientation is that it is necessary, if there is God's blessing, to marry and start a family. And when this happens, both the husband and relatives should help a working woman in raising children, but she should not attribute the upbringing of children to the periphery of her life, - they say, I am very busy, I am the president in a bank, I have no time for a child, I I will give it to a nanny or educators. Now it is becoming more and more fashionable, especially in wealthy families - this, of course, is the sin of apostasy from the mother's calling.
A woman who takes responsibility for raising a child must understand that for a certain time this responsibility becomes an absolute priority, as well as the care of a family.
About spiritual education In order to organize the work, you need a specialist. That is why our educational institutions today are faced with the task of training not only priests and theologians, but also church social workers, educational workers - catechists.
You sometimes come to the monastery, you ask: how many monks have graduated from the seminary - it turns out that they are a minority. You ask the hieromonk why he doesn't want to go to the seminary. And he answers: “But why do I need this seminary?” He has no need for theological knowledge, and the lack of this knowledge gives rise to various kinds of prejudices. We know that sometimes absolutely monstrous ideas, dangerous for the life of the Church, come out of monasteries. There is nothing new in this - and in ancient times heresies also often came from monasteries, and zealous monks, bishops, even the Patriarchs of Constantinople were at the origins of the heretical movements of antiquity. Therefore, the correct spiritual and theological education of monastics, and, most importantly, the real experience of spiritual life, are in many ways the key to the prosperity of the Church, her spiritual health, and the health of our entire society.
The feat of learned monks is of great importance for the education of young people and for the advancement of theological science, since people in the monastic rank, who devote themselves to school, are called to devote themselves completely to this great work. The Theological Academy, whether it be St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kyiv or Kazan, has always been strong in learned monasticism. The monks have always been the stronghold of the school, who have devoted their lives to the national theological science and the education of youth.
I can't imagine any other way to raise a worthy pastor today, able to speak to modern society, convey the gospel message to them, defend their convictions, make them understandable to others, live a deep religious life, except through the passage of a school of piety in our theological schools. From the bottom of my heart, I would like to wish you all to share in this, believe me, wonderful experience. If a person does not master it within these walls, then he simply wastes time in vain. If a student, ward, or ward takes on the obligation to master the basics of intellectual and spiritual life, then it is possible to cancel the service of assistant inspectors on duty and not look at the clock, checking when he or she came from the city. Everything will be arranged correctly, because everyone will have their own inspector inside, who will tell you if time can be wasted or not
The spiritual school is a school for both students and teachers; it's a single family, and it's been that way all ten years that I've had the good fortune to serve here. You and I have a lot to do and arrange properly,” His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia emphasized. – First of all, I appeal to Vladyka Ambrose, the professors and teachers of the glorious St. Petersburg Theological School, to you, my dear students. No one will solve this problem except us, and you and I cannot avoid solving it, because we simply do not have time. The years of studentship and study are a wonderful time of growth, and God forbid that growth be intense, that it be visible, first of all, for the growing ones themselves, so that every day would be beneficial, change something in the mind and in the heart. And then we will be stronger than the flow of mass information, then our beliefs will be stronger than all artificial stereotypes
Spiritual education, its specific forms, should be determined not by external incidental circumstances and motives, not by sentimental, often pseudo-pious reasoning, but by a very clear goal-setting, based on the fundamental tasks of church life and ministry.
Education is a cross-cutting theme that runs through almost all of our meetings. This shows that education in the Church is a very important priority. With the solution of the problems in this area, we connect the improvement of pastoral work in the Church, and, perhaps, first of all, changes in the minds of our children and youth.
Tasks of spiritual education
the task of the theological school should be the training of clergy. But what does this mean? Is it possible to compare the training of clergy to the reproduction of cadres in some secular branch, say, in the field of science or industry? In my opinion, no, and here's why. There is a very important theological premise here: because the reproduction of personnel in the Church is, speaking in essence, the transmission of Church Tradition from generation to generation. Yes, there is no doubt that Tradition is the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the Church, but the Church is a Divine-human organism, in which the synergy of Divine grace and human efforts is realized. And not always, alas, far from always human effort is worthy of the Divine calling.
That's why spiritual education is most directly related to the innermost depths of the existence of the Church - this is one of the most important tasks. This is not a secondary matter; theological education is at the very heart of church life. We are transmitting the Tradition. Who is the Keeper of Tradition? - Bishop. How do people who in the future become bishops enter this stream of Tradition? - Through theological education. Therefore, a dismissive attitude towards theological education (not declared - no one says that this is not necessary - but internal: “The main thing now is to have enough priests, education is later”) - this is an internal contemptuous attitude towards theology as one of the obligations of the ruling bishop revise, because from the level of our theological education, from what about there is a theological education, depends, in the end, the very transmission of the Holy Tradition to the Church.
The Church determines what a priest should be, testifies to the ideal, the model. But even this task itself, the specific definition of the ideal in the given historical circumstances, is already an element of goal-setting in the field of spiritual education. Thus, the task of spiritual education is not only the “reproduction of priests”, as “reproduction of engineers”, but also the reproduction of the ideal, or, in secular language, knowledge, skills, competencies, necessary character traits, state of mind.
(Report of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at a meeting of rectors of theological educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church on November 13, 2009)
Spiritual education is inconceivable without ecclesiastical science, without theology, without ecclesiastical thought, without serious scientific and methodological works. And why, in fact? Yes, because without theology we can begin to transmit, according to the word of the Apostle Paul, woman's fables(1 Tim. 4:7) instead of genuine Church Tradition. After all, that's what happens when woman's fables become part of the local tradition and are not cut off, because there is no ability to cut one from the other, to separate one from the other. It is on this soil that heresies and schisms are born, when woman's fables become part of the tradition in people's minds when they are delivered to the center of the Gospel.
It is the theological, clear and sober thought of the Church that must be essential tool church goal-setting in the field of spiritual education. The theological school and its scientific and pedagogical core should be able to methodically adequately identify the most important in the dogmatic, liturgical, mystical, ascetic, canonical, missiological and other aspects of the Tradition, which should be mastered by the future clergyman.
(Report of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at a meeting of rectors of theological educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church on November 13, 2009)
The teaching corps of theological schools, church scholars face a great spiritual and creative task - to ensure the continuity of the living Tradition of the Church, the continuity of texts, the meaning of which is clarified by the Spirit, and the continuity of the Spirit, supported by living texts. We must not confine ourselves to abstract academicism: if we cannot apply the patristic Tradition in today's situation, then we have not mastered the Tradition. This means that we are scholastic in thought; it means that we have theology in one pocket, and real life in another; This means that there is no connection between one and the other. That is why there must be a constant link between ecclesiastical science and ecclesiastical practice, with the real life of the Church; that is why theology must develop, first of all, as an answer to all those questions, as they say now, challenges that life brings to us. This is a difficult task, but it can be solved - I am convinced of this by the experience of developing the Fundamentals of the Social Concept of our Church, because the concept was created precisely as a theological response to the challenges of the time.
(Report of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at a meeting of rectors of theological educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church on November 13, 2009)
We must educate not slaves and not rebels, but free and at the same time responsible people. Freedom does not mean licentiousness - freedom must be, first of all, inner freedom, freedom in Christ. We must be sure that all restrictions and hardships are accepted by the clergyman as restrictions taken on consciously and voluntarily. This awareness of the voluntary acceptance of the cross should be inherent in every priest, because in a sense, the cross is already accepted by the very desire to become a priest. Discipline must be, first of all, self-discipline, and obedience to the hierarchy must be carried out not out of fear, but as a conscious and firm adherence to Tradition, as the preservation of the ancient God-established order of the Church. It is not modern hierarchs who invented canonical discipline and the subordination of a priest to a bishop, this is a principle from the Lord himself, it underlies church life, and every priest must clearly understand this; every seminarian must understand, even before he has accepted ordination, that he is embarking on the path of obedience.
The improvement of the educational process should result in the fact that we should get graduates who have not just heard something and know about the spiritual and theological Tradition of the Church. They must live and develop within this Tradition. Future clergy need to instill the habit of constant and, moreover, independent self-improvement in the study of Holy Scripture and Church Tradition. That is why independent work is of great importance in spiritual education: it instills independence, responsibility and, of course, develops creative thinking.
(Report of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at a meeting of rectors of theological educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church on November 13, 2009)
The seminary should train pastors with a bachelor's degree. Some seminaries with more potential may provide their students with the opportunity to pursue an initial scientific specialization, obtaining a master's degree. Academies and educational institutions equal to them should become a place where specialists and researchers are trained in individual disciplines. Education in them should be completed by writing full-fledged scientific research
Theological schools should be fully recognized by the state and society - as modern competitive developed scientific and intellectual humanitarian centers that train not just a cohort of priests, but academically educated humanities. This is the result of educational reform.
Education vs piety?
Piety and culture, faith and education are not alternatives, that's what needs to be understood. Culture cannot be opposed to piety, and faith cannot be opposed to education. This opposition is unacceptable. Faith, churchliness, piety are absolutely necessary requirements. The future priest must also have the appropriate spiritual, intellectual and even physical qualities. Again, this is not to say that we should prefer education and ability to piety. The applicant must have both. If we take into the seminary threes, mediocrities, losers, people with deviations from the mental norm, the mission of the Church will fail, these people will be unable to turn the hearts of modern people to the Church. The Church will once again remain a Church for poorly educated people, for those same grandmothers who do not need English or Patrology. The Church will not become the Church of all the people, and today our task is for the Church to be the Church of all the people. This does not mean that grandmothers should be discriminated against in our church community, but it does mean that the Church should be aimed at working with everyone, including grandmothers, but also with modern, non-church people who are critical of the Church.
Poorly educated, uncultured people too often become anti-cultural people, obscurantists, defending and justifying their low educational and cultural level with zealotry and ostentatious piety.
On the Reform of Spiritual Education
It is quite obvious that theological education, despite the reform that took place in the 1990s, has not yet reached a level that could be considered satisfactory. The training of personnel, primarily clergy, today requires a certain correction. that correction is dictated by life itself. If in former times the Church was in social isolation, now the priest, in addition to being a shepherd and performer of the Sacraments, is also a socially significant figure. You feel this role of the priest especially clearly in villages, in villages, in small district centers, where the priest is among the most influential people.
Our spiritual schools are precisely those places where the leaven of the spiritual life of our society is being prepared. In this sense, they have a great responsibility. The apostle Peter says: “Shepherd the flock of God, ... willingly and pleasing to God, not for vile gain, but from diligence, and not having dominion over the inheritance of God, but setting an example for the flock” (1 Pet. 5:2-3). The entire system of our spiritual education should be permeated with these inspired words, for its true meaning lies in the realization of this teaching.
About state accreditation
Now we are concerned about the issue of state accreditation of theological educational institutions, which for many reasons becomes necessary,” the Primate emphasized. - A person who studies theology, embarking on the path of serving the Church, should not feel like an outcast in society. He should not be infringed on his rights just because the state, for some reason, does not recognize diplomas of higher theological education.
(Said during a meeting with Russian and foreign journalists in Chisty Lane on April 15, 2009)
Education Methods
Probably the biggest mistake of our school is that we do not write enough, we do not express our thoughts on paper on our own. Now, in the age of the Internet, very often the preparation of essays comes down to simply copying information from the worldwide computer network. However, you need to learn to think independently, analyze what you read, express your thoughts both orally and in writing. Such work on oneself requires a lot of time, and if one devotes himself to this work, then there will be no time for emptiness, for an idle and dangerous pastime for the soul. And if this creative creative work is combined with prayer, with real religious experience, then the spiritual school will truly become a school of thought and a school of spirit.
Greater emphasis should be placed on independent work students under the control and guidance of teachers; students must first of all "teach to learn", instill in them practical skills research work with texts, writing your own texts, mastering the methodology scientific work. In the seminary, the theological and moral formation of pupils should take place with the active participation of teachers and class tutors. In academies, it is necessary to strengthen the connection between the student and the supervisor
About science Speaking about the spiritual and moral foundations and ways of developing science, education and culture, we must clearly and with full responsibility understand that our people have no future at all if science and education do not become national priorities ... We do not have a worthy future if real culture will drag out a miserable existence against the backdrop of a relaxing bacchanalia of mass culture,” emphasized the Primate of the Russian Church. World experience shows that only those countries in which science and education are given due attention can maintain their sovereignty and develop successfully.
I believe that the Russian Orthodox Church should help the state and society in coordinating scientific, creative and educational efforts. “God - God's, and Newton - Newton's” - such a principle of behavior was recently proposed to us by the famous intellectual Vitaly Tretyakov. It is probably about the fact that the Church should not encroach on natural science knowledge and on the institution of rational education. And we can accept this principle, but on one indispensable condition: the fundamental principle of the hierarchy of values must be observed, when in the first place is the unconditional and indisputable "God - God's".
Proceeding from such a worldview, Orthodox Christians should always be open to dialogue and cooperation with the outside world, including teachers, people of science and culture. This was clearly stated by the Local Council, which called on pastors and laity “to develop a dialogue with the surrounding society, including civil associations, the world of science and culture.
Today, the task of general church significance is the creation of a scientific and theological school. The applied role of theology both in education and in the search for an answer to topical issues Church life can develop only on a solid academic foundation. Everything should be created the necessary conditions for conducting scientific work in theological academies and other church educational institutions. Such work should not be regarded as a personal matter of teachers, but as an integral part of their church obedience. And the work of the teacher will also be evaluated on this work.
Scientific academic tradition teaches not to rush to generalizations. A wonderful tradition. Many of the mistakes that have occurred in the past and are occurring today have their origin precisely in the desire to generalize as quickly as possible, without a special study of all available material, without an attempt to draw thoughtful critical conclusions. This is especially dangerous when possible generalizations concern difficult questions, which, no doubt, include the question of the relationship between religion and science. The topic is very important because religion is a phenomenon of great importance for the majority of the inhabitants of the planet, just like science is a key phenomenon that ensures the progressive scientific and technological development of modern civilization. In considering this issue, one should beware of simplistic interpretations, which, unfortunately, we have encountered in the recent past. Thus, the obligatory struggle of religion and science was asserted because of the supposedly irreconcilable antagonism between them.
It can be said that religion, science and art are different ways comprehension of the world and man, knowledge of the world by man. Each of them has their own tools, their own methods of cognition, they answer different questions. Science, for example, answers the "how" and "why" questions. Religion - to the question "why". At the center of religious knowledge is the problem of the meaning of life and attitudes towards death. If science is busy with the question of how organic life appeared on earth, then religion - for what purpose did life appear. It is naive to read the book of Genesis as a textbook on anthropogenesis, but it is equally counterproductive to look for an answer to the question of the meaning of life in textbooks on biology or physics.
In a world of intensive development of technologies based on scientific knowledge, the moral responsibility of scientists is extremely important. Several decades ago, speaking of possible dangerous consequences scientific progress, we had in mind primarily nuclear technology. But now the most acute problems have arisen related to biotechnology, the rapid development of information technology, the creation of virtual realities, the formation of comprehensive databases, the control and accounting of people, the improper use of which can endanger human freedom and civil rights.
It is important to understand that the very topic of the consequences of scientific and technological development certainly has a moral component. It is inextricably linked with ideas of good and evil, with the ability to distinguish between harm and benefit. And here is a natural field for combining the efforts of science and religion.
About shepherding Mercy will not bow to a priest who believes that he must wait until the people come to him, that his service should be limited only within the temple, that everything else does not concern him. Therefore, we must take very seriously amazing words Gentlemen, with whom the Gospel of Matthew ends: Go, teach all languages, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). In seminaries, during exegetical classes, we paid attention to the phrase baptize in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, interpreted this part of the text, but never paid attention to the word "go" - go and make disciples of all nations. The Savior did not tell the disciples: sit there, in Galilee, people will come to you, you baptize them, and everything will be all right. He said: go and teach. If we want to teach our people today, we must go to them... The power of a word is always connected with the power of prayer, - testifies His Holiness the Patriarch. - A priest cannot preach using some scholastic methods and schemes... A person's soul responds to a sermon when he feels that the priest who says something has experienced it himself. If you speak from your own experience, if these are your thoughts, united with patristic creations, with the word of God, then your word becomes convincing... We must understand that not only Saturdays, Sundays and holidays are working days for a priest. And why not leave Monday for meetings with lonely elderly people, Tuesday - for meetings with young people, Wednesday, for example - with young people who are called “unfortunate” ... If the core of parish life will be worship and prayer, and around it will be formed educational and social activities, then our parishes will become centers not only of liturgical, but also of social life.
Pastoral visit does not mean only teaching. In general, pastoring is a two-way process. If a shepherd closes himself off from his flock, if he feels self-sufficient, if he professes the false belief that he is alpha and omega and the bearer of the ultimate truth, then his contact with the flock is interrupted, his word ceases to be attractive, this word is no longer paid attention.
Christ has come for all. He was the bearer of his own subculture, but He never connected belonging to this subculture with the possibility of taking His word. After all, the apostles faced a huge problem when they needed to go beyond the Jewish, Jewish world and go to the pagans, with whom the Jews did not communicate even in everyday life - it was a different culture, a different way of thinking, a different philosophy of life. It was a colossal challenge to the Christian community - many said that this should not be done, that they should stay with their people and fight for their spiritual revival. And in the year 51, the apostles gather in Jerusalem for the first Council to resolve this vital problem (see Acts 15). And they choose the path of service to the whole world. They don't associate Christian religious choice with cultural choice - they spread their word to the whole world.
I think this is an example for all of us. Why should we limit our word to the Orthodox subculture? Of course, I am very comfortable talking to people who belong to the same culture as me. It is much more difficult to talk to those who belong to a different culture, not only in terms of style of dress or way of expressing themselves, but also in terms of way of thinking. A sermon addressed to the bearers of another subculture always requires a rethinking of one's beliefs, a renewal of one's devotion to Christ. She requires a huge inner work, and, perhaps, a modern priest is not always ready for such work, when it is necessary, as it were, to step on the throat of his own song, when in another person, completely different, shocking with his appearance, you suddenly need to see a flock - the one to whom it should be the word of God is addressed.
There are certain temptations along the way. After all, the desire to have contact with the youth subculture is generally inherent in the older generation, especially politicians. Sometimes, in order to become understandable to young people, adult uncles and aunts begin to try on this youth subculture - they go out to youth audiences, wave their hands, pronounce some words in youth slang, dress up to look like “their own”. All this is mimicry, hypocrisy.
You need to be yourself. I am ready to talk to young people, but I will not take off my cassock for this and I will not dress the way you are now dressed. Not because I have any prejudices about such clothes, but because this is my culture, I am its bearer. But external differences cannot divide people so much that their communicative relations are destroyed - for a priest this is simply a tragedy. That is why today a tremendous challenge is addressed to the Church, including from the youth. It is necessary to find an opportunity to speak to young people in such a way that in their categories of thought and in their cultural categories to convey to them the eternal word of God.
…required correction, torn off from Tradition, and from piety, turns simply into the provision of religious services for an appropriate fee. But the saddest thing is that this "ideal" does not appear in the unfortunate seminarian from scratch - he sees certain confirmations of his theory in church life. Such an “ideal” of a priest is deadly for the Church. Why does a hired laborer need social work? Why a mission? Why education? Why sacrificial service to people? Yes, after all, even sacrificial service to God? I, of course, give the most extreme example. But we all face such examples.
(Report of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at a meeting of rectors of theological educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church on November 13, 2009)
A clergyman must be a person, including a high secular culture, he must have good taste to be able to see beauty. There is also a missionary imperative, both pastorological and ecclesiastical, in this. When we talk about secular culture, about general education, which is also necessary for a priest, we also include philological training, knowledge of ancient and new languages, without which it is very difficult to engage in theology today.
(Report of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at a meeting of rectors of theological educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church on November 13, 2009)
The effectiveness of the work of a cleric should not be measured by the number of requests made in the temple or by call. The effectiveness of pastoral activity is measured by the impact that the sacrament performed will have on the life of the flock or flock. Summing up the personal result of his church year, the priest should be able to honestly answer the question: how many people baptized by me became church or were on the way to church, how many women did I manage to dissuade from having an abortion?
Every priest should have a completed theological education. Yes, we sometimes ordain before a person has graduated from seminary; but all this needs to be filled with appropriate knowledge.
You can not say "from the wind of your head." You can't go out to the pulpit without knowing what to say to people. In no case can you rely on some experience of your own or on the fact that you can retell last year's sermon or someone else's sermon. Here is the most important thing, brethren: we need to prepare for every word that we utter to people, for every word! It seems to us that only a few standing before us can hear this word, but we do not know to what audiences, to what houses, to what collectives, to what families this word can be brought.
When a person comes to a priest, it seems to him that the priest has no right to make a mistake. A person in confession listens to us as if we are the ultimate truth. And in a sense, this is correct, because if a priest does not speak from himself, if he speaks on the basis of the word of God, then he really conveys Divine truth to a person. But after all, it can be conveyed convincingly or indistinctly, argued or so pale that it will not arouse any interest! Therefore, to find a way to convey Divine words, a way to convey Tradition to the Church, is the most important task; very much depends on how we speak, what categories of thought and what words we use. (...) In order for our word to always be relevant, so that we can convey the word of God to people convincingly, it is necessary that we ourselves feel it in the depths of our hearts. Therefore, when you read the Gospel and Apostolic texts, when you are preparing for a sermon, try to think all the time: what can this mean for people today? Put this question all the time, imagine an engineer at a factory, a scientist, a teacher, a journalist, a peasant, an ordinary parishioner with his sorrows, with a small pension, with worries, with troubles, with family problems, divorces, betrayals, with everything that modern a person constantly lives, with what he fights - with this element of the world, which captures him. And then suddenly, unexpectedly for yourself, you will feel that this text helps to understand what is happening with modern man, it opens up some very important facet of modern life, reveals the meaning of this facet, helps you understand life and give people the right commentary to arm their word of God.
Today, the priesthood bears a great responsibility not only for the state of affairs in the Church, for the state of affairs in the parishes - it bears responsibility for spiritual state all the people, and therefore, for the well-being of our country. Therefore, the horizons of the clergy must expand. A priest must evaluate his work not only according to technical condition temple - the temple is repaired or not, restored or not restored; not only by the number of people coming to the temple; not only in terms of the number of participants. A priest must evaluate his work according to the moral state of the people he serves.
A priest is called upon to be a diversified person, because he communicates with people of different professions and must be able to speak his language with everyone. Therefore, I consider it important to develop cooperation with natural science universities, to invite their professors to give lectures in our educational institutions. For our part, we are also ready, in response to appropriate requests, to give lectures or even courses in those secular universities, including technical universities, which have an interest in obtaining information about modern theological science.
... the most powerful response of the Church is participation in people's lives, this is prayer, this is the performance of the Sacraments. I know spirit-bearing elders, to whom highly intelligent people sometimes come for advice. And one of them once told me after a conversation with an elder: “You know, I didn’t even fully understand what he was saying to me, he was mumbling somehow indistinctly.” I say: “What did you want, a lecture from him? He told you what he said, wait." Now he constantly comes to confess to this elder. So, there was some real answer, and this is not magic at all - it's just the power of prayer.
And in order for our priests to have such power of prayer, they must have a special way of life. They should never stop at one place, they should constantly grow spiritually, and the parishioners with whom they communicate should, in a sense, help them in this. A friendly Christian community undoubtedly helps the priest to grow spiritually, and the priest's competence is his personal spirituality, the power of prayer and worldly wisdom that comes in connection with this.
(Responses of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at a meeting with youth at the II International Orthodox Student Forum on October 13, 2016)
Quotes taken from patriarchia.ru
One of the most important tasks for the entire Russian Orthodox Church is work with youth, which should be built both at the level of the diocese and at the level of the parish. In carrying out this mission, the clergy must use new forms and methods, "in order to convey the Gospel to today's youth, who cannot always easily cross the threshold of the temple," His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia expressed his conviction, speaking at.
“The first impression of a young person's contact with the church world is of great importance,” His Holiness said. - That is why the participation of the clergy in personal meetings with young people is necessary. For them, this is a serious event, to which they approach with genuine interest and which they remember for a long time. But this form of shepherding is not and never will be the only possible or sufficient one. We need to create all the conditions for the churching of people who have responded to the call of the Church.”
Each diocese needs to form an infrastructure for training and educating leaders who are able to further develop and coordinate youth work, His Holiness emphasized, adding: “At the same time, it is important to introduce an attestation system that identifies the most skillful and support their enthusiasm with appropriate powers.”
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church noted that the experience of the ancient Church is applicable to today’s conditions, when the saints themselves, holding the first meetings with the catechumens, then entrusted them to their assistants, who for a long period taught the believers the basics of faith. “The training of Orthodox youth leaders is not the same as the full spiritual education that is possible within the walls of seminaries or theological institutes. Such preparation is the most substantive thing, pursuing a threefold task: to give young people a strong church base, to provide tools for educational work and to outline the paths for further independent spiritual development and theological education, ”said His Holiness Patriarch Kirill.
His Holiness called the experience of Moscow and under it, where the School of Youth Ministry operates, which for two years prepares young people for the work of catechesis, social service, initial missionary work, teaching Orthodox culture, as an effective example of work in preparing Orthodox youth leaders. In addition, at the beginning of the current academic year, for the first time, the educational direction “organization of youth ministry in the parish” was opened at the Patriarchal Center.
Noting the important conceptual idea that the Patriarchal Youth Center implements in its work, His Holiness continued: “Our time is the time of the loss of tradition and moral relativism. Under these conditions, the forms and methods of Orthodox education, in which the minister of the Church acts as a teacher who knows the truth, are very effective. rare cases. A person, especially a young one, today is increasingly striving to throw off "prejudices" and "stereotypes". Therefore, an unobtrusive transmission of faith, a cautious, sensitive and extremely tolerant attitude towards a person is the key to success in the work of church enlightenment. Modern young people, who are often looking for religious answers to worldview questions, need not only to be told where and how to move, but also to be helped to find interest and joy on the path of churching.
In addition, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church called on the archpastors to involve the youth in educational work, as a young believer is able to teach by his own example. “A young man or woman engaged in youth ministry should help people move towards God, regardless of whether they themselves have reached the heights of spiritual perfection or not. This is the potential of what is now commonly called "leadership",” His Holiness is convinced.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill stressed: “Often a Christian striving for the enlightenment service of the Church does not receive proper support from the rector and even from the bishop. A churched person, young or old, who wants to serve God in the work of evangelism, should receive such an opportunity. If the pastors do not work with the youth, and even do not allow the laity to do it, then the spiritual needs of the youth will again, like 10-20 years ago, be answered by visiting missionaries and sectarians.”
His Holiness also considers the creation of conditions for parish reading and discussion of the Holy Scriptures, the development of a technical basis for educational activities among the youth at the diocesan and parish levels as important areas of work with youth: “In our Church there are authoritative theologians, teachers and missionaries. Remote meetings with them should become part of the church's witness. And young parishioners engaged in educational work should be given the opportunity to supplement their knowledge with the help of modern technologies with the material or financial support of the parish.
Pilgrimage trips are an effective direction of church youth work, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia noted.
Due to the fact that last years constructive relations were built with the state authorities, regional and local administrations, His Holiness called on the clergy and Orthodox youth activists to initiate negotiations on the provision of premises for the use of the Church, means of supporting the educational process and other resources available to schools, libraries, public organizations. “All this will help bring church educational work to a qualitatively new level, and on the other hand, it will help establish constructive, business and friendly relations with the local community,” His Holiness Patriarch Kirill is convinced.
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church outlined three problems in the field of work with youth: it is important to avoid populism, inadequate assessment of the potential of young people, and attempts to flirt with youth culture.
All sorts of major actions addressed to young people and designed to show them the Church, which many young people know only at the level of secular stereotypes, should be just the tip of the iceberg, because without painstaking daily work in parishes they are ineffective. “Each diocese needs to organize youth work in such a way that it is carried out in every parish, in every educational institution. So that after a certain period of time, the priest could happily say to himself: my young flock has increased by so many people, ”said His Holiness, emphasizing that you can understand young people only if you learn to listen to them.
“Youth potential can and should be used for missionary purposes: by promoting youth projects, organizations, initiatives, and not necessarily directly related to church activities, we help attract young people to the Church. These can be discussion groups, for example, to discuss contemporary social or cultural phenomena, or social projects,” His Holiness said.
Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
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Patriarch Kirill used to hide behind the words that the defense industrial complex is a “culturological subject”, since formally the laws that the religion is separated from the state were still in force (they are still in force, only now officials do not even pay attention to them), and also that the state guarantees the secular nature of education.
However, now he declares already openly that there is no need to hide behind anything, and it is necessary to propagandize religious obscurantism in secular schools in the most vulgar way. Yes, obviously, it’s not enough for the patriarch that there is a so-called. "spiritual schools", he needs to reach as many people as possible for a successful business.
Patriarch Kirill said:
"In all this work on the upbringing of children, youth, the Russian Orthodox Church is called upon to play a very important role today, which is the bearer of national self-consciousness, possesses historical wisdom, is able to convey to children what, perhaps, unfortunately, a secular school cannot always convey"
It is important to note that the ROC is in no way "called", because the only "gift" that a person will receive from what the priests tell him is ignorance and intolerance. Do students need it?
Back in 1906, at the III Congress of the All-Russian Union of Teachers, they noted how religion affects the school. It has been argued that the lesson of religion ("Law of God"):
“does not prepare students for life, but eradicates a critical attitude towards reality, destroys the personality, sows hopelessness and despair in one’s own strength, cripples the moral nature of children, causes disgust for teaching. And extinguishes people's self-consciousness"
Is such a “revival” worthy? After all, this was said by competent people who lived at a time when this subject was considered something ordinary and had been in effect for many years.
It is important to note that the ROC will not be able to convey anything only insofar as the only role is to serve the interests of the "masters", whatever they may be. For fooling - just right. However, it is possible that this is a deliberate step. Russian government. After all, education in the Russian Federation is rapidly degrading, and the introduction of religion in schools will only consolidate this situation. From some time on, it will obviously become simply impossible to get a quality education in a comprehensive school, where ideological panegyrics and obscurantist propaganda will remain.
"The school should not refuse to be a place for raising children, and not just for imparting knowledge to them"
What can people bring up who are engaged in fraud, weaning the same schools, building green areas, for the sake of "better profit"? People who sell candles and icons, raking spoons at exorbitant prices, claiming some magical properties. With the same success, some natives who worship animals can become "teachers" at school. They, too, obviously, have legends, rituals, tsatski and some kind of priests. You can also connect the locals, for example, people with wolf faces on their heads.
The school, in fact, can be engaged in raising children, but competent people should educate them, and priests are not 100% educators. These are people who are deliberately taught pious deceit. Those. they can offer children "anti-knowledge".
Today, unfortunately, there really is a danger of religion in schools. The same OPK is worth what. However, what is important to say is that the speech of the patriarch is not related to the OPK. He is probably hinting at the need to expand the influence of religion in schools. Those. it is necessary that the religious “basics” be taught not by some teachers, but by priests, and that they also receive a salary for this from the state (just like in the army). At the same time, of course, it is necessary to expand, i.e. it is necessary that religion be propagated throughout the entire period of the child's education, and not just in the 4th grade.