What does the term " Christian values", and what are they?
Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) answers:
The expression Christian values did not come into existence until the 20th century, when a theory of values was formed in Western philosophy, called axiology(Greek axia - value and logos - teaching, word). Value is the significance of a known object (ideal or material) in relation to the goals, aspirations and needs of a person. concept moral value first appears in the ethics of I. Kant. He wrote: "The essence of any moral value of actions lies in the fact that the moral law directly determines the will" (Critique of practical reason. Ch.3. On the motives of practical reason). An attempt to systematically develop a category value the first was Rudolf Lotze (1817 - 1881). He viewed the person as microcosm, for which values have unconditional significance, since the basis of the world is God as the supreme Personality. The works of R.G. Lotze determined the direction in philosophy (W. Windelband, E. Husserl, G. Rickert, G. Cohen, P. Natorp, M. Scheler), which opposed ethical naturalism and relativism in the doctrine of values. So, Max Scheler wrote: “there are authentic and true quality values that form their own domain items who have their special relations and interconnections, and already as value quality can be, for example, higher and lower, etc. But if this is so, then between them there may exist order and hierarchy, which are completely independent of being the world of blessings in which they manifest themselves, in the same way from the movement and change of this world of goods in history, they are also “a priori” in relation to its comprehension” ( Formalism in Ethics and the Material Ethics of Values).
Contrary to this understanding of nature values representatives of various ideological currents tried to prove the relativity of values. Consistently carried out relativism in axiology inevitably leads to materialism, and in ethics - to nihilism. This was manifested most destructively in the philosophy of F. Nietzsche and in Marxism.
Karl Marx: “Communists do not preach any morality at all ... They do not make moral demands on people: love each other, do not be selfish, etc.; on the contrary, they know perfectly well that both selfishness and selflessness are, under certain circumstances, a necessary form of self-assertion of individuals” (“German Ideology”).
F. Nietzsche: “In essence, in my word immoralist there are two negatives. I deny, firstly, the type of person that has hitherto been considered the highest - kind, benevolent, beneficent; I deny, secondly, that kind of morality which, as morality in itself, has attained significance and domination... In this sense, Zarathustra calls the good ones either "the last people" or "the beginning of the end"; first of all, he understands them as the most harmful kind of people, because they defend their existence at the expense of truth, as well as at the expense of the future ”(“ Ecce Homo. How they become themselves ”). In 1943, B. Mussolini received for his sixtieth birthday as a gift from A. Hitler complete collection works of F. Nietzsche.
Relativism in the understanding of values, taken to its logical conclusion, cost the lives of hundreds of millions of people in Russia, Germany and some other countries.
Christianity proceeds from the understanding of value as an absolute good, having significance in any respect and for any subject. Christian values are not limited to gospel commandments and moral rules. They make up the whole system.
The highest good, which is the source of all other values, for a Christian is the God-revealed truth about Holy Trinity as an absolutely perfect Spirit. The Deity is not only absolute Reason and Omnipotence, but also all-perfect Goodness and Love ( God love is). This truth, confirmed by centuries of spiritual experience, constitutes, as it were, the highest link in the hierarchy of Christian values, for it is the source faith, which is the formative beginning of the Christian worldview. In the system of Christian values, the most important place is also given to the doctrine of uniqueness. human personality as an immortal, spiritual being created by God in His own image and likeness.
Christian teaching opens high meaning and purpose life man - bliss in the Kingdom of Heaven. The doctrine of salvation also occupies an important place in the system of Christian values. On this path, the Word of God calls for a comprehensive, spiritual improvement (be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect). This is achieved by the joint action of Divine grace and free will. Value gospel commandments , is determined by the fact that they are given to us by the Lord as spiritual laws, the fulfillment of which leads us into eternal life.
Finally, it must be said about an important component of the system of Christian values - the conciliar spiritual experience Church, which is captured in liturgical texts, the works of the holy fathers and the lives of the saints.
Christian values are a great heritage of mankind, but they become a blessed treasure only for those who follow the path of salvation. The person makes a choice. “There is enough light for those who want to see, and enough darkness for those who do not want to” (B. Pascal).
The ethics of Jesus Christ is defined as the ethics of love. “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).
The core of the ethical system of Christianity is value orientations as essential elements the internal structure of the personality, fixed by the life experience of the individual, the totality of his experiences and delimiting the significant, essential for a person from the insignificant, insignificant. Value orientations are a set of philosophical, political, aesthetic, moral beliefs of a person, deep and permanent attachments, moral principles of behavior. The totality of established, well-established value orientations forms a kind of axis of consciousness that ensures the stability of the personality, continuity certain type behavior and activities. Because of this, value orientations act as a determining motive for human behavior.
Christianity contains the entire set of value orientations. The leading place among them is occupied by moral and ethical. Figuratively speaking, Christianity is not so much a religion about the structure of the universe and society, but a religion about how a person lives, about the meaning of human existence, about conscience, duty, honor, etc. Christianity gave a moral and ethical orientation even to purely cult liturgical actions.
The main ethical value in Christianity is God himself. God is love, love for all nations that recognize and honor him. There is no chosen people for him. The very idea of the superiority of one people over another is alien to Christianity.
Thus, the main direction in the rethinking of Judaism by Christianity is to deepen the meaningful moral principle of religious teaching from the point of view of affirming the leading role of the principle of love. The commandment of love - love for God, love for one's neighbor, including one's enemy, is considered by many to be the cornerstone of the religious and moral teachings of Christianity.
The essence of Christian morality is formulated in the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus Christ. It is most fully set forth in the Gospel of Matthew. Among the main commandments of the Sermon on the Mount are the following: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they reproach you and persecute you and slander you in every way unrighteously for me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven: so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its potency, how will you make it salty? She is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out to be trampled by people. You are the light of the world. A city that is on the top of a mountain cannot hide itself” (Bible).
Christianity for the first time in the history of religious thought formed moral commandments not in a prohibitive way (what not to do), but in a positive way (how to do it). The moral precepts of Christianity are addressed, first of all, to the conscience of man.
The doctrine of conscience in the "New Testament" should be understood on the basis of the provisions of " Old Testament". Although the four gospels use the terminology of the "Old Testament", for example, instead of the word "heart", the apostle Paul introduced the word "conscience", borrowing it from ancient culture. The Apostle Paul, as it were, translated the gospel teaching about the heart into the context of the moral concepts of the culture of the ancient world. As the modern Orthodox theologian Archimandrite Platon (Igumnov), the Apostle Paul “borrowed the term “conscience” in order to most accurately and fully express the central idea of the Christian doctrine of salvation by faith and connected the concept of conscience with faith, love and the action of the Holy Spirit in the life of an individual” (On Faith and Morality ).
Following the New Testament statements on the issue of conscience, the “fathers of the church” considered conscience as the most important virtue of moral consciousness and, in general, of the entire spiritual integrity of the human person.
Of the many moral precepts of Christianity, the main ones are considered to be love for God and love for one's neighbor. In the Gospel of Matthew we read: “And one of them, a lawyer, tempting Him, asked, saying: Teacher! What is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus said to him: "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind": This is the first and greatest commandment; The second one is similar to it: “Love your neighbor as yourself”; On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Bible)
An important feature of Christian morality is its active nature, its focus on transforming not only the individual, but the entire surrounding society. Hence the repeated calls of Jesus Christ to preach the gospel to all "tongues" (nations). Based on this, one cannot agree with the opinion that Christianity is deeply individualistic. Internally, immanently, Christianity is permeated with the ideas of collectivism. This is especially true of early Christianity. On the pages of the New Testament there are many testimonies about the attempts of the first Christians to build a life on the principles of community of property. “All the believers were together and had everything in common: And they sold their estates and all property, and divided it to everyone, according to the need of each” (Bible, p. 132.). “The multitude of those who believed had one heart and one soul; and none of his possessions called his own, but they had everything in common. “There was no one in need among them; for all those who owned lands or houses, selling them, brought the price of what was sold and laid it at the feet of the Apostles; and to each was given what he needed” (Bible, p. 134.).
Early Christianity was characterized by an extremely negative attitude towards wealth. The young man, who wished to follow Jesus Christ, was told: “... If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me” (Bible). In another place, Jesus Christ says: “How difficult it is for those who trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through needle eyes than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Bible)
Christian culture discovers and substantiates the absolute significance of the human personality, creativity and freedom. Man was created by God in "the image and likeness of God", i.e. is a person with freedom and creativity. The freedom of the individual is connected with the fact that it embodies the supermundane spirit, which originates from the Divine Spirit. The original sin of Adam and Eve violated the likeness of man to God and alienated him from God, but the image of God remained intact in man. All further history is considered by Christianity as the history of the reunion of man with God. Christianity proper begins with Jesus giving the New Testament and restoring man's inner connection with God. If the God of the "Old Testament" is addressed to the whole people as a whole, then in the "New Testament" he is addressed to each individual. The Old Testament God pays great attention to the implementation of complex religious law and rules Everyday life, numerous rituals accompanying each event. The God of the "New Testament" is addressed, first of all, to the inner life and inner faith of each person.
Christian morality proceeds from the intrinsic value of the individual, (the individual is the "image of God" in man) and inseparable connection goodness, truth and freedom. Expressing the freedom of man, truly Christian faith rests not on fear and external debt, but on love directed to Christ and to every person as the bearer of the image of God: "And now these three remain: faith, hope, love; but love is greater of them" (I Corinth. 13 :13).
In Christianity, moral norms are addressed not to external deeds and external manifestations of faith, but to internal motivation, the "inner man." The highest moral authority here is conscience, which is the voice of a free spirit that makes a person independent of nature and society and subordinates it only to the highest truth itself. The Christian God is the highest truth of human conscience, personified and deified as the grace-filled meaning of all being.
In Christian religiosity, faith in the immortality of the soul and in the Last Judgment plays a huge role. Elevating man as a free and god-like transcendental being, Christianity cannot free man from the need to live and die in a world where there is no just recompense for good and evil. Belief in the immortality of the soul and retribution beyond the grave is called upon to give a person not only knowledge, but also a direct feeling of the absolute power of the moral norms of Christianity.
The most important component Christianity - eschatology, the doctrine of the end of the world, the second coming of Christ, bodily resurrection of the dead and the Last Judgment after which the Kingdom of the righteous must be established on the new Earth and under the new Heaven.
Christianity has made a great historical synthesis, inheriting and in its own way transforming the intellectual conquests of previous eras, ideas and images different religions Middle East, traditions of Greco-Roman ancient philosophy. At the same time, the development of the previously existing philosophical and religious thought went in line with the spiritual and moral quest of the era, which gave Christianity a special appeal.
The most important thing for us today in the Bible is the richest moral experience of mankind contained in it, which has evolved over centuries and millennia. There is a lot of instructive, necessary and quite acceptable for us here. The famous dialogues and sermons of Christ are addressed not so much to the disciples as directed to Eternity. The teaching of Christ is transhistorical. Therefore, it is close and understandable to every generation on Earth.
The main Christian virtue is love. The ancient Greek language - the language of the Gospels - knew four words translated into Russian as "love": eros, philia, storge and agape. Eros is love between a man and a woman. Filia is the love of friends. Storge is the love of parents for children, and agape is the love of Christians, and not only for each other, but for everyone, regardless of their religious beliefs. Jesus speaks about this love to his disciples in his farewell conversation:
"I give you a new commandment: Love one another as I have loved you, and let you love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).
Speaking of kindness and love relationship to people, Jesus taught not to judge anyone, not to condemn other people. When you see the weaknesses of your neighbor, you should not pass judgment on him, but sympathize, remembering your own sinfulness. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus expressed this thought in one simple requirement: "Judge not, lest you also be judged, for by what judgment you judge and by what measure you measure, so it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not notice the beam in your eye?" These instructions end with a conclusion that can form the basis of a philanthropic and humane morality:
"Therefore, in everything you want people to do to you, so do you to them" (Matthew 7:1-3; Mark 4:24; Luke 6:37-38, 41-42).
A person must be loved for who he is. Jesus preferred to deal with ordinary people. Moreover, all the outcasts, all the pariahs of society found in Him a friend and intercessor. Publicans (tax collectors), who were not recognized as people, and street women were often among those who surrounded Him. When people wondered why the Teacher communicates with people of dubious reputation, He answered them: “The healthy do not need a doctor, but the sick. Go and learn what it means: “I want mercy, not sacrifice.” I came to call not the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12-13).
Having admitted his sinfulness and repented, a person takes the first step on the path of salvation. This path is a process of serving the inner moral law, in the disclosure of the essence of which lies the meaning of Christ's deeds. By drawing sinners closer to Himself, Christ wanted to awaken in them repentance and a thirst for a new life. Often, His kindness and trust performed genuine miracles.
Once Christ passed through Jericho. At the gates of the city He was met by a multitude of people. Everyone wanted Jesus to stay in their house. One of the Jericho, named Zacchaeus, "chief of the publicans," tried to squeeze through the crowd, hoping to at least look at the Teacher with one eye, but his small stature prevented him. Then he ran ahead and climbed up the tree by which Jesus was to pass. Jesus actually approached this place and, looking up, saw a man sitting on a fig tree. "Zacchaeus," Jesus said unexpectedly, "come down quickly! Today I have to be with you."
Beside himself with joy, the publican ran home to meet the Teacher, and those around him began to grumble: "He stayed with such a sinful person!"
But the Master's step had an effect. “Lord,” said Zacchaeus, meeting him, “half of what I have, I give to the poor, and if I unjustly forced something from someone, I will compensate fourfold.” "Today salvation has come to this house," answered Christ. "For the Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost" (Luke 19:1-10).
In numerous sermons and parables, Jesus develops the idea of love for one's neighbor. The apostle Peter asks: "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who has sinned against me? Up to seven times?" To this he receives the answer: "I do not say to you - up to seven, but up to seven times seventy times." In essence, this means a call for boundless tolerance.
The parable of the prodigal son speaks of love for one's neighbor and mercy. One man had two sons. The younger son demanded part of the estate, then settled "in the far side" and gradually "squandered his estate", as he led a dissolute life. He had to herd pigs. He was starving and would gladly eat even the food of pigs, but no one gave him. Then he thought that his father's workers knew no shortage of bread, while his son was dying of hunger. He decided to return home and repent of his deed: since he was not worthy of being the son of his father, he would become his servant. I got up and went to my father's house.
The father saw his son approaching from afar, went out to meet him, hugged and kissed him. He ordered the slaves to bring the best clothes, put a ring on his hand. He ordered the fattened calf to be slaughtered and arranged a merry feast in honor of the returned son.
When the eldest son returned home, he heard singing and joyful voices. When he learned of the reason for the fun, he became angry and did not want to enter the house, although his father begged him to take part in the feast. Moreover, the son reproached his father for the fact that he himself had never received a reward for good service to his father, but for his son, who "squandered his property", he slaughtered a fattened calf.
The father explained his behavior by the fact that the eldest son is always with him and all the good belongs to him: “And about that, it was necessary to rejoice and be glad that this brother of yours was dead and has come to life, was lost and was found (Luke 15: 11-32) .
There is also a very interesting episode in the Gospel of John with "a woman taken in adultery." She was brought before Jesus, and reminded that according to the law it was necessary to stone her to death, they asked what was His opinion on this matter. The question was asked provocatively, "to find something to accuse" the Master.
And the Gospel paints a vivid picture of how events unfold. The opponents of Jesus thought that now they had placed Him in a stalemate. They knew His extraordinary mercy, which flowed where others hated, praised where others despised, and encouraged where others crushed. They also knew how by this mercy He had won the rapturous love and passionate devotion of many. They knew that the publican was among His chosen disciples, sinners sat next to Him at feasts, and harlots washed His feet without hindrance and listened to His teaching. Thus, they were concerned with the question, will He justify this woman and subject Himself to the accusation of heresy, openly becoming contrary to the sacred and severe law, or, on the other hand, suppressing compassion in Himself, ruthlessly condemn her? Having done the latter, will He not alienate from Himself the crowd of people, carried away by His mercy, and the possibility of popular unrest, will He not bring upon Himself the punishment of civil authorities on charges of indignation? It seemed that Jesus had no way out of this predicament.
Jesus did not answer the question put to Him for a long time, bending down to the ground and mechanically moving his finger along it. Then He raised His head and calmly pronounced His wise judgment, which consists in the famous words: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." He bowed his head again, and the assembled people began to slowly disperse one by one. Soon, only the woman who escaped execution remained with Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Did no one condemn you?" When she answered, "No one, Lord!" - He said to her: "Neither do I condemn you: go and sin no more" (John 8:7, 15, 17, 24, 46).
This is one of the most significant and profound episodes of the gospel narrative, testifying to the tolerance and humanity of the new dogma.
Jesus persistently preaches love for one's neighbor. But one day a certain man puts the question before Him: "And who is my neighbor?" Instead of answering, He tells a parable about a Jew who once fell into the hands of robbers. The robbers attacked him, robbed him, beat him and left him half dead on the road. A priest was walking, saw the victim, but passed by. So did the temple attendant, he approached, looked and went on his way. The least sympathy the victim expected from the Samaritan who rode after them. Could this foreigner and heretic be better than a priest and a Jew? However, he stopped and, without asking about anything, helped the victim: he bandaged his wounds, drove him to the hotel on his mule and paid for him in advance.
Which of these three, - Jesus asked his interlocutor, - do you think turned out to be a neighbor to the one who fell into the hands of robbers?
He who did him mercy, - he could not but admit.
Go and do the same (Luke 15:11-32).
Consequently, the neighbor does not necessarily have to relate to your people and be your co-religionist - it is enough that he was just a good person.
Moreover, one must also love the evil ones: according to the text of Luke, Jesus commands "to love enemies, to do good to those who hate, and to pray for those who offend." The commandment to love one's enemies is the most amazing of all moral truths. The apotheosis of the New Testament attitude towards the enemy is the famous words of Christ: “You heard what was said - love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who offend you and persecute you, be sons of your Father in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? yours, what are you doing especially? Don't the Gentiles do the same thing? Therefore, be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:43-48). Here is the core of one of the deepest and most important passages in the New Testament. Here is the breathtaking height where Christ calls man.
To love enemies does not mean to feel for them the same feelings of affection that one feels for a loved one, or to rejoice in one's soul, as happens in communication with friends. Here we are dealing with an attitude that is higher than psychological and spiritual attachments, is on a different plane. To love an enemy means to forgive him his previous atrocities, not in the sense of not considering them as atrocities or reconciling with them, and not in the same way as a generous rich man forgives a debt to an insolvent debtor, but in the sense that they cease to be an absolute barrier to new relationships. with him. This means re-opening the way for cooperation.
In the diary of L.N. Tolstoy there is such an entry: “One of the most common misconceptions is to consider people good, evil, stupid, smart. A person flows, and there are all possibilities in him: he was stupid, he became smart, he was angry, became good, and vice versa. This is the greatness of a person. And you can’t judge a person from this. Which one? You condemned, but he is already different. You can’t even say: I don’t love. You said, but it’s different "(Tolstoy L.N.). In a word, in the most evil person there are grains and potentialities of goodness.
A person with moral wealth is capable of following the New Testament moral commandments. In his sermons, Christ calls people to lay up incorruptible treasures in their souls. Only moral wealth can be considered one's own property in the true sense of the word, for such a treasure is connected with the inner essence of a person, and no one and nothing has power over him.
The truths expounded by Christ seem simple and clear, because in many ways they are the quintessence of the attitude of an ordinary person. For him, serving God turns into serving people, for it is impossible to love God without loving your neighbor. Moreover, Christ transfers the Kingdom of God into the heart of man, therefore God and moral law become identical. To be a Christian means to realize the spirit of the gospel and to live in accordance with it.
Most often, Christianity is treated only as a religion. However, the history of Christianity is a whole civilization. Such a view of Christianity allows us to rise above the difference between people into believers and non-believers and to re-evaluate the person of Christ Himself, to see in Him one of the Teachers of mankind and the first humanist.
It is not enough to understand goodness - one must be able to pave the way for it among people, and for this less pure paths are needed. Without the earthly life of Christ, the world would not have become involved in that infinitely high morality, which was revealed to him by his Father. In morality, as in art, the word is nothing, everything is in the deed. The idea hidden in the picture of Raphael is worth little - the picture is valued. And in morality, truth is valuable only when it passes to the state of feeling and reaches its price, only when it is realized in the world as a fact. People of mediocre morals wrote very good rules; on the other hand, very virtuous people have done nothing to continue the tradition of virtue in the world. A palm branch to one who is powerful in word and deed, who felt good and at the cost of his blood brought him triumph (Renan E.J., p. 113).
Constantly have to deal with such a concept as Christian values. How many copies have been broken on this topic, but I personally have not yet been able to hear a clear answer to the question of what Christian values are. Therefore, relying on various qualified opinions, we will try to determine what it is and what values can be called Christian.
Let's start with the definition of values as such.
“Values are socially approved and shared by most people ideas about what kindness, justice, patriotism, romantic love, friendship, etc. Values are not questioned, they serve as a standard and ideal for all people.Different cultures may favor different values. Each society has the right to determine what is a value and what is not.”
Kravchenko A.I. Culturology: Tutorial for universities. - 3rd ed. - M .: Academic project, 2001.
Since values as such serve as a standard and ideal for all people, then, accordingly, Christian values should serve as a standard and ideal for all people professing the Christian religion.
Let us see what Christian modern authorities directly say on this subject.
“Believers are convinced that people receive values from God. God gives people a moral law - knowledge of right life, about how to avoid evil, fear and disease and even death, not to harm others, to live in love, harmony and harmony with people and the world around.
Andrey Kuraev. Basics Orthodox Culture, a textbook for the fourth grade.
“If we return to the hierarchy of Christian values, it becomes clear that the first place for a Christian should be the sacraments of the Holy Church. By the Sacraments of the Church, we understand the God-established forms of Church life, within which, in a mysterious way, a Christian, with the help of God, enters into direct communion with God and partakes of divine grace. It can be said that the transmission from generation to generation of the experience of communion with God occurs through succession, first of all. church sacraments and fundamentals of the spiritual life. At the same time, it is necessary to know that this experience must be consistent and verified by Holy Scripture.
On the Hierarchy of Christian Values, Abbot Peter (Meshcherinov), director of the School of Youth Ministry at the Danilov Monastery in Moscow. (Excerpts from the report at the conference "Modern Youth in the Church: Problems and Ways to Solve Them".)
“So, the most important value in Christianity is the Triune God.
This conviction among Christians was formed not by some scientist, educator or theologian, but by Jesus Christ Himself.The second value is the Bible or the Word of God
. For Christians, this is an indisputable authority. In other words, a Christian must check all his actions on the basis of a written message inspired by God himself through the Holy Spirit.And the third value for Christians is the Church
. This is not a temple or a House of Prayer, but a community or gathering of people who believe in Jesus Christ.”
Vasily Trubchik is an evangelist, editor-in-chief of the publishing house "Krynitsa Zhytsya" of the Union of ECB in the Republic of Belarus.
“Christianity proceeds from the understanding of value as an absolute good, having significance in any respect and for any subject.The highest good, which is the source of all other values, for a Christian is the God-revealed truth about the Most Holy Trinity as an absolutely perfect Spirit.In the system of Christian values, the most important place is also given to the doctrine of uniqueness. human personality as an immortal, spiritual being created by God in His own image and likeness.Christian teaching opens high meaning and purpose life man - bliss in the Kingdom of Heaven. The doctrine of salvation also occupies an important place in the system of Christian values. On this path, the Word of God calls for a comprehensive, spiritual improvement
. Value gospel commandments, is determined by the fact that they are given to us by the Lord as spiritual laws, the fulfillment of which leads us into eternal life. Finally, it must be said about an important component of the system of Christian values - the conciliar spiritual experience Church, which is embodied in liturgical texts, the works of the holy fathers and the lives of the saints.
Hieromonk Job (Gumerov).
Summarizing the above opinions, one can come to the unequivocal conclusion that Christian values are given by God and the most significant values for Christians are actually the Triune God, Holy Bible and Christian church with her mysteries.
Without going into dogmatic subtleties, but, nevertheless, taking into account the fact that each of the Christian denominations (Catholic, Orthodox and many Protestant ones) consider only their Church to be true, only their interpretation of the Scriptures to be true and, accordingly, only their understanding of the Triune God true, as well as the fact that each of the Christian denominations considers other Christian denominations to be heretics and deluded, who cannot be saved, let us try to consider the issue a little broader, using the example of one of the denominations of the already long-divided kingdom of the Christian Church.
That is, for a Christian, the unity of power and society is possible only if both power and society are compatible with Christianity, moreover, with correct Christianity. Otherwise, a Christian is not obliged to fulfill the requirements of the authorities, and there can be no question of any sobornost.
5. Self-restraint and sacrifice is the rejection of selfishness, consumer attitude towards neighbors and the world around, the ability to sacrifice the personal for the good of the neighbor and the Motherland.
Well, it seems to be the most real Christian value - and the pastors themselves confirm this:
A truly merciful Christian pours out mercy on everyone around him, without distinguishing who is “worthy” and who is “unworthy” of attention. However, care must be taken when providing assistance. For example, unbelieving acquaintances asked one Orthodox for money, and he gave it without asking. And then he greatly lamented when he found out what this money went for: their spouses took them to perform an abortion. If a person asks for money in order to commit a sin, then in this case it would be mercy on our part to refuse and at least try tosave him from sin.
That is, sacrifice by sacrifice, but only with prudence, in the sense that one must still look to whom and why to sacrifice personal for the good of one's neighbor and Motherland.
Is it possible to sacrifice the personal for the good of a heretic? Here the apostle Paul says:
« Heretic, after the first and second admonition, turn away knowing that such a one has become corrupt and sins, being self-condemned” (Titus 3:10-11)But with regard to heretics, St. The Church does not even allow such exceptions as there are in relation to suicides: since a heretic or blasphemer died not reconciled with the Church, he died in excommunication from her
“The Church cannot allow prayers for him. Heresy is spiritual suicide, and it is useless to take care of a dead member, cut off from the whole body of the Church, and it is useless to pray.”
Archbishop Nikon (CHRISTMAS).
Here is the answer to you, whether it is worth sacrificing personal for the good of a heretic. What then can be said about the Gentiles, who have even fewer chances to reconcile with the Church...
That is, self-restraint and sacrifice for a Christian is a normal phenomenon only in relation to their neighbors, who make up the body of their correct Church. All the rest - heretics, non-believers and atheists - are outside of Christian values.
6. Another eternal value is patriotism, faith in Russia, attachment to the native land, its culture, readiness to work for the sake of the Motherland.
Patriotism in itself initially contradicts Christian values, because, as mentioned above:
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There is no longer a Jew, nor a Gentile; there is no slave nor free; there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3)
In addition, we read the letter of the Apostle Paul to the Romans, chapter 13:
1 Let every soul be submissive to the higher powers, for there is no power except from God; the existing authorities are established by God.
2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists God's ordinance. And those who oppose themselves will bring condemnation upon themselves.
3 For those who are in authority are not terrible to good works, but to evil ones. Do you want to not be afraid of power? Do good and you will receive praise from her,
4 For the leader is God's servant, it's good for you.
That is why the church always gets along with any government and, even despite the persecution, history shows that the church got along with various dictatorships and prayed for these authorities.
It turns out that patriotism is in no way included in the circle of Christian values and contradicts them. And the exceptions only prove the rule.
7. The value of the good of man is the main priority social development and observance of human rights, his well-being and dignity, spiritual and material well-being.
Material wealth cannot make a person happy. The Lord Jesus Christ warns: "Beware of covetousness, for a man's life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15). The pursuit of wealth has a detrimental effect on the spiritual state of a person and can lead to complete degradation of the individual. The apostle Paul points out that “those who want to get rich fall into temptation and into a snare and into many foolish and harmful lusts, which plunge people into disaster and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evil, which, having indulged, some have deviated from the faith and subjected themselves to many sorrows. But you, man of God, flee from this” (1 Tim. 6:9-11). In a conversation with a young man, the Lord said: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me” (Matthew 19:21). Then Christ explained these words to the disciples: “It is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven… it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:23-24). Evangelist Mark specifies that it is difficult to enter the Kingdom of God precisely for those who trust not in God, but in material goods, “those who hope for riches” (Mk. 10:24). Only “he who trusts in the Lord, like Mount Zion, will not move, remains forever" (Ps. 124. 1).
Any desire of a person for benefits, with the exception of spiritual ones, though in a narrow confessional sense, is not a Christian value and is even condemned by the church.
8. Eighth on the list are family values - first of all, love and fidelity, caring for children and the elderly.
72nd rule of the 6th Universe. Inc. He speaks:
It is not worthy for an Orthodox husband to marry a heretical wife, nor for an Orthodox wife to marry a heretic husband. If something like this is discovered, done by someone: marriage should not be considered firm and lawless cohabitation should be terminated. For it is not fitting to confuse the immiscible, nor to unite the wolf with the sheep, and with the part of Christ the lot of sinners. If anyone transgresses what we have decreed, let him be excommunicated.”
However, there was one exception when Christians were allowed to marry non-Orthodox: when the latter made a promise to go to Orthodox faith. This is evidenced by the 14th rule of the 4th universe. Cathedral:
« It is not allowed to marry a heretic, except in such a case when the person who is combined with the Orthodox person promises to convert to the Orthodox faith». (See also canon 31 of the Council of Laodicea.)
"... Even today the Church does not consecrate marriages between Orthodox and non-Christians with a wedding..."
It turns out that family values are considered by Christianity only in a narrow confessional context, and marriages with non-Orthodox and Gentiles are condemned. Such marriages are deprived of precisely those real Christian values that the church recognizes, namely, communion with the church with its sacraments.
In a strange way, all 8 eternal values \u200b\u200bthat were compiled by the Russian Orthodox Church, do not fit into the most significant values for Christians, which are the Triune God, Holy Scripture and the Christian Church with its sacraments.
And no matter how many pages are written, no matter how many disputes are held about this, everything rests on the dogmas of the church, which quite unambiguously says:
Friendship with theomachists, traitors and gentiles, heretics and other great sinners, leads the Orthodox to the same fate with them and leads to their own punishment, and St. take in.
Akathist to the Most Blessed Mother of God for the increase of the mind, Ikos 11 .
Therefore, any reasoning on the topic of Christian values should be perceived only within the framework of narrowly confessional dogmas and cannot in any way be those universal human values that are spelled out in
The article briefly highlights the main Christian values: the Triune God, the Word of God and the Church. Society today has adopted Christian values and interpreted them for everyday life. In modern society, the views on the role of men and women, the position of the family in society, as well as the role of the family in the upbringing of the younger generation have changed.
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CHRISTIAN VALUES IN MODERN PERCEPTION
SOCIETIES
Chernetskaya E.N.
discipline teacher
of the general humanitarian cycle
OBPOU "Kursk Assembly
technical school "(Kursk)
Without God, a nation is a crowd,
United by vice
Either blind or stupid
Ile, what is even worse, is cruel.
And let anyone ascend the throne,
Speaking in a high voice.
The crowd will remain the crowd
Until you turn to God!
(Hieromonk Roman)
The expression "Christian values" arose only in the 20th century, when a theory of values was formed in Western philosophy, called axiology (Greek axia - value and logos - doctrine, word).Value is the significance of a known object (ideal or material) in relation to the goals, aspirations and needs of a person.The concept of moral value first appears in the ethics of I. Kant. Christian values are the great heritage of mankind, but they become a blessed treasure only for those who follow the path of salvation[ 1 ].
Christianity proceeds from the understanding of value as an absolute good, having significance in any respect and for any subject. Christian values are not limited to gospel commandments and moral rules. They make up the whole system.
The most important value in Christianity is the Triune God.This conviction among Christians was formed not by some scientist, educator or theologian, but by Jesus Christ Himself. This is what He says to the lawyer:“The first of all commandments: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord; And love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength—this is the first commandment!” [ 2 ].
The second value is the Bible or the Word of God. For Christians, this is an indisputable authority. All Christian authors primarily refer to what the Old and New Testaments, and only then on the church fathers and other authors.
And the third value for Christians is the Church. This is not a temple or a House of Prayer, but a community or gathering of people who believe in Jesus Christ. The Bible compares the Church to a body of which Jesus Christ is the head, and believers are different members of it [ 3 ]. Moreover, the Church, according to the writings of the Apostle Paul, is the pillar and ground of the truth [ 4 ].
And Christ calls His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount the light and salt of this world, which also refers to the Church [ 5 ].
The adoption of Christian values meant a radical reassessment of the values of existing long time. Nietzsche even called it a total revolt against ancient values.
But given that society today remains largely atheistic, the accepted Christian values have adapted to the realities of life. Love for God finds its expression not only in love for the Heavenly Father, but also in love for one's neighbor, for humanity as a whole. For most people, Christian norms are expressed in the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament. After all, over the long history of mankind, they have long become a moral code. And if every member of society observed it, then this would be quite enough for the prosperous existence of mankind without wars, murders, betrayal. But many despise these norms for the sake of their immoral principles, which are far from both Christian and universal norms. They allow themselves to rise above all people, take responsibility for the fate of many and assume the role of arbiters of the fate of mankind. It is terrible that in society now there are more and more such individuals who control the fate of thousands and millions, starting local and global conflicts. Have they heard about Christian and moral norms and values? Unlikely. Or they forgot about them, satisfying their material needs, raising them to a cult and serving them.
Many build their lives, intuitively subordinating it to Christian and moral standards. Many have their own hierarchy of values close to Christian ones.
Faith in God, love for one's neighbor and family are the main Christian values for the majority of Russians. 93%, 90% and 84% of the participants in the survey, which was conducted by experts from the Bashkirova and Partners company, respectively, answered the relevant question of sociologists in this way.
The study, which involved 1.5 thousand people, was devoted to the attitude of Russian citizens to Christian values and their place in our lives. Meanwhile, values such as work, patriotism, freedom and faith in afterlife Approximately half of the respondents (51-57%) classified as Christian. But democracy and money, according to the majority of respondents (74% and 62%), do not belong to Christian values.
At the same time, studies by sociologists show that the opinions of Russians that Christian values are the basis of modern society are divided - 44% agree with this, and exactly the same number of respondents (44%) hold the opposite opinion [ 6 ]. I am glad that love for one's neighbor and family, according to many, are at the head of Christian values. Since the formation of a person begins with the family, let's dwell on this value in more detail.
Russia has been an Orthodox country for more than a thousand years. Orthodoxy has entered our life, culture, worldview, and statehood. Therefore, the Russian people have a lot of Christian qualities.
The upbringing of a new member of society begins with the family. Family is what gives a person solid foundation throughout his life, nourishes and sustains him. Neither a career, nor things, nor hobbies, nor friends can give the happiness and well-being that a family gives.
A strong family is a family with its own traditions. But in modern Russia there have been changes related to the understanding of the function and role of the family. First, the roles of men and women have changed. Women wanted equality with men in all spheres of not only family but also social life. The woman ceased to be the guardian hearth, and the man is the protector and breadwinner.
The views on the concept of “family”, on loyalty in the family, and on the upbringing of children have also changed. Many of the traditions that made a family a family have been lost. Many families nowadays are more like people who live under the same roof, while having nothing in common, even sometimes not knowing each other. But it is the family that gives a sense of stability and protection from the very beginning. early childhood which we carry through our entire conscious life and pass on to our children.
Children are brought up not only by parents as such, but also by the family life that develops. It is the family that gives rise to a sense of the continuity of generations, and through this - involvement in the history of a kind, and the development of the ideals of patriotism. The family, having provided stability, reveals the abilities, strengths in a family member.
Family relationships are primarily spiritual relationships. Therefore, they do not appear simply because the two fell in love with each other and wanted to live together under the same roof. The family is the hard everyday work of the spouses, the desire to change themselves in better side, to make your spouse happy, and later your children.
visible manifestation family life is a house. The home is the place where both the physical and spiritual life of the family unfolds. The family and the home are a spiritual fortress that protects everyone living in it from the temptations of the outside world. Every day the family must be prepared to overcome the influence of the world by a healthy Christian upbringing.
How do they see their family in the future? modern teenagers? In the humanities classes, we cannot ignore questions about values, we also talk about the family. I am glad that teenagers see love and mutual respect, a mutual desire to live together as the basis for creating a family. But they fully admit that the need for a marriage union may also arise, because the birth of a child is expected. It is alarming that more than half of the students, even before starting a family, are concerned about the division of property in the event of a divorce, and the fate of their future children is the last thing they think about. Family for them is something convenient in everyday life, status. Few of them think that we need to work together on relationships, overcome difficulties. So far, everything is simple for them: they didn’t like something - a divorce, and feelings aside. Maybe it's youthful maximalism that speaks in them, or maybe the reason is in their own families? After all, about 50% of students themselves are brought up in single-parent families and, based on this, they have formed their own vision of the future family. They will also pass it on to their children. Therefore, there is no idea of the family as a value that needs to be protected. Based on statistics, half of the marriages break up. This trend is becoming unfavorable for Russia. Undermining the foundations of the family and the so-called free unions, which only create its illusion.
We are all now guided by Western society, considering it the standard of freedom and democracy.Western democracy was originally based on the Christian values of love for one's neighbor, non-resistance to evil, and, most importantly, freedom of conscience. But, ultimately, the emphasis on this led the West to the legalization of same-sex marriage, the promotion of homosexuality, the freedom of expression of sinful forms of life, and so on. It's good that young people today categorically do not accept these "values". Christianity is not a democracy, but a theocracy; orientation to God and His will. It is from God, according to the deep conviction of Christians, from submission to His will that the true morality, culture and prosperity of society come.
Links to sources:
http://www.pravoslavie.ru
- Gospel of Mark, chapter 12, verses 29-30.
- Corinthians, chapter 12, verses 14-27; Ephesians chapter 5 verse 23.
- First Epistle to Timothy, chapter 3, verse 15.
- Gospel of Matthew, chapter 15, verses 13-14.
- http://uucyc.ru/statistics/128
The expression of Christian values arose only in the 20th century, when a theory of values was formed in Western philosophy, called axiology (Greek axia - value and logos - doctrine, word). Value is the significance of a known object (ideal or material) in relation to the goals, aspirations and needs of a person. The concept of moral value first appears in the ethics of I. Kant. He wrote: "The essence of any moral value of actions lies in the fact that the moral law directly determines the will" (Critique of practical reason. Ch.3. On the motives of practical reason). Rudolf Lotze (1817–1881) was the first to attempt a systematic development of the category of value. He considered man as a microcosm, for which values have unconditional significance, since the foundation of the world is God as the Supreme Personality. The works of R.G. Lotze determined the direction in philosophy (W. Windelband, E. Husserl, G. Rickert, G. Cohen, P. Natorp, M. Scheler), which opposed ethical naturalism and relativism in the doctrine of values. So, Max Scheler wrote: “there are genuine and true values of quality, which form their own area of \u200b\u200bobjects that have their own special relationship and interrelations, and already as value qualities can be, for example, higher and lower, etc. But if this is so, then there can be an order and hierarchy between them, which are completely independent of the existence of the world of goods in which they manifest themselves, equally from the movement and change of this world of goods in history, they are also “a priori” in relation to its comprehension” (Formalism in Ethics and the Material Ethics of Values).
In contradiction with this understanding of the nature of values, representatives of various ideological currents tried to prove the relativity of values. Consistently carried out relativism in axiology inevitably leads to materialism, and in ethics - to nihilism. This was manifested most destructively in the philosophy of F. Nietzsche and in Marxism.
- Karl Marx: “Communists do not preach any morality at all ... They do not make moral demands on people: love each other, do not be selfish, etc.; on the contrary, they know perfectly well that both selfishness and selflessness are, under certain circumstances, a necessary form of self-assertion of individuals” (“German Ideology”).
- F. Nietzsche: “In essence, my word immoralist contains two negations. I deny, firstly, the type of person that has hitherto been considered the highest - kind, benevolent, beneficent; I deny, secondly, that kind of morality, which, as morality in itself, has achieved significance and dominance ... In this sense, Zarathustra calls the good ones either "the last people", or "the beginning of the end"; first of all, he understands them as the most harmful kind of people, because they defend their existence at the expense of truth, as well as at the expense of the future ”(“ Ecce Homo. How they become themselves ”). In 1943, B. Mussolini received the complete works of F. Nietzsche as a gift from A. Hitler for his sixtieth birthday.
Relativism in the understanding of values, taken to its logical conclusion, cost the lives of hundreds of millions of people in Russia, Germany and some other countries.
Christianity proceeds from the understanding of value as an absolute good, having significance in any respect and for any subject. Christian values are not limited to gospel commandments and moral rules. They make up the whole system.
The highest good, which is the source of all other values, for a Christian is the God-revealed truth about the Most Holy Trinity as an absolutely perfect Spirit. The Deity is not only absolute Reason and Omnipotence, but also all-perfect Goodness and Love (God is love). This truth, confirmed by centuries of spiritual experience, constitutes, as it were, the highest link in the hierarchy of Christian values, for it is the source of faith, which is the formative beginning of the Christian worldview. In the system of Christian values, the most important place is also given to the doctrine of the uniqueness of the human person as an immortal, spiritual being, created by God in His own image and likeness.
Christian teaching reveals the high meaning and purpose of human life - bliss in the Kingdom of Heaven. The doctrine of salvation also occupies an important place in the system of Christian values. On this path, the Word of God calls for a comprehensive, spiritual development(be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect). This is achieved by the joint action of Divine grace and free will. The value of the gospel commandments is determined by the fact that they are given to us by the Lord as spiritual laws, the fulfillment of which leads us into eternal life.
Finally, it must be said about an important component of the system of Christian values - the conciliar spiritual experience of the Church, which is embodied in liturgical texts, the works of the holy fathers and the lives of the saints.
Christian values are a great heritage of mankind, but they become a blessed treasure only for those who follow the path of salvation. The person makes a choice. “There is enough light for those who want to see, and enough darkness for those who do not want to” (B. Pascal).
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