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The Possibility of Developing Orthodox Worldviews in Natural Science Courses
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- Возможность становления православного мировоззрения на лекциях по естествознанию
- Russian
- Asliturk, Miriam
- Ecumenism and dialogue > Education - Education, Science and Orthodoxy
- 23-01-2017
- Порфирьев, Евгений Викторович [Author]. Возможность становления православного мировоззрения на лекциях по естествознанию
- Научный журнал КубГАУ
- Natural sciences - Higher education - Primary Education - Creationism - Youth
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- <p>Порфирьев, Евгений Викторович, Возможность становления православного мировоззрения на лекциях по естествознанию, <em>Научный журнал КубГАУ - Scientific Journal of KubSAU,</em> No23, 2006. Retrieved from: <a href="http://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/vozmozhnost-stanovleniya-pravoslavnogo-mirovozzreniya-na-lektsiyah-po-estestvoznaniyu">http://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/vozmozhnost-stanovleniya-pravoslavnogo-mirovozzreniya-na-lektsiyah-po-estestvoznaniyu</a> </p>
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The article argues that Orthodox Christianity sees the creation of the visible world and of man as the realization in time of the eternal thought of God. Thus most people come to the realization of God "through examining creatures." The natural path of the knowledge of God leads the human soul to the Creator and the Provider of the Universe through the cognition of beauty, harmony, and diversity of nature.
The author points out that today’s youth, according to psychologists and sociologists, is better acquainted with exact sciences (rather than humanities) and values them more. This is why the author advocates the urgency of teaching the basics of Orthodoxy in the framework of natural science courses as well as introducing optional subjects or special courses on the creation of the world, the nature of man, the relationship of man to God and the universe. This, Porfiriev argues, will enable students to be truly free in their choice and encourage them to become believers in the future.
The teaching of natural sciences with the Orthodox perspective has already been tried in a number of schools. Priest Timofei Alferov, has for example since 1996 given classes on creationism in the gymnasium of Gatchina. “Orthodox” textbooks on physics and chemistry are currently being written by A.V. Pankratov and V. Lectorsky. Orthodox teacher V.L. Kovarsky came up with an interesting methodology of teaching physics: he shows that physics illustrates the laws of thought studied by logic and contains the beginnings of the laws of morality, studied by ethics.
The author believes that the same can and should be done at university level. Porfiriev mentions his own experience of teaching the courses "Ecology and Man" and "Foundations of Orthodoxy" at the Krasnodar State University of Culture and Arts, where such topics as Orthodox Christianity and Science; The Six-Day Creation; Christianity and ecology were discussed. The author underlines the positive reaction of the majority of students to his alternative teaching.
Porfiriev concludes by arguing that the formation of the Orthodox worldview through courses on natural science is possible both in the form of separate studies, included in the general context of Orthodox subjects (catechism, dogmatic theology, the foundations of Orthodoxy), or as an independent special course entitled "Natural Scientific Apologetics". One of the ways for the formation of the Orthodox worldview is the teaching of natural sciences per se, where a huge role can be played by Orthodox teachers. Starting with primary school classes, teachers can show the beauty and harmony of the universe. In secondary school, the existence of God can be revealed to students through the universal hierarchy of the created world; the constructiveness of ideas embedded in the creation; conservation laws; laws of cause and effect; laws of relativity and the laws of universal interconnection with everything.
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