Living Icons: Persons and their Purpose

For some it may feel like we’re diving right into the deep end, but we start here because if we don’t take time to define our terms and and understand what exactly we’re talking about we’ll end up chasing our tails!

Charlotte Mason’s first principle is:

Children are born persons

As Orthodox Christians we agree one hundred percent. They are made in the image of God and are complete human beings right from the get-go.

As persons made in God’s image – as living, breathing icons – we next have to ask, what is our purpose in life? Our answer would be that our purpose is theosis (or deification), and that we start that journey here, in this life. It doesn’t need to wait until after our earthly death. We are all called to theosis, regardless of intellectual ability or lack thereof, which means that education of persons needs to be about more than just intellectual prowess.

We believe, as does Charlotte Mason, that education is about the formation and the cultivation of relationships – with God, with our fellow man, and with the world around us. Our minds are the instruments which we must learn how to use in order to form and cultivate those relationships.

Some questions to consider:

What does it mean to be made in the image of God, to be a person?

How does seeing theosis as our goal change the way we look at education and its purpose?

How is education different if it is about relationships rather than acquiring knowledge?

What bearing does education have on our spiritual lives if our purpose is theosis?

What passages stood out to you as your read? How would you summarize the main ideas in this chapter?

We encourage you to take the time to sit down and write out your answers to some, or all, of these questions; putting our thoughts in writing makes the things we’ve learned more impactful. Share your answers in the comments if you’d like — we’d love to engage and continue the conversation!