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Professor Alexei Ilyich Osipov

The problem of the meaning of life.

The problem of the meaning of life is the problem of the desired ideal or truth.

Its understanding determines the purpose, direction and nature of all human activity. However, the very solution of the issue, speaking in essence, is due to the existential-personal attitude of a person: his freedom, his spiritual and moral state.

In the historical arena, three main forces claim to resolve this issue: religion, philosophy and science. Briefly, their responses could be summarized as follows.

Religion, by which we mean such a complete system of beliefs, where the ideas of God and eternal life are central, sees the meaning of life in union with God.

Philosophy, ultimately - in the rational comprehension of truth.

Science - in the maximum knowledge of the world.

Naturally, each of these answers requires a broad interpretation.

What is the peculiarity of the Orthodox understanding of this issue?

It sees the meaning of life in eternal life in God, otherwise called salvation. This means, firstly, the conviction that God exists, and that He is not only the source of being, but also being itself, in which only the good of being of all that exists is possible, full comprehension of the Truth and knowledge of the created world in its being is possible. Secondly, this presupposes an understanding that real (earthly) life is not a self-sufficient value, but a necessary condition, a transient form of a person's being in order to achieve a perfect life in God. Therefore, the atheistic call is unnatural to the Christian consciousness: “Believe, man, eternal death awaits you!” - because it does not remain for the meaning of the most important thing - life, in which only meaning can be and is realized.

The essence of the Christian faith can be expressed in two words: “CHRIST IS RISEN!”, since they contain the whole infinite and at the same time quite concrete perspective of life. Its meaning is in becoming like Christ and uniting with Him, in other words - deification, theosis. What does it mean? In short, this is perfection in kenotic (Greek - self-abasement, sacrificial humility) love, which constitutes the very essence of God, for "God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him" (; 16).

The Apostle Paul writes about this state in some detail in his epistle to the Galatians, when he lists the fruits of God's action in man. He characterizes it as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, mercy, meekness, temperance (). In another epistle, he describes this state in the following words: “Eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and it has not entered into the heart of man, which God has prepared for those who love Him” (;9).

The Apostle, as we see, writes that a person who is spiritually cleansed, healed of passions, that is, spiritually healthy, abides in deep joy, love and peace of mind - speaking in modern language - in happiness, but not fleeting, accidental, caused by the action of the nerves and psyche, but which has become a property of the soul of the "new" person, and therefore inalienable, eternal. However, it should be noted that this state in itself is not the goal and meaning of human life according to Christian teaching. It is only one of the consequences of achieving the goal - salvation, deification, unity with God, in which the personality of a person reaches the fullness of its disclosure, god-likeness.

But perfection in love is not only a moral and emotional good for a person. Love is no less a perfect “instrument” for cognizing the Truth and the created world. It is no coincidence that those who, due to their special spiritual purity, are called reverend, called the spiritual life true philosophy, art from arts, science from sciences. They called it that because correct asceticism, restoring the unity of the soul with God, reveals to man both the knowledge of the Truth, and the contemplation of Her imperishable Beauty, and the knowledge of the essence of all creations. The experience of the Church clearly shows that the spiritual perfection of a person, to which the Gospel calls, is not a fantasy of ardent dreamers, but a reality, a fact, an infinite, practically, number of times verified in the history of the life of the world, and until now offered to a seeking person as the only reasonable goal of being. .

Naturally, such a meaning of life is unacceptable to the pagan world, the essence of which the first Theologian of the Church expressed in the following words: “... everything in the world: lust of the flesh (thirst for pleasures: sensual, aesthetic, intellectual), lust of the eyes (thirst for wealth) and worldly pride ( seeking power, glory), is not from the Father, but from this world" (;16). The psychological basis of the world is the "ostrich syndrome" - the refusal to see the only indisputable and inevitable reality of this life - death. Therefore, all the forces of a person and he throws on the acquisition of these "benefits". And although it is quite obvious how ruthlessly they are all taken away from the simple touch of death, nevertheless, for the world, the ideal that goes beyond the interests of this life, the IDEAL crucified in this life, is, in the words of the Apostle Paul, temptation and madness ().

The Christian meaning of life, which consists in the acquisition by a person even here, on earth, of God-like spiritual values ​​and faith in the real resurrection of the body for infinite life in God, thus becomes in irreconcilable contradiction with the ideal of the so-called. atheistic humanism.

It would be extremely interesting and important to analyze the spiritual sources from which the denial of the Christian ideal stems. There is no doubt that these origins are purely spiritual and not rational. This is supported by at least the following considerations.

First. Every correct theory must satisfy at least two basic requirements: to have facts to support it, and to be verifiable (it goes without saying that it must be consistent). It is obvious that Christianity satisfies these conditions, and that atheism has (and cannot have in principle) neither facts confirming the non-existence of God, nor an answer to its main question: “What should a person do to be convinced of the non-existence of God?” - no less obvious. More precisely, atheism must recognize its full agreement with religion that for a person who is looking for the meaning of life, there is only one way to find (or not find) it - religious.

Second. Christianity offers man an ideal that no religion in the world has ever known greater or equal - pure, disinterested love. This love, in the image of Christ, is the highest state of good (to use the terminology of Plato), happiness (in the terminology of the world), bliss of a spiritual person, and at the same time a means of true knowledge of God and all created being. That this ideal of perfect love is achievable in reality, and not the fruit of someone's fantasies, is quite eloquently evidenced by the history of the Church, the life of her saints. Why, in this case, is it not only denied by the world, but often with bitterness, fire and sword, “cleansed” from human consciousness? Isn't this bitterness itself an indication of the true source of the world's denial of the Christian ideal of life?

The third is the well-known so-called. "Pascal's wager". Indeed, the recognition of Christ, without taking away anything useful and reasonable from a person in this life, at the same time gives him complete hope for well-being in eternity, if Christ is God and Savior. On the contrary, the rejection of Him as the ideal and meaning of life, without enriching the earthly existence of man, deprives him of everything in eternity, if there is a God. Therefore, being a Christian is “profitable”, while rejecting the Christian meaning of life is unreasonable. But in that case, why is this meaning rejected?

Christianity is rejected, of course, not because of some of its fundamental contradictions to human nature and life. The reason is completely different. It is rejected because of its complete opposition to the purposes and nature of the life of the pagan world.

For the world of pleasure, wealth and glory are the essence of life, for Christianity they are passions, inevitably entailing suffering, disappointment and inevitable bodily and spiritual death. For paganism, the meaning of life is earthly goods, for Christianity it is spiritual goods: love, peace of mind, joy, purity of conscience, generosity, that is, something that a person can own forever. Finally, for paganism, Christian holiness itself is unbearable; for it it is like a reproach of conscience in an unrepentant soul, like a bell ringing, reminiscent of eternal truth. By the way, it is no coincidence that the revolution of 1917 in Russia threw down and destroyed bells with such hatred ...

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Father Sergiy said that I would give lectures. Do not believe me - I forgot my glasses. We'll have to speak!
You know, our age is of such a kind that when we come into contact with something or something is offered to us, then we, sometimes consciously, sometimes subconsciously, but ask ourselves - what will it give us? The West is accustoming us a little bit to look at things pragmatically. Stop hovering in the clouds.
So, exactly the same approach can often be encountered when we talk about Orthodoxy. But really, what can it give me? And what does it give a person? There are many worldviews. And, you know, we look at them as something applied. There is life - this is our life. These are our worries, these are our troubles, if you like, sorrows, joys. It is our life. We know our work, we know how we live, what we strive for. A worldview and religion - it's just some appendage. I'm trying to talk about what I think is felt by a lot of people. Religion has become an appendage to life! Life is one thing, religion is another! The most that modern man strives for is to go to mass on Sunday or on holidays. At the Academy, I quite often say that priests perform services during services, professors attend services, students sing during services, and I don’t know who prays. In general, what is it? And why is it to pray?
The fact is that any worldview, a worldview in essence, and religion in particular, is not an appendage to our practical life, but it is, it turns out, what determines our life, determines it in the most important things. And what is most important for us is, probably, we all know. The most important thing for us is to have a good soul. You know, in a hut - yes, to your liking! And you can live in palaces and be an unhappy person.

The abbot told me a story from his life, about which you may have heard. He himself was from an Orthodox family, a believer, but then he went to school, from school to a real school. There he was completely convinced that there is no God, that these are just empty fantasies that mean nothing. And that the meaning of life lies precisely in knowing this world. As much as possible. Achieve dominance in this world and acquire all the benefits that this world can give. We were all, he said, infected with materialism.
And one day, he said, we were all deeply shocked. Suddenly, a message appeared in the newspapers, in large print, as they say, “with exclamation marks”: “A millionaire committed suicide”! – we were all shocked. “We were already,” he says, “raised in a materialistic worldview.” Yes, yes, it was before the revolution, mind you, before the revolution! Do not think that it is now, there somewhere, in Soviet times. No, it was the 1900s. "We were all materialists." “I remember,” he says, “I go into the dining room and do not take off my hats, as it should be according to Orthodox custom, I demonstrate my atheistic conviction.” The millionaire committed suicide... So what is the most important thing in life? He had everything! It turns out that failed love - and everything is gone.

There is a very interesting myth among the Greeks, they generally have a lot of interesting myths. Deep myths that reveal, indeed very strongly sometimes, certain aspects of human life, psychology, sometimes even affect the very essence of man. The myth of the sword of Damocles. Remember how one of the nobles envied the king that he lives in luxury. The king noticed this and decided to arrange a feast. He put the nobleman in his place, but hung a sword over his head on a thin hair. And then he asked: “Well, how do you feel? Why don't you eat or drink? Why are you so sad? Why are you so sad?" This idea of ​​the sword of Damocles is a great idea, I'll tell you. Every person who was born, I don't even say - was born, he is already sitting under the sword of Damocles. When this hair will break, no one knows. That is, we hear, of course, we hear - it broke off over one thing, over another, over a third, over a tenth. This is how wars begin - this thin hair breaks over millions.

And involuntarily a person wonders if he wants to break away at least a little from everyday life, from the hustle and bustle, which, by the way, clutter up the most, you know, like dust in the eyes or something: what do I live for? A person sees, there seems to be vision, but the dust can close his eyes so much that he will not see anything, everything seems to be there - but he sees nothing. So, this is our daily life, these are our worries, problems, torments, perplexities, disputes, etc. sometimes our life is so closed that we don't even have time to think what is called: why am I living? What am I living for? What is the meaning of this life of mine? What is the point of all this activity of mine? What is the point? Okay, I did everything, and then what? Did. Well, I did. And then what? True, there are different attempts to answer this question. But in fact, these are half-measures. "I do this in order to live!" - but very often we do a lot not at all in order to live. In order to live, we need much less. "We do it for others!" – but we need to think: what can we do for others? In general, the question of the value of what we do is one of the most important. Meaning and value are the content of all our activities. This meaning and value can only be assessed from the point of view of one or another worldview. Only worldview can answer the question - is it good or bad? Am I doing activities that will really benefit me and other people?! Or it just won’t work, I’m doing it like a squirrel in a wheel: I do it with one hand, and ruin it with the other!

So, the first question that, it seems to me, should confront a person, and indeed it is worth it, no matter how much we sometimes drown it out. This, after all, is a question about: “As a person, I live for some years - and that’s it? Or do I, as a person, continue to live, will I live? Here, if you like, are two statements that cannot be reconciled and reconciled in any way. This is an alternative. Or: believe, man, eternal death awaits you - so says atheism. Or: believe, man, eternal life awaits you. And this [earthly] life is only, if you like, an examination, an opportunity to reveal oneself as a person, as a moral being and aspiring to one or the other.

What is a person? A man is his faith! What does he aspire to, what does he want, what is he looking for. The belief that there is no God, no eternity, no soul, is splendidly shown by Dostoevsky in The Brothers Karamazov. I remember when I watched the film, I simply said in my hearts, even in delight: “Now the apologists have nothing to do!” There is a wonderful conversation between Ivan Karamazov and a hanger-on, i.e. demon: “But if there is no God, then everything is allowed?! If there is no God, then why live? A healthy person can talk well, everything is fine with him, everything is fine now. Did the person get sick? Did he start having problems? But not in the family? Etc. What is the meaning of life, tell me? It is only from the point of view of the worldview that all our activity and all our life can be correctly assessed. So, in connection with this, a very important question arises, with which I began: “And what does Orthodoxy give a person? What gives us the Christian faith as such? I am not now touching upon the question of the relationship between Orthodoxy and other religions, the relationship between Orthodoxy and other confessions. These questions, you know, are very interesting. Now I want to say literally about the main thing - what Orthodoxy really gives a person.

Here we are now talking about the fact that our position, the position of each of us, is really a position under a hanging sword. We never know whether we are healthy or already sick, who knows? How will things turn out for us tomorrow, what will we have in the family, what will we have at work, what will we have in the state, what will we have in the world? We don't know anything! All our assumptions for the most part are very approximate, and then, these are assumptions and nothing more. What do we know? We don't know anything.
And now, pay attention: a person believes, I especially emphasize this word - he believes that there is no God. Because it is impossible to know, you yourself understand. It is impossible to know that there is no God. From the point of view of science, what is our cognitive activity? The cognizable world is infinite, and, consequently, all our knowledge at any moment of time is only a drop from the ocean, therefore, from the point of view of even science, it will never, in any future, be said that there is no God, even if He really did not exist. was. Science can never tell. The most she can say is: yes, perhaps He is! See how likely it is.

But maybe we'll talk about that later. Now let's talk about something else. About the fact that in the absence of faith in God, with the conviction that our life is only earthly life, connected exclusively with the body, and a person does not have any soul, the human consciousness disappears, the personality disappears, there is no God - then all of our what is life based on? Calculate everything, each of us knows, we can't do anything. We are counting a very small range of questions that we can count on. I say again: we cannot know anything about any global, state, social, natural shocks! And we can't do anything, even if we knew something.
Or health, family affairs…. A person who does not believe in God is always in a state: "No matter what happens! ..". As if the person on whom I depend did not change his attitude towards me. As if someone didn't drop something like that on me. No matter where they set me up, etc. Such a person has no solid ground under his feet. We see how revolutions are made: in the twinkling of an eye. Someone was WHO, became NOBODY, etc.

What gives Orthodoxy? The Orthodox faith and a person's conviction that there is a God and that God is Love, and not something else, completely changes a person's perception of everything that happens in his life. How worried that millionaire who committed suicide! And how many people end their lives for other reasons - they were deprived of their post, they were deprived of their position ... How much stress, strokes, heart attacks, how much despair we have. Where? Because we don't have solid ground under our feet. This solid ground is faith in God, Who is Love. I know that nothing will happen to me, nothing will happen without the will of God! Only an alien can look and say, “Oh… this man in a white coat is cutting him with a scalpel. What horrors, what is happening to him, what is being done to him? Because he doesn't know anything. And a person who knows will say: “So this is a surgeon, the best surgeon in the world who saves a person from cancer.” What happens to me, with the Christian faith, is perceived as a loving and wise Providence of God in relation to me. I know this for sure because I believe. I believe that this is not a random phenomenon. That this is not a conspiracy of some people, that this is not the hatred of some person. No one and nothing can touch me unless God allows. I pay attention to this as the most important thing that concerns our life.

Faith in God gives extraordinary courage in relation to all the sorrows that happen to a person. People who do me harm - and I see how they do it - from a Christian point of view, are only blind - you hear, blind! - instruments in the hands of God. The scalpel doesn't understand anything! From the outside, you might think that it torments my skin, my organs. What is actually happening? A loving and wise operation, without which I cannot live. Think what Christianity says! Faith in God gives me a solid foundation in this life. It is courage that gives me, I repeat once again, it gives me the possibility of a completely different attitude towards other people. I don’t need to fawn – I need to treat a person in truth. I don’t need to hate - I need to truly treat a person the way I want to be treated. Christianity establishes the highest principle, the central principle, in which only a person can really have happiness here on earth.

Now I am not saying anything about the future, because very often one has to hear and read that Christianity supposedly promises only a pie in the sky. That only after death you will receive something, there you will have eternal blessings. But there's nothing here. Nothing like this. Nothing like this!!! It is here that Christianity gives man that which nothing else can give. Look, now they are running to psychologists, psychics, sorcerers, I don’t know who they just don’t run to in order to somehow remove this burden. “I can’t do this anymore, what should I do, I have longing ...”. You can’t imagine, at one of the meetings in Finland they gave statistics: now more than half of the people are Western, wealthy people - more than half of the people have lost the meaning of life and turn to psychiatrists. The cause of suicide, terrible stress is the loss of the meaning of life. They don't know what's next. That's all there is - and then what? What's next? Christianity gives a person a perspective of life, does not close him in this narrow circle, in these tens of years. He says - no, you are not an animal, you are a person. Your personality is indestructible. Here I pay attention to it. How important it is for a person to choose a worldview! The person must be reasonable. Should be able to reasonably approach where it is, the correct faith. Is it the belief in the eternal life of the individual - or is it the belief in the eternal death of the individual, its disappearance. On this depends, I tell you, our whole future life.

Pascal is a famous physicist, as a physicist we all know him, and we don’t know another - that he is a man who spent almost his entire adult life in a monastery. He left us wonderful thoughts. The book that he planned to write as a response to atheism, he did not have time to write, he died very early. But his notes remained. They were published after Pascal's death, when they were found. His "Thoughts on Religion" has not lost its relevance to this day. Those who are interested can read. And here, in particular, there he has one interesting idea that has remained in the history of human thought as “Pascal's wager”, a wager - that is, a dispute. So what is this wager? He says that a person who does not believe in God wins nothing here, gains absolutely nothing here, but if there is a God, he will lose everything there. A person who believes in God does not lose anything here, he does not have two stomachs and not ten shoulders, but everything wins there - if there is a God. The first question, therefore, is there a God or not? Without this, a person's worldview is not a worldview. Of course, you can not look for anything, you can slide down to the level of such a life when a person does not need anything in the world. Well, we know what kind of standard of living it is - so to speak, animal, biological, vegetative, whatever you want, at least not human. A person cannot refuse the question - why do I live and what is the meaning of my activity? Christianity answers what meaning this activity has, any: economic, economic, creative, state - it does not matter. What meaning does it have? If God is Love, and I want to tell you again that God is not a creature that is somewhere in the constellation Alpha Centauri, sits there and controls from there, pushes levers or buttons. God is Spirit. That is, it is not material something. This is not the law of gravity, this is not some kind of ether that permeates, this is something completely intangible, something that we, of course, cannot describe, but something else is important: God is fundamentally different from everything material.
If God is Love, that is, the essence of our entire being, our entire existence, being, both cosmic and human, then the Christian faith has as its focus the principle or, let's say, “law number one”, on which all other laws are built, from which all other laws derive. This is the law of love, you see, here it is, the principle is eternal. Because God is that eternal Being Who pervades all our existence and man, first of all. This is the principle of love. Christianity says from this that the whole basic thought, the whole basic content of human activity must be activity corresponding to this principle. Anything that does not conform to this principle of love is wrong activity. What does unfaithful mean? We know what wrong doing is in any business: we do something wrong, and then we scratch the back of the head - and now what to do? Wrong activity is what in Christianity is called sin, and in production is called a mistake.

What is sin? Christianity speaks of one amazing thing, which, unfortunately, is little known to people. It says something like this: Did you steal? You stole from yourself! But not from him. Have you harmed him? You have done harm to yourself! Not to him. Do you have something? You only have what you gave to another! Sin in Christianity is everything that harms the human soul. This is a very important position. Harm, to whomever I bring it: whether to myself, whether to another, whether to nature, is a sin. And hence every sin is a wound inflicted on me. Every sin that I commit. Only for the most short-sighted eye, murder, great theft, terrible betrayal, etc., are called sin. And Christianity looks a little deeper and encourages people to wear glasses. No, all these great sins are a consequence, not an independent act. The consequence of what is happening in the human soul. No one has ever killed immediately. He hated this man, he turned this coil a thousand times in his soul, he committed a murder in his soul a thousand times before he actually did it. Therefore, Christianity says that the first and most important sin is committed in the human soul. You know, when a person is on a mountain, and there is a sleigh standing there, it is very interesting to go down the hill. But he is told that there, at some stage, there is an abyss. They say it's better not to get in the sled. If you sit down, you won't stop in the middle. Christianity therefore draws attention to the so-called spiritual side of man. Here we talk a lot - spiritual, spiritual! Soon you begin to touch yourself - am I not a spirit ?! What is spiritual? But what is spiritual! This is what happens in me, inside, what no one sees or hears. I can hate a person inside, and this hatred can then lead to terrible consequences, and these consequences, since they are already taking place not only in the soul, but also in the material plane, they turn out to be the most severe wounds for me.

Here we are talking about Divine Revelation, we say that the New Testament is a revelation. Old Testament, New Testament, Gospel - revelation of Whom? Revelation of the One we call God. Who is this God? – Love, What does He reveal? Human! don't hurt yourself! How? And like this! At first there were rude commandments, if you take the Old Testament, then there were the most rude commandments. You know, don't kill, don't steal, etc. The most rude commandments that are in the eye climb. Christ came and pointed out the reason for these things and said that a person harms himself, upsets his life, ruins his life, depravity begins in thoughts! It never happens right away! So Christ just warns about this: man, pay attention to your soul! Your thoughts, your feelings, your desires. Just think about the purity of a person in Christianity. He speaks of his very soul. To what shrine calls him! You think how wonderful it is. This is the beauty that Chekhov spoke about: Everything in a person should be beautiful - both the soul, and the body, and the hands, and the face. Man is called to be a royal being. In what sense? In a holy sense. By the way, only he can manage others well who knows how to manage himself. Those who do not know how to manage themselves will never be able to properly manage others. This is the law. This is the law that the ancient sages, pre-Christian, spoke about. Christianity only confirms this. And he says that the hardest fight that a person has to fight is a fight with himself. And the victory of victories is a victory over yourself!

You will pay attention: in Christianity, who is most glorified? Ascetics. What are they doing there in the desert, you say, they are being saved?! Well, selfish and nothing more. He climbed into the desert somewhere and sits there, saves himself. You might even think so! In fact, what is at stake: no one has ever achieved anything without giving up everything that hinders him. They say that someone wrote an etymological dictionary, so he generally abandoned friends, acquaintances, everything. He went into full lock, literally. For a very long time, almost a few years. But then he gave out really what he needed. What a dictionary! And what are the hermit ascetics busy with? The most important! An attempt to cleanse ourselves of everything that hurts us, that hurts, that kills. That is why we glorify them so. They are truly pure souls.

Unfortunately, we talk about this very, very little. In our life, of course, little is said about this. Now life is becoming more and more materialistic. The materialism by which the West has lived or by which it is now living, and for which materialism is the only goal in life, literally dominates there. Now it strikes, of course, and our consciousness. But we still have a soul, I would say. In general, in Russia this is a striking phenomenon, after so many years of atheism, where there are so many people, it seems, brought up in the spirit of atheism who have just been given freedom - look what an explosion has occurred! Where?! In general, this is a phenomenon that scientists would certainly have dealt with if humanity had still existed for a long time, and, unfortunately, it will not be for long, because the same scientists say so. This is an amazing fact: as soon as the ban was lifted, people rushed to the temple. Moreover, what is most interesting, you probably noticed: parents are brought by children, and in the truest sense of the word, even children. Children - ten, fifteen, twenty years old - bring their parents to. There is still a voice in our soul, this spark of the search for truth, a sense of sacredness, an understanding that I am not just an animal, I am a person, and I cannot believe that I will never be, that with the death of my body I will stop exist.

By the way, I don’t know if this is interesting for you or not, but I want to say that atheism as a worldview does not stand up to criticism, not only from the point of view of the scientific view that I spoke about: that science can never say that there is no God. Atheism, it does not stand up to criticism on the other hand. He cannot answer the most important question. And the most important question for him is: what should I do to make sure that there is no God. He also claims that there is no God. I want to make sure. Do you want to make me believe? Sorry. I want to be sure, not to believe. Tell me what should I do to make sure there is no God? Do science? How many scientists do you need to count? The greatest scientists who believed and still believe in God. Do art, literature, philosophy? It is clear that these spheres do not say that there is no God. So what should I do to make sure that there is no God, that there is no soul, that there is no eternity for me? Atheism is silent. No answer. There is no answer to this question. Christianity only knows, on the contrary, what it says: for the sake of God, for the sake of everything holy, try to live like this, try it, and you will see that there is a God. Specifies a specific path directly. By the way, many people of very different eras, different social status, different educational levels, even different intellects - from the lowest to the highest - when they embarked on the path indicated by Christianity, they came to this faith, or rather, to direct, personal knowledge of the Divine . It turns out that Christianity shows this practical way to anyone who really sincerely wants to be convinced of this. I'm not talking about the fact that Christianity has a whole range of arguments, both negative in relation to atheism, and positive, confirming its truth. After all, each theory, if you want, is confirmed by what? Remember, the neutrino: when it was discovered, discovered theoretically, then for thirty years they wondered whether it actually existed or not. All the data that a neutrino should have is there, but in fact - is it or not? There are an incredible number of people in Christianity who believe not simply because they were brought up in a Christian environment. This faith is cheap, I tell you. So many people who were brought up in the Muslim faith would be Muslims, and those who were brought up in the Buddhist faith would be Buddhists. I'm not talking about these people. I don't want to talk about these people, there are many such people everywhere. In any religion. I'm talking about other people, I'm talking about those people who, figuratively speaking, "with a bow and sword" went through this life, really looked for God and found Him.

If we pay attention to at least one thing, only one fact: the history of the origin and formation of Christianity, then we will surely be convinced of what kind of religion it is. As you know, Christ was crucified, i.e. subjected to the cruelest punishment of that time. His disciples, the apostles, sat in fear, as it is written: “for the sake of the Jews,” shutting themselves in the room. Why? Because they knew: as soon as they show up, they will be immediately executed. Also crucified or stoned. This is how Christianity began, you think! The Jewish Sanhedrin gave the order - all who will preach about this name, lead to it. And many of the disciples of Christ, as we know, suffered. Stephen, who is called the first martyr, was stoned, and James was thrown from the temple. Severe persecution and real terror began. Here is a word that is very useful to us now. This is the era in which Christianity began its life. Not enough of this turned out. It turned out to be very good ties with Rome, with the royal house, and we see that already in the 60s, perhaps even at the end of the 50s of the first century, a law was issued according to which everyone who is recognized as a Christian, whether he himself says, if they report him, he should be executed. Christians - to the lions. Can you imagine the situation in which Christianity was born. Now, if we imagined it so realistically, really, in life, then we would understand that Christianity should not have existed. It must be destroyed at the very root, at the very beginning, and this was exactly what was calculated. That's why they killed Christ, that's why they killed His disciples. By the way, every one, except for John the Theologian. All were executed. All their followers. Execution after execution. Christian to the lions. Circuses were filled with spectacles. In the Nero Gardens, Christians were tied up, tarred and set on fire at nightfall as torches. Tell me, what religion could exist here? And all this continued until 317, with some interruptions. I ask myself: how could Christianity be, how could it exist, how could it remain at all?

I point to this fact as one of the amazing arguments that Christianity is not just, you know, some kind of religious philosophy or some kind of sect that has arisen and you can't get rid of it. A lot of sects arise, and so they remain these sects. And then they disappear. And this is a religion that then spread throughout the world. In what conditions!!! I think this fact alone is enough to believe in God. Only by recognizing this can one understand the existence of Christianity up to the present time. And it could be destroyed for what reason? Because of apostasy from God. For this reason alone.
This, at least, is an idea, this historical fact already speaks volumes. That Christianity is not an invention of some fantasist, dreamer, etc. And then, when we read the Gospel, we see the image of Christ. He is surprisingly sober, shall we say, Man. Sober. There are no dreams. Moreover, a Person Who does not strive for either power or glory is not an ambitious person. Having resurrected the twelve-year-old daughter of Jairus, the first thing He does is order no one to tell about it. He heals one leper, another - and orders not to tell anyone about this. Man did not aspire to anything earthly. Neither power, nor wealth, nor glory interested Him.

So, I want to say that Christianity, it also has very strong arguments under itself, confirming that there really is a God and this God is exactly the idea that Christianity gives. In this case, we are entering the sphere of “Christianity and other religions”. Every religion represents God in its own way. Just like Ivan Petrovich over there. Who do you think he is? "Wrong person". And you? “Oh, beautiful person.” Do you think how? - "Oh, dumbass." And you? - "So this is a genius!" Ask ten people about another person, and sometimes we will hear ten opinions. People felt that God exists. All nations believed. By the way, this is a very interesting fact: that all nations have always believed in God. And so far not a single atheistic tribe has been found among the so-called savage peoples. No one. Never. This is the most curious thing. Everyone believed. But it is one thing to believe that He exists, and another thing to know who He is! There were, in different nations, strong personalities, or thinkers, or strong "charismatics" who said: "That's who He is. He is such and such." This is how the Teaching about God was formed, from the bottom up. There is a feeling of God, there is an idea of ​​God, and who He is has already been proposed by this or that “active creator of religion”.

So many ideas about God arose, so many religions arose. It got to the point that there were already religions that claimed that many gods exist. Not one God, but many. And it came about, by the way, very simply. I think we will also come to this soon. At least there is a trend towards this. You know that the Greeks had a God of Trade, a God of War, a God of Love. How did it come about? Well, of course, there is only one God. But then it began to arise in the mind that there are those who especially patronize this or that type of human activity. This is how the degradation began: from the “realization of the one God” came the realization of the multitude of those who are in charge of each of their areas. It began in Catholicism, and then it began to pass to us and, I think, it will take root very, very much. This or that saint is in charge of this or that area. In churches, you are now very often someone comes up to you and asks who to pray to .... And that's it, neither the Lord God, nor any other saint - only to this saint and no one else is needed. If, for example, a husband has drunkenness, then to whom should one pray? Not to whom! And it is necessary before the icon "Inexhaustible Chalice". If you just pray to the Mother of God, then it will not work. You definitely need the icon "Inexhaustible Chalice". This image of the Virgin, then it will help. The Mother of God herself was divided! I remember once, back in the 70s, Kremlin doctors came to us, and we took them around our museum. And there, in particular, there is an icon of the Mother of God "Addition of the mind." So, you know what the discussion was. One doctor yelled: “My son is studying, give me such an icon!” And the second: “And I have a daughter. Give it to me too." You feel? Now we have it at the level of such an easy thought, almost even anecdotal. But in fact, this is not a joke at all. It is a very rare occurrence when they come to a priest and ask to serve a prayer service to the Mother of God in order to get rid of the disease of drunkenness. Rather, they will come and ask to serve a prayer service in front of the Inexhaustible Chalice icon, and there are queues of such people. Hear what's going on. No longer the Mother of God, but an icon. I'm just drawing you psychologically how it can happen that people, once believing in one God, began to believe in many gods. We even excel in this: believing in the Mother of God, we share Her with icons. I remember one old woman, in response to my statement that the Mother of God was alone, poured me very hard. “Like one Mother of God? And Vladimirskaya? And Iverskaya? And Kazanskaya? Is that what they teach you in seminary?” And I got nuts! Of course, I immediately gave up, there's nothing to say. That was the process by which the belief in one God crumbled, even into many gods.

So, how were ideas about God created in people? Each religion believes in its own God, that is, in its own image of God. Here, it turns out, how religions differ. In fact, God, of course, is one. And these ideas about God sometimes reached such distortions that it became simply scary. Until complete debauchery. To complete satanism. And the gods were here. So, what is the difference between Christianity and other religions? Let's just think. If there is a God, if He is Love, He cannot, in the end, not reveal himself to people. He cannot open up. It opens. That is, there is a way not only from the bottom up, but there is a way from the top down. This is what we call Divine revelation. Christianity, unlike other religions, claims to be a revealed religion. In this sense, true religion. I gave you only one argument, a historical argument, showed the conditions under which Christianity developed, what terrible persecutions, tortures and tortures and executions the first Christians were subjected to. But religion remained, spread and acquired a worldwide character. This alone suggests that Christianity is not just a product of our fantasies. And this is the religion that is constantly, constantly supported by the power of God. You will not find any explanations, you just have to talk objectively with historians - there are no human reasons to explain the fact of the preservation of Christianity in history. On this I would like to end the lecture. Now let's talk.

Answers on questions

Now, of course, the situation in our country is such that we are among many religions, more precisely, not religions, but worldviews. Many sects, many representatives of other religions. Now Catholicism is very active. This tendency of his is called "eternal". He has already raised the rank of his dioceses here, more precisely, of his formations here in Russia. Now several dioceses have arisen, bishops have been appointed, and there is now a metropolitan. And, in general, as you can see, the situation in this regard is becoming more and more complicated. Moreover, all the calls of our Church and even our Foreign Ministry to somehow correlate their activities with the state of affairs that we have always had, and to reckon with Orthodoxy, all these our statements remained, in fact, unanswered. Catholicism has finally reached Russia. Only dad will not come to Russia yet. This, of course, is his dream, cherished. But he has already been around us. And in Ukraine, and in Armenia, and in Georgia, so we are, so to speak, in a certain Catholic aura, which is now trying to permeate our Church as much as possible. I think that there are real prerequisites for this, of course.

– Aleksey Ilyich, the following question came in: “Is a person considered a believer who believes in his soul, but does not attend church and does not observe fasts?”

You know, it is difficult to answer this question in such a general form. On formal grounds, of course not. Formal. Because if I believe that now someone will run in here and say: “We are on fire, fire!”, If I believe, they will immediately carry me out either through the door or through the window. And if I don't believe, I won't budge. It's true?
So, how can I say that I believe in my soul, and do not go where only I can come to my senses at least a little? Pray a little. Where can I hear the Gospel, its explanation. If I believe, well, how can I not go there! If I believe, then I must confess, cleanse my soul, at least a little. What am I, a sinless being, or what? I believe I am an angel. So I need to confess, I need to take communion. I do need to pray. It is impossible without it.
Therefore, I will tell you: faith, it is always effective. If I believe, I will definitely do. If I don't do it, it means I don't believe, it means I just have some idea in my head that doesn't give any concrete impetus to my life. It remains an abstract idea. Like a point in geometry, without size. Yes, any point, whatever it is, has dimensions, take any point, on any paper. No! The geometric point has no dimensions. That's how it is here too.
So I doubt very much that such a belief can benefit that person. But I can't say until the end. Because faith is like a seed, a seed that we plant and which then can sprout, then can sprout more, and can become a tree. And even bear fruit.
Therefore, everything depends on the person in this case. If it is a faith that is still beginning, perhaps yes, while he is at this stage. But if a person has been believing in God for decades and does not recognize any temple or anything, then here I have very, very doubts. I don't think it's faith anymore. It's simple, as Khomyakov, one of our geniuses, said: "not faith, but faith." Still, it is necessary to somehow distinguish between these two concepts, in this case I would call it that.

- I have the following question. We are worldly people, we live in the world, and the Savior showed us the way, but I have a wife and children. Where is the line that I must find in this matter. Clearly, the saints, they could go into the desert and be saved through it. But what about us? How can we find that line so as not to offend our loved ones and not to forget ourselves, our salvation.

That's a good question. I will recall the text a little, and then perhaps you will see part of the answer. The young man asked him: what should I do to be saved. Jesus said: Do you know the commandments? - I know. And lists them to him. I did it all, says the young man. Then go on, he says, if you want to be perfect, then go and sell your property and give it to the poor. Listen, if you want to be saved, then yes, give up everything, says Jesus. There, in the Gospel, it is so directly written. You see, there are two fundamentally different stages here.
Therefore, in relation to us, worldly people, what would I say? We must live according to our conscience. Actually, this is what it all comes down to. All commandments. If something like this does not work out, then at least sincerely repent. In what they violated. But if someone really wants to achieve more, then, we understand, being in our bustle, constantly communicating with people, we constantly literally sin. Only one condemnation does not leave our lips. What does condemnation alone do, but envy, and jealousy, what is not there, but hostility? We are spinning here, hitting each other, pricking each other continuously, tearing ourselves every moment, so it is impossible to achieve much here. I told you about a scientist who, in order to write an etymological dictionary, closed down literally for a year or two. Only then could he do something. And in general, I'll tell you, no one could do anything great if he did not devote all his strength only to this cause and did not renounce everything else. So, if a person wants to be perfect, then yes. Then he really needs to renounce all that he can really renounce. To the extent he renounces, to that extent he is able to cultivate in this matter. Why did they go into the desert, into seclusions, solitude. Do you know what to call them? Greenhouse flowers. Look at the lush flowers in the greenhouses, they will never grow in the fresh air. Now, they were greenhouse flowers. They created exceptional, ideal conditions for spiritual life. And so they could achieve more. Something we can never achieve. Here we cannot reach such a state as to love everyone equally. We can never reach the point of loving our enemies. I say love, in the sense of feeling with the heart. We can feel with the mind, we can treat the enemy fairly, but in order to love him - sorry. I can't do this. They achieved it.
You say - what does it give a person? The answer to this question is very simple. Anyone who has ever fallen in love knows what it is. So did they: they acquired love, and not love for everything and everyone, and this was their state of mind. This is how the state of mind of a lover who is ready to give everything, ready to be walled up, this is what love is. This is the state for which a person is ready to give everything. So, it turns out that the correct Christian life and the perfection that a person achieves under special conditions bring amazing fruits to this person. Yesterday, if anyone was in the church, they probably heard the life of Mary of Egypt. I will tell you that what happened to her is a completely unique case in history, and it is impossible to explain it humanly to anyone. So that she, immediately leaving her stormy life, went into the desert and then was there alone for 47 years! This alone is either just complete fantasy or fact. And if it is a fact, then we must understand what was in her soul that she paid everyone for. Neither hunger, nor fears from animals, nor cold, nor complete loneliness, nothing could drive her out of there - such was her condition. That's what perfection is.
Perfection is the maximum approach to God, Who is Love. The Apostle Paul says that spiritual fruit is love, joy. Do you remember what he lists things. But, unfortunately, we almost do not know what it is. We forgot about these things. We don't feel it. Therefore, for us now it is not clear how Mary of Egypt could stay there. After all, how can one explain the suffering of a martyr? After all, tens, hundreds, thousands died during these 300 years of persecution. Well, how was it possible when I know for sure that every Christian will be given to the beasts or crucified or something else will be done with him, and I will accept Christianity? Are you laughing? Why do I need it, what kind of religion is it, why do I need to accept it? And how is it possible to declare oneself a Christian. Or when I am offered to throw a handful of grains on a hot frying pan in front of a standing idol - and that's it, and you are free. All in all only. And thousands and thousands of people went to a wild, terrible death, but did not renounce. The Great Martyr Eustratius said about this: “These torments are the joy of Your servants.” Here we have forgotten these categories. In general, these categories: love, joy - these are real things. And just the right Christian life cleanses the human soul from dirty, unclean, crazy and all sorts of other thoughts, feelings and desires. It makes the soul capable of perceiving God, feeling God, experiencing God, and then this soul is filled with truly inexplicable joy, love, etc. That's what makes perfection. But for this you need to free the soul. The soul, on the other hand, has certain dimensions: the more it is filled with rubbish, the less useful it is, the more ballast, the less useful cargo. This is what our soul is.
So what are we going to do with her? Behold, I fill my soul with all sorts of dreams and thoughts. All sorts of films. All rubbish, hostility. The more I fill my soul with this, the less that can nourish me remains. And so we don't worry. There is no joy, no love, the soul becomes dead. Here's the trouble. Therefore, in our worldly life, I believe, we should, as far as possible, strive to live according to conscience, according to the Gospel. And then, what is still very important: at least not to become attached to anything with your soul. Yes, we know: we must do this and that, this is our job, this is our business, we are obliged to do it. But don't get attached to your soul. Because you know what a rich man is, in a bad sense of the word: someone who is attached to his wealth. And this rich man may be the last beggar. The rich man is who? One who is attached to his possessions, who lives for it, who longs for it, for whom this is the goal of life. That's who the rich man is. And at the same time, a rich person can be a person who does not acquire, he is not attached to it. By the way, I want to say: the more these ties to the earth, the more difficult it is for a person to die. We need to know this. Because you have to cut too thick ropes. You don't need to be attached to anything. And I will say that it is a great boon when a person is not attached. And when we: “Oh, my God, what will Princess Marya Alekseevna say!” When we are worried about human opinion, when we are worried about all sorts of other things, then it is difficult for a person, very difficult. Therefore, our task is to fight this leash as much as possible, then we can achieve some kind of certain freedom.

– By God's providence, we can all become a blind instrument in the hands of the Most High.

There is no need to confuse two completely different things. One thing is human freedom. I am faced with a choice: I can do good or evil. Because my freedom decides. And here I am responsible and, accordingly, bear the results of this choice. This is one thing. What I want to do and what I am already doing within myself. And it is a completely different matter what I will be allowed to do in relation to other people, the world around, etc. I can hate someone with a fierce hatred and I am ready to kill him. But I can't kill. I would have killed it, but it doesn't work. Here is the Providence of God where it operates. But not in my freedom. My freedom remains. Therefore, we say that a person can sometimes be outwardly morally pure. So what does it mean to be morally pure? Maybe he behaves impeccably in human society and no one will say anything bad about him. Yes, he doesn't steal. He does his work faithfully. Everything is fine in his family. In general, everything is fine. Good man. This is the moral side. And inside, this is already the spiritual side, he can be completely amazed. We don't know what he wants? What is he striving for? What does he dream about, this moral man? What can he dream about? About Glory. If I live all this, waiting for human glory, then this feeling alone, this search for glory, crosses out my entire spiritual life. So inside a person can be proud, and vain, and glorious, and so on. On the outside, he can be quite a moral person.
So, with regard to Cain, for example. The fact that Cain wanted to kill his brother, hated him, is a matter of his freedom. His personality. His sin. And the fact that he was allowed to kill Abel is the work of God's Providence. Of course, a counter question arises: why was this necessary? Why was Abel killed? He could live another 900 years! I think that we will not find a definitive answer to this question, but there is a fundamental answer. I can’t say specifically, but there is a principled answer. There is no glory without feat. I believe that martyrdom is always for a person one of those moments that bring him special benefit. Either they are expiatory for his sins, or they even bring eternal glory to him. Not earthly, but eternal. And we look exactly the opposite. Someone, somewhere, was killed or something happened to someone, we say - that's how he should be! He was such, such and such. What does Christianity say? God is Love, He gave this man to suffer, perhaps even to repent, we do not know what other moments, minutes and hours he was alive. He let me suffer - this is the great mercy of God. You hear, if you look from the point of view of eternity, our assessments take on a completely different character. In particular, directly opposite to those to which we are accustomed in this life. We are what he needs, he deserves it. But it turns out that the One Who cuts with a knife, with a scalpel, does the operation. The savior does the operation. A completely different understanding of the facts. The fact that God gave Cain to do this is possible, and for him it later served as an object of repentance. We don't know what happened to him later. And for Abel, this served as a crown of glory. Here, I think, this fact and similar ones can be understood in this way.

– We, Russians, bearers of Orthodoxy, are under the protection of the Mother of God. On the one hand, it takes pride in it, on the other hand, it smacks a little of self-exaltation. How to draw a line here? We, the bearers of Orthodoxy, are like an "Aryan nation", and the whole world is like nothing.

I think that you have already answered yourself, anticipated my answer. Wherever there is an offering, know that there is untruth. This occurs all the time: "We are under the protection of the Mother of God." What it is? What does it mean: that I can do anything, and the Mother of God covers me? Is that it? Again the same reason. Because who says it? These are people who seem to have accepted Orthodoxy without knowing anything about it, and they bring their worldly, that is, passionate, principles into consciousness. It's just trouble. I just now told you - to serve a prayer service from drunkenness in front of the icon "Inexhaustible Chalice" and no other. If in front of "Vladimirskaya", then there will be no case. The same in front of the "Reigning" icon, and if not in front of the "Reigning", then there will be no use. You see, this is no longer the Mother of God, but an icon. So we will soon come to paganism. It is very dangerous. Icons are images of who we believe in. Who do we pray to? This is an image. And there are many of these images. There are about 700 images of the Mother of God. Various images before which we pray. Just like there can be as many photos of us as you like. That's the problem. It was the pagans who thought that their images, drawn or sculpted, were gods. For this Christianity denounced them.
And it's the same with Russia. Well, what is it: "We are the third Rome." Well, Elder Philotheus had such an idea, but he had a completely different idea. What a thought: Rome has fallen away, Byzantium has fallen, where else is the center, then the state, where Orthodoxy would be the state religion and would have every opportunity to exist, spread and live. Yes, in Russia. Yes, in Moscow. That's just what the idea was - that's all. Then. But to say that this is forever and always will be so is the same as saying: but our ancestors saved Rome. Roughly the same.
The same is true of the cover of the Mother of God. The protection of the Mother of God is not unconditional. Were the Jewish people chosen? Was. Rejected Christ - chosenness is taken away. Nothing and no one can be forever. Everything depends on our will. Well, I will blaspheme God, and the Mother of God will cover me! I will insult Her Son, and she will cover me? You yourself think. And Athos says: "No, we are under the protection of the Mother of God." Greece says: "No, we are." Russia: No, we are. Let's fight. Well, what is it? The protection of God, the saints and the Mother of God is used only by those who really sincerely want to follow the commandments of God. Whoever rejects these commandments rejects this cover himself. This is the law of life.
You know, in one article I read how Nicholas II was canonized and the author of the article writes, a year after that: “Now the royal family has been enjoying heavenly blessings for a whole year now.” Just think, this is being written by a new theologian, I know him, he is an engineer by education, a mathematician, and suddenly - that's all his knowledge of theology. It turns out that before that, before canonization, it doesn't matter, even if they were saints, they didn't enjoy it, but after canonization they enjoyed it. And if they decanonize, ask him, then what will happen? Then back to the underworld, right? Well, what kind of logic is this!
It is from such views, from such an understanding of things, that such views are formed. It's very sad, I'll tell you. Christianity says one thing: until a person humbles himself, God cannot approach him. And he can't do anything. “Go away,” he says, “Lord, I myself.” Until he humbles himself, no one can approach him, but God Himself. Do you understand now why pride is the most terrible thing? This is vanity, this pride, this is I - this is Us. These are the surest means of breaking away from God. God resists no one as much as the proud. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. This is how I understand this situation.

No one, probably, will dispute the fact that each of us is involved in a complex system of relationships with God, with ourselves, with the people around us. The question to be asked is: what does this relationship contribute to, what is its purpose? It is obvious that relationships are not valuable in themselves and are born to achieve a certain goal; they make possible joint and purposeful activity, realization of common interests. At the same time, we must remember that living people are involved in the relationship, which cannot be considered as means for someone else's goals.

One of the most exciting questions in my Christian life has been this: “What is the main thing in my life: the fulfillment of a specific task or the development of relationships with those who are close to me? Are the surrounding people just a means of activity or an end in itself? “

It is often said that there are two types of relationships: relationships for the sake of relationships and relationships with a specific pragmatic purpose. It is believed that the first type of relationship is most often found between neighbors, good friends, relatives, and their goal is pleasant communication, mutual understanding, mutual support. The second type of relationship is typical for formal organizations (in production, in churches, educational institutions), in management structures, i.e. where a group of people purposefully perform a specific task.

It seems to me that such a contrast between communication and practical activity is incorrect; there must be harmony between them. Although extremes are often encountered in practice, a balance must be maintained between building relationships and completing the task. On the one hand, the task cannot be completed without relationships (unity, solidarity, ideological cohesion, coherence of actions, mutual support), but relationships do not make sense if we do not create anything (there is always a question about purpose and meaning). In fact, we need relationships that would contribute to the fulfillment of the task. In other words, relationships must be subordinated to a common goal, which does not detract from their significance. Awareness of purpose is a necessary condition for organized activity, but a good relationship that cements it together is a sufficient condition. Without established relationships, without unity around an idea and a specific goal, all efforts are in vain. As in the well-known fable: there is a lot of fuss, effort, "but things are still there."

Christ came into the world to restore relationship with fallen man. He set the same task for the Church: “teach, as you go, baptize and teach.” But before that, Jesus trained his disciples for three years, preparing them for this task, developing personal relationships with Them so that they could do the same - build the Church by establishing and developing vertical (man - God) and horizontal (man - man) ) relationships. As we can see, even God's plan is carried out through personal relationships based not on manipulating people as means, but on free will, consent, voluntary obedience, unity.

“How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together!” But how can the Church fulfill her mission if she spends time only on pleasant communication with each other, forgetting about the responsibility for the fate of the world? Our time is too precious to waste on ourselves. Everything must be subordinated to the fulfillment of the main task of the Church.

So what is the main thing in this matter for me? – Achievement of the goal set before me by God. But this goal can be achieved only through the creation and strengthening of the right relationship, firstly, with God, and, secondly, with those who are close to me. People are not means, but co-workers in our common great and small deeds.

“And He appointed some…, others…, others… for the work of service, for the building up of the Body of Christ…”. “... From whom (Christ) the whole body, which is made up and copulated by means of all mutually binding ties, with the action of each member in its measure, receives an increase for the building up of itself in love” (Eph. 4:11-16).

Many are interested in the question - what is the meaning of life in Christianity? Attempts to find the answer to the question deprive you of rest. Religion helps every believer find the path to a life full of meaning. Undoubtedly, this is a philosophical question, however, faith and sincere prayer to God will help to find a clear answer to it. The religious response to the throwing of the soul will become a bright ray of light and show the way to peace and harmony. Let's turn to the three world religions and try to figure out what is the meaning of human life.

Christian understanding of the meaning of life

Many holy fathers in their sermons and teachings pay special attention to the question of finding the true path of life and oneself. Man thought about the eternal and the main thing already in the distant past. Remember the legend of King Sisyphus, as a punishment he was doomed to forever roll a stone to the top of the highest mountain. Reaching the top, the king again found himself at the foot and began a meaningless ascent. This myth is the clearest example of the meaninglessness of human existence.

Thinkers about the true meaning of being

The philosopher Albert Camus, reflecting on the meaning of life in Christianity, applied the image of Sisyphus to the image of a man - his contemporary. The main idea of ​​the philosopher was as follows - the life of every creature, limited by the framework of being, resembles Sisyphean labor, is full of absurdity and meaningless actions.

It is important! Often a person who has reached a respectable age remembers life and understands that there were many incoherent events in it that turned into an endless chain of meaningless actions and actions. So that earthly existence does not resemble Sisyphean labor, it is important to find the meaning of life, to clearly see the road - your own, the only way to harmony and happiness.

Unfortunately, many people live in an illusory world, following pseudo-goals. However, in the world of specifics and realities, it is impossible to find the true meaning of the life of a Christian. This idea is best confirmed by the exact science - mathematics. A number divided by infinity is zero. It is not surprising that all attempts by people who are far from faith to explain the meaning of being look naive.

Great creators and philosophers understand the incompleteness of earthly existence. Blaise Pascal realized only two years before his death that science is just a job, a craft, and the true meaning of the Christian life is rooted in religion. In his letters, the scientist often thought a lot about the meaning of being. He wrote that a person can become truly happy only by realizing that there is a God. The true good is to love Him and abide in Him, but the great misfortune is to be separated from Him, to be filled with darkness. True religion clearly and clearly explains to a person the reason why he resists God, therefore, the greatest good. True faith indicates how to gain the necessary strength to get out of your own delusions, how to accept God, find yourself.

Great scientist and Orthodoxy

In today's world, the situation has not changed dramatically. A deeply moral person, having reached certain heights and results, clearly understands that this is not a true, not a goal. Great people are in constant comprehension of what and its true meaning. A striking example is the life of Academician Korolyov. Managing the greatest space program, he understood that the meaning of life is in the salvation of the soul, that is, it rushes far beyond the limits of earthly existence. In those days, Orthodoxy and faith were subjected to serious persecution, but even then the Queen had a mentor, he visited the pilgrimage and donated large sums to charity.

The nun Siluana, who worked in a hotel at the monastery, wrote about this amazing person. In her stories, she describes the Queen as a personable man in a leather jacket. She was amazed by the fact that the academician, having lived for several days in a hotel at the temple, was sincerely surprised at poverty and misery. His heart was breaking from what he saw, and Korolev wanted to help the monastery. The academician lamented that he had little money with him, but he left his address and telephone number, and asked the nun to stop by upon arrival in Moscow. The nun gave the Queen the address of the priest, who found himself in a difficult situation, and asked him to provide all possible assistance. Some time later, Siluana arrived in Moscow and was visited by the Queen. To her surprise, the man lived in a luxurious mansion, was very happy to see the nun, and invited her to visit. Icons stood in the Queen's study, and on the table lay an open book of the Philokalia. The academician donated 5,000 rubles to the monastery. By the way, the priest, whose address was given by the nun and asked for help, became the Queen's mentor and good friend.

It is important! For Korolev, turning to religion was not a short episode; in it, the academician learned the meaning of the life of a Christian. The scientist lived Orthodoxy, risked his own high position, found time to read the works of the holy fathers.

Pushkin on the Gospel

Great poets in their work raised the eternal question of the meaning of birth and being. At the beginning of the 19th century, Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin wrote the poem "Three Keys", where he expressed the endless feeling of the thirst of the soul. At that time, the poet was only 28 years old, but even then he wanted to understand the meaning of the stay of living beings on earth and their birth. And 3 months before his tragic death, Pushkin will write about the Gospel - the only book where every word is interpreted. The poet said that only this great book is applicable to any circumstance and event in life, its eloquence captivates and has eternal charm.

The answer to the question - where to look for the meaning of birth and what can change your life? The most accurate teaching will reveal the holy Gospel. It says here - life is more important than food, it is more important than the Sabbath. In accordance with the Gospel, Jesus died for everyone, having resurrected, he became the Head of life. The real meaning of life lies in unity with Jesus, this is the true source of happiness and light. The gospel says that a true believer will surely resurrect after death.

It is important! Entry into eternal life begins on earth, through the church. If a person could not step on the feet of holiness, but lives his path spiritually honestly, he gains knowledge about the meaning of his being. This helps prayer, which is an appeal to God, a conversation with him. One of the most powerful is the prayer of Nicholas the Wonderworker, which changes a person and opens the way to eternal life.

The meaning of life in Buddhism

Buddhist practice says that an integral part of the life of every person is suffering, and the highest goal is to end this suffering. Buddhism puts a specific meaning into the word "suffering" - the desire to receive material benefits, desires that a person who has not reached nirvana indulges. There is only one way to get rid of suffering - by reaching a special state - enlightenment or nirvana. In this state, a person gives up all his desires, respectively, he gets rid of suffering.

The purpose of being in Buddhism of the southern tradition is the realization of personal consciousness, the achievement of such a state when a person is deprived of any earthly desires and ceases to be in the generally accepted sense of the word.

If we talk about Buddhism of the northern tradition, the highest goals are pursued here. Man cannot attain nirvana until sentient beings attain the state of enlightenment.

It is important! One can reach nirvana not only by practicing, but also as a result of a sinless, righteous life.

The meaning of life in Islam

The meaning of life in Islam involves a special relationship between God and man. The main goal of the followers of Islam is obedience to God, surrender to Him. That is why the followers of this religion are called devotees. There are words in the Quran that God created man not for a specific benefit for God, but to worship Him. It is in worship that there is the greatest benefit.

In accordance with the main Islamic dogmas, Allah rules over everything, He is merciful and merciful. All believers must surrender themselves to Allah, submit and humble themselves. At the same time, all people are responsible for their own actions, according to which the Lord will reward at the highest Court. After the Judgment, the righteous will end up in Paradise, and the sinners will face eternal punishment in Hell.

Lecture by Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary A.I. Osipov.