On Toys & Children - An Orthodox Analysis by Monk Hilarion
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- Опубліковано 28 чер 2024
- It's Christmas season again! This 1989 article is as timely as ever. Something here for everyone to learn, to go deeper in our knowledge of Christ and ourselves.
Thumbnail is meant to be a bit chaotic, just like Christmas time in the West, and includes a variety of toys, some great, some terrible, some in between.
-On the left: “Snuggly Saint” of St. George:
www.drawneardesigns.com/play
-Life of St. Porphyrios for kids on the right:
potamitis.us/collections/engl...
-READ the article here from Orthodox Life, Nov-Dec 1989 (#6):
orthodoxlifemagazines.blogspo...
-BUY "The Path to Salvation" by St. Theophan the Recluse
stpaisiusgiftshop.com/books/m...
-FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you:
orthodoxyinamerica.org/
0:00 Title
0:18 Introduction
1:51 The broader questions related to toys, children, and parents, quote by St. Theophan the Recluse
3:53 St. Diadochos on grace before and after baptism, parents need to nurture the grace
5:19 Marketing, television, and the root cause of the current attack on children
7:24 The nexus between toys and television, the often immoral and satanic influence from toy commercial and marketing
8:47 How some toys inhibit the development of a child’s imagination
10:17 Parents must strictly forbid certain toys, impure images inflicting the inner life of the child
11:10 Why are so many toys and cartoons based on occult symbolism?
12:01 A word on films, including E.T., Star Wars, Snow White, and Wizard of Oz
14:50 How we crush sin in our children and nourish the grace of God in them
17:37 The best of western Christian culture can act as a stepping stone in elevating the soul towards the higher, spiritual culture of the Church
18:31 Children must play, advice on the best toys and activities
21:00 Conclusion
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In many cases there is no problem with the toy itself, the danger lies in the occult and the often violent images connected with it, which are conveyed to the child via television cartoons, and now also movies. The child "knows" how to play with the toy because he knows its abilities and characteristics, as seen on television. He no longer has to use his imagination to bring the toy to life.... At a simply practical level, this spoon-feeding of images inhibits the development of a child's imagination, because under normal circumstances a child would project his own imagination into a toy.
The top money-making films today focus on the preternatural manifestations of the kingdom of darkness. Designed for adults were such films as Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, Omen, and Poltergeist: for children, the Star Wars Trilogy, E.T., Ghostbusters, and Gremlins….Furthermore, Star Wars introduced many viewers to Zen Buddhism through the characters of Yoda, known as "Zen Master." Yoda taught Luke Skywalker, a type of Buddhist monk, about the "everpresent Force"-a term used in witchcraft down through the ages to describe the power witches receive from Satan!
One might be inclined to say that even Snow White and The Wizard of Oz have some frightening elements, but the difference between these and more recent films does not necessarily lie in the content, but rather in the way the story is told. " Disney" films presented a world in which there was a moral order. There was a sweetness in the way the stories were told several levels removed from the vivid realism of Indiana Jones, for instance. In pursuit of ever-larger audiences, film makers have escalated the amount of violence, brutality, arid sensuality, and aimed it at ever younger and younger audiences.
Disregarding the often anti-Christian content of these films, it remains that through them children are being taught that the demons they regularly depict are real-and not only real, but often friendly and helpful if approached in the right way-and this idea is being reinforced by the toys which are based on the Films.
It is also evident that a great influence for good is exercised on children by frequently taking them-from the earliest age-to church, by having them kiss the holy Cross, the Gospel, the icons, and by covering them with veils. Likewise, at home frequently placing the child under the icons, frequently signing him with the sign of the Cross, sprinkling him with holy water, burning incense, making the sign of the Cross over his food, his cradle, and everything connected with him. The blessing of the priest, the bringing into the house of icons from the church, the service of molebens, and in general everything from the Church, in a wondrous way warms and nourishes the life of grace in the child and protects him from attacks by invisible, dark powers ever ready to infect the developing soul. Likewise, the spirit of faith and piety in the parents should be regarded as the most powerful means for the preservation, upbringing, and strengthening of the life of grace in children. - Розваги
0:00 Title
0:18 Introduction
1:51 The broader questions related to toys, children, and parents, quote by St. Theophan the Recluse
3:53 St. Diadochos on grace before and after baptism, parents need to nurture the grace
5:19 Marketing, television, and the root cause of the current attack on children
7:24 The nexus between toys and television, the often immoral and satanic influence from toy commercial and marketing
8:47 How some toys inhibit the development of a child’s imagination
10:17 Parents must strictly forbid certain toys, impure images inflicting the inner life of the child
11:10 Why are so many toys and cartoons based on occult symbolism?
12:01 A word on films, including E.T., Star Wars, Snow White, and Wizard of Oz
14:50 How we crush sin in our children and nourish the grace of God in them
17:37 The best of western Christian culture can act as a stepping stone in elevating the soul towards the higher, spiritual culture of the Church
18:31 Children must play, advice on the best toys and activities
21:00 Conclusion
My daughter and I listened to this before our homeschool session today. I was 11 when this article was written and lived in all the nihilism this society has to offer.
9:02 I remember this very thing happening to me when I watched Space Jam when I was around 4 or 5. I was playing with my toys and made them fight and one toy said "you want a pice of me?!?!" Which I heard in the movie. My mom was horrified and chastised me and I didn't understand why since it was just in the movie. Only years later did I understand.
Why was saying "you want a piece of me?" such a bad thing?
Thank you for sharing this article with us. Part of me wonders if children even play with toys anymore or if their parents just hand them a phone or tablet to keep them occupied. God bless you.
Its true! My brother is 4 and hes on an ipad many times through out the day... i worry for my brother and the newer generation😕
But everything said here would still apply, just shifted slightly to account for how it is now.
Thank you. I have now watched all of this. I pray that anyone who watches it sends it out to as many as possible. We know that things are worse now than when this was written. Thank you.
This was a very interesting Video, Im am almost 18 years old (not currently orthodox nor is anyone close to me), i am very interested in joining the church and your channel has been teaching me a lot.
I think my parents did a decent job with the Toys they brought me when i was little, but as you said TV had a lot of influence on children especially now, my youngest brother has picked up swearing which is something that no-one does in our house, (even though my father swears at work he never swears at home and neither do me or my middle brother) he is also very naughty at home, though however he rarely gets into trouble at school, when he brought his friend over who was 7 it was like i was talking to someone much older, continuously referencing video games swearing and homosexual jokes (i didn't even know what they were until i was 11 or 12) his older brother who is about the same age as my middle brother is a quiet respectable kid completely different to his younger, so i could tell it was external influence.
I am really ashamed at were my country is and how its lost all its christian values and replaced them with soulless values, we even get taught by our teachers that God isn't real, they show the children ridiculous arguments, and talk more about Islam without ever mentioning Eastern christianity once, they also indoctrinated us even me into thinking homosexaulity is good, showing us naked pictures of cartoon men and women during 6th year (primary school) and by the time we are 14 we become desensitised to that sort of thing, i am doing the best i can to teach and direct my brothers (even though i am pretty depressed myself) with a christian ish perspective on things, and its working a little my middle brother in high school has kept his belief (although anglican) in God, whilst he comes home saying they teach him about the Big bang and evolution in science and philosophy also teaching him about horrible anti-God theories, while also confusingly being pro-Islam and Judaism. so i reckon i'm doing ok at that even though most of my family are heterodox (including me atm).
Prayers for me and my family would be great, I am not sure what to do with myself and my life right now, God bless you all.
In what country do you live? What is your first name? I would like to pray for you by name. Your post moved me.
@SDAM beautiful story...beautiful thinking and request
Lord have mercy on you and your family
@@user-ee9go4dp1r England Samuel
As an Orthodox Christian, a parent and a sci fi fantasy writer I would say he’s pretty much correct, however I think there is something I see in Christianity at large that is a little bit of an issue when raising children.
With this train of thought you could say any and all science fiction, fantasy or myth genre story telling is satanic. He did say some positive things about early disney films which is a little confusing but I get what he means about the “moral world” the characters live in. It’s not nihilistic or post modern or trying to invert the truth. Twilight Zone was written in the same way. Immoral characters are punished and moral characters are rewarded.
I was raised by a Protestant parent who would not allow me to play with he man, the smurfs or watch the Simpsons. Anything “demonic” “disrespectful” or anything that had “witch craft” was basically banned from the house. This caused me to rebel even harder because I was smart enough to intuit that they were just stories and meant to infuse a greater theme or life lesson. He’s pretty much saying the same stuff. It’s a fine line to walk.
It took me about 40 years or so to return to Christianity through Orthodoxy.
As for the force and zen I’m not sure if it works. It’s definitely similar in some ways but the films leave it REALLLY vague as to not offend any one religion. It seems to be more about developing intuition and metal focus etc. Like in the example of targeting the exhaust port without the targeting computer. I’m sure Lucas knows nothing about orthodoxy so he’s probably not aware of demons in the way the orthodox are however he does warn again and again and again about the dark side of the force and how it is quicker and more seductive, etc. I see his point but I also think people are smart enough to know a fantasy science fiction movie VS real life. It’s all symbolism and allegory.
The example of Luke Skywalker refusing to kill his own father even though he is an evil man is pretty Christian if you ask me.
What about Lord of the Rings? It was written by a Catholic but has a mentor character named Gandalf who is a wizard. What would he have to say about this?
Or the Narnia stories? Aslan is a Lion, an animal who kills and eats meat, an animal to whom Christians were once fed. Who knows. Star Trek? I know Fr. Seraphim Rose had negative things to say about it.
It’s a difficult subject for sure. My opinion on it all is ever changing so who knows. Not me!
But I think the main take away is clear that little children should be shielded from questionable children’s toys therein related. The bit about the cardboard box was quite informative.
Another point is this, the Bible has a lot of intense subject matter in it as well. Even Noah’s ark which is often told to children is probably the most disturbing as it involved killing all creatures on land besides the content of a boat. Or Job who was a Godly man being made to suffer. This can be very confusing to a child. So much explanation, nuance and understanding is required. At what age can you tell a child Bible stories? Depends on the child I guess?
All I can do is pray that God will guide me in my parenting and do my best.
Forgive me.
I think a key difference is that Protestantism tends to devolve into vapid moralism. It's hollowness is proven by the bare walls where icons should be and guitars where sacred chanting should be. Yes your Protestant mother was correct in the general sense, but what replaced it? Very, very little. There's no grace filled mysteries and all the other things the Church provides us as aides.
How many words do we need to justify ourselves when we are convicted in our spirits?
Lol. @ OP
OP, Christianity is weird. Either accept it or.dont. I dont. So Im not Christian.
@@zephyrr108 what do you mean?
Am only at 3:35, but have seen the early comments below. So much comes to mind already from what Monk Hilarion has written. In the 90s, i guess, a movie based on some rather scary children's book got a great deal of criticism because of how frightening it was to children, and many adults. (I only remember the name of the actress, but will not even give initials here.) The movie used every bit of modern technology at its disposal and created a dreadful environment for the hearts and minds and psyches of children, in particular..
When people said, well, it's based on a scary book that children know about, one excellent teacher and mother answered that when children read or hear a scary book they allow themselves to feel the amount of fear they can handle. [Don't we do much of the same thing when we read about the last days, the last judgment (the LAST judgment, think of that alone..)? Don't we feel the weight of that differently on different days? Can we possibly come close to imagining the reality of that day.? Don't we protect ourselves to face what we can face at the times we read or hear these scriptures?]
The woman went on to say that in a movie theatre [even more so than at home, unless, i suppose, it is watched with those virtual reality goggles now] the child is confronted with a 'reality' from which he can't escape.. He can't limit his level of fear response.
No wonder children come out of such things terribly shaken at times. And i don't think they ever recover to what they were before..
Spend time with children who spend time in those entertainments. And then spend time with those who are basically protected from them.. There is a difference.
This is an amazingly helpful and relevant essay 30 years later. Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you, just in time for Winter Holiday
From personal experience, I believe children all around the world should learn modesty when it comes to owning toys. If there's anything I learned from Toy Story its this "Take care of your toys". Sid, being the little ball of chaos he was, often destroyed them just so his mom could buy more. Toys are important because they help a child's mind grow to develop which, in the best case scenario will help them discover what profession they wish to pursue. Living in today's world, it saddens me that more and more kids are becoming addicted to mere tablets and smartphones, as opposed to genuine handcrafted toys. The world needs more honest toymakers.
Listening to this: something struck me. The part where he is talking about the blacksmith shoe-ing horses and the baker selling bread... and ladies doing laundry down by the river sure sounds like the lyrics to belle's mean-to-the-villagers song at the start of beauty and the beast. Maybe someone at disney was familiar with this Monk's teaching and was very much not a fan.
This was 1989, beauty and the beast was 1991.
@@theunknowncommenter725 exactly my point :)
In this comments section:
>A bunch of millennials a little hurt about their pop culture icons being attacked
But in all seriousness though, as Gen Z funny enough I got to see many beloved franchises go from greatness to the absolute cringe-show they are today but ultimately, reflecting on it these (ideas, concepts, franchises) were always a reflection of the common consciousness of their era and its no surprise now that they've all fallen from their former "glory". Culture is downstream from morality and the toy/television industry is a perfect example of the changing whims of the culture of the times. It's hard to look with a critical eye at the toys and television we hold dear and grew up with, but ultimately we must always be aware of the spiritual forces that attach themselves to these things and be especially mindful of their influence on children.
Corinthians 13:11
The whole trap was for them to cause endearment at first on tender, childish hearts. After that is done, the kid-turned-man will hardly amputate a part of himself, specially a part of his own heart. I was raised in all this trash 30 years ago. I learned now to hate all these things - even the mention of it - that caused me so much mental and spiritual corruption...
A Gen Z making fun of Millenials. People have lost shame indeed.
When you say "sacred music", what type of music do you refer to?
Do you know what kids are exposed to today through hyper realistic video games? War, murder, all manner of violence not to mention sexual provocation. Most adults have NO idea. Millions of American kids spend hours every day assaulting and traumatizing themselves with these products by which others enrich themselves. Imagine what that does to their souls. Parents say it’s fine in moderation, not knowing the toxic content. These kids as they age will add videos of violent sports like MMA in which men bash in each other’s heads with knees, elbows and fists. They will view various real life tragedies caught on video cam. And porn without mercy. Then will be added the drugs that most of America is addicted to, cannabis and alcohol being practically required. Many will become depressed, maybe suicidal, or suffer from some mental health problem. Doctors will help some destroy their bodies through gender altering hormone blockers and surgeries. That’s the reality in America today and it’s only getting worse. The devil is doing much damage. Are we going to serve him or are we going to serve the Lord?
Finally someone talks about the violence. MMA and such.
MichaelK writes an interesting bit of satire, i hope, below here, about some new Russian Christian toys.
I almost told this true story earlier. Here goes: in 1994, not long after the end of the ussr, at midnight, Dec.31, 1991,i was with a group of college students and their professor on a cruise ship which took us from St. Petersburg to Moscow, with stops along the way. An amazing time for me to remember. We stopped in a town where we took walking tours, saw a musical show, and spent time in the large lobby there looking at crafts made by local citizens. One delightful little girl was selling her watercolors. I bought one. She signed it on the back for me, Natalia, 7 years old.
A Russian woman in our group did not like the idea that her parents were letting her actually sell things to strangers. Our local guide who knew the parents went over to talk with them...and find out why she was selling her artwork. He came back chuckling. She was earning money to buy a Ken for her Barbie..
Seemed cute at the time, though i was blessed to be too old to get interested in barbie's when they came out, but i sigh at ...well, you know...
Would you consider reading St. Gregory the Theologian's Oration 38 "On the Theophany, or birthday of Christ" on Christmas or sometime soon right before it?
Ok so these are the times of television where kids spend like half of their free time watching it. Where we are now when we have mobile phones, youtube kids and elsagate and we give these things to children just to be quiet
Even in orthodoxy there is fanaticism.
Reject star wars, embrace large cardboard box.
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If you have a reading/homily about video games it would be amazing if you can make a video about it. The state of video games today is alarming. There are openly satanic and demonic games. (Looking at you Diablo IV - the front page for the game is literally a demon). Many people from the newer generations (lots of them kids) play video games. Some games provokes sexuality (lots of younger kinds are playing League of Legends and let's say the images right there are inappropriate). I myself enjoy Age of Empires 2 and games like Call to Arms / Syrian Warfare (I'm not saying I made the right choice by playing these games).
What I find with Christianity is this. The message is somewhat important specially for a lost society. But the technicalities are weird. Weird names and religious thoughtforms. Specially Cath and Ortho.
"Weird names"...like Greek names? Greek is more precise to convey the 'religious thoughtforms' (whatever that may mean) than English most of the time. So, I'd say that modern English - which is mostly Latin- based - is far more weird in its dearth of nuance born of its tendency toward modernist reductionism.
It can't get more simple than this, folks. Get rid of your TV. 'k? That's the first step. This video is extremely naive. Do these orthodox people even know the truth of disney?
Good News to righteous Parents:
His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow, blessed Kirill, has approved of a line of toys intended to inculcate Christian values and protect from corrupt and decadent Western sinfulness.
These toys are soon going to be available in the narthex of your local church, just in time for Old Calendar Christimas !
Among the offerings -- manufactured with quality in a conservative third country with an emerging toy industry -- are the charming and family friendly Ivan and Tatiana doll set.
Married and with eight young children (each sold separately) Ivan and Tatiana are the model based Russian couple.
For the boys, Heroic Ivan is dressed for the special military operation in his dashing Russian Army uniform and AK-74 assault rifle (ammo, rations and winter clothes not included).
While girls will love the way the Tatiana doll transforms from an edgy teenage punk-rock idol to a mature, responsible babushka when you turn her head around backwards and baptize her in freezing water.
Other toys include Ivan's Jack-in-the-Box, an accurate replica of a T-80 tank with a live action spring up turret, and Tatiana's best friend Lubyana who can keep her company while Ivan is saving Ukraine from global homo.
This was such a weird comment
@@leopistis3560 I guess you had to be there.
If this is sarcasm please step away from your device and go touch some grass and get some fresh air, however if your are being serious..... at least give him a few other career options and I'd buy it
Thank you for taking the time to write this beautiful piece of satire 👏
I remember this horribly outdated and out of touch article. There is so much wrong and misunderstanding of pop culture from 1989 here that it's embarrassing and hard to go through all of them. This kind of cringey and ignorant misunderstanding of pop culture is the kind of stuff that is more reminiscent of Protestantism than Orthodoxy.
I don't like to disagree with Orthodox Fathers on much, but this is definitely the exception.
It is possible to love the best of pop culture and be a faithful Orthodox Christian at the same time.
1989? I thought he wrote it this morning.
The author even points out that films such as Snow White and Wizard of Oz are far superior to the likes of Star Wars and E.T.
It’s not as black and white as you seem to think it is, but some things should certainly be avoided altogether.
Saint Fr Seraphim Rose has things to say about how bad ET is with its false prophet alien worship (paraphrase) in his biography.
@@OrthodoxWisdom That's one of the reason why I find this article so objectionable.
Star Wars is a modern fairy tale/myth set in space. The Force is a metaphor for all religions. Though I can attribute this article's lack of vision towards the fact it was written in 1989, back when the only Star Wars was the original trilogy, and we didn't have the addition depth the prequel trilogy and expanded universe provided.
No, not everything is pop culture is godly, but the author was looking in all the wrong places. Also there is NO WAY that Snow White is better than Star Wars.
pop “culture” is cancerous, and always has been.
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