An open conversation was held at the Onufrievsky Palace of Culture for students in grades 1–7 on the topic “Christian teaching about man and the challenges of modern technologies”translated

On October 21, an open conversation was held at the Onufrievsky Palace of Culture for students in grades 1–7. The rector of the Assumption Church, Priest Mikhail Sorokin, took part in the meeting. The event was held as part of the XXXV International Christmas Educational Readings, the main theme of which this year was formulated as “Christian teaching about man and the challenges of modern technologies.”

At the beginning of the conversation, the priest told the children about the Christian understanding of the human person. Father Mikhail recalled that, according to religious doctrine, man is created in the image and likeness of God, which means he has free will, reason and an immortal soul, which requires the same care as the body.

The central part of the meeting was a conversation about the challenges of the digital era. Speaking about modern technologies, Priest Mikhail Sorokin noted that smartphones, neural networks and social networks themselves are not evil. Particular attention was paid to the problem of clip thinking and dependence on gadgets. Using simple examples, Father Mikhail explained to schoolchildren how an endless stream of short videos tires the brain and makes it difficult to concentrate on prayer, reading books or live conversation.

The teachers thanked the priest for the relevant and honest conversation.