In a recent post I mentioned how much I had enjoyed Doug Phillip's (Vision Forum) teaching on the Greeks as he compared them with the Hebraic model and my dear friend Jen asked if I could share a bit about what I learned, so I watched the DVD again and took careful notes. Here is what he shared....

All ideas, beliefs, thoughts and actions can be categorized into one of two categories: man-centered or God-centered.  The Greeks views on life were man-centered and based on the presupposition that man is the highest measure we have to judge all things by.  In stark contrast is Hebraic thinking which is of course God-centered and based upon the presupposition that God is the highest measure upon which all things are judged.

These are the two worldviews that were competing clear back in the Garden of Eden.  Remember that the temptation Satan used was that Adam and Eve could be like gods themselves.  They had a choice to either keep themselves submitted to God and continue to learn through their relationship with Him or attain knowledge themselves.  Be God-centered or be man-centered.

The Greeks believed (long before Darwin) that man is ever evolving into a more god-like being (a modern day super hero or in their time mythological half man half god being) and therefore worshipped man in many different ways always striving to become that supreme god man.  They worshiped the body and this is evidenced by the sculptures and forms of art produced from this time period and those influenced by it on throughout history (we even see so many of our own national buildings influenced by Greek architecture by those seeking to instill the Greek model into our society during the post colonial era.)  Nakedness was common and even the Olympics were competed completely in the buff.  We can see this problem here in America today with pornography being just as popular now as it was back then.  We see worship of body in other forms today also. The idea of "Love at first site", tight fitting clothes and skimpy swimwear to name a few.

The Greeks also worshipped youth and strength evidenced by the Olympic games. Of course these are still present today as well as so many other similar contests. We have strongman contests and ironman contest and every kind of professional sport imaginable.  These men and women are idolized today for their skill not virtue.

The Greeks were an entertainment centered society spending much time at the theatre, symposia, and other gathering places.  This is the center of our America culture now also.  We have every kind of entertainment there could possibly be right in our own homes no less! And the idea that we should be ever entertained comes into every area of life (including education- how many curriculums are boasted for being the most fun?)

The Greeks also worshipped the State believing that the State was supreme and a man's worth was dependant on what he could contribute to the State.  Sound familiar? Read my previous post  here for more about this.

As you can see the Greek culture was a 'me' centered society to say the least as humanism and individualism reigned supreme, but the Hebrew culture was the complete opposite as God reigned supreme and life was family oriented.  All of life centered around the family and relationships with each other.  The family did everything together- worship, business, education, etc...  The home was the training ground for the children to be trained up in the way of the Lord.  They worshipped the one true God. They were also work oriented as they sought to take dominion over everything God had given them to steward. As stated before God's truth was the authority by which all of life was measured.  Today we see itching ears that follow whichever belief suits them at the time. Read this previous post about this.

So with all this said- which best describes our current culture?

Please- if anyone can contribute more here - I would love to hear from you! I know this study goes much deeper than the little bit I shared here and many of you Principle Approach moms have studied out the Hebrew model for education and are implementing it into your homeschool. Please share...