What should we be versed in to prepare for our lives as strong fathers and spiritual warriors? I get demotivated when I'm not self improving and have nothing to do all day, so I'm going to try to finally learn Latin and learn differential equations along with getting serious again about the gym. What skills do you think are important?
Skills Christians should know
Jaxson Harris
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Sebastian Brooks
Who needs differential equations? Learn a trade.
Ethan Reyes
Scientists who want to get us to other planets maybe?
Leo Lopez
I like math and find it useful, I plan to be a software engineer but would study it even if I was retired.
Isaac Stewart
Gardening and cooking
Both are time consumimg but totally worth it at the end of the day. The feeling you get from planting your own food and than cooking it is satisfying, with the added bonus of it being better for your health than buying processed fastfood chock full of Lord knows what.
Adrian Lopez
Koine Greek, Latin, biblical Hebrew
An honest trade
Being charitable and forgiving
Some form of self defense
Jaxon Bennett
The septuagint is in Koine so this isn't really necessary tbh
What do you do to improve this skill?
Asher Williams
Man, it's tough. Follow Jesus's example. But that response is cowardly on my part.
Really it's probably a lifelong struggle. Be patient with atheists and idiots and others, but don't be meek if it means denying your faith our not protecting your family and home. When you have the urge to be upset or impatient, suffer the trial with humility.
It's hard, man. Especially without falling into effeminate behavior or cowardice. Because that's not the spirit of humility either.
I think it helps to read some atheist posts on plebbit sometimes, because it never fails to make me angry. It helps me try to confront my anger and indignation - but it's still a struggle. I often feel like I wish I could kick all these people into the sun and that's not exactly charitable.
Brayden Robinson
After learning Classical Latin, be sure to learn Classical Greek. The Near Eastern languages are a bonus. The biggest thing you can do is to not get bogged down in courses and just read a concise grammar and start reading. The Latin Vulgate is great since it's probably the easiest proper Latin you'll ever read. Also, by learning the Classical forms of each language, the later forms will quickly fall in place and you'll be able to better deal with the intricacies of each. If you have any questions about it, just ask.
Julian Butler
Yeah I'd actually rather learn classical Greek but Latin seems easier to start and I want to be able to teach both to my children anyway.
I'm starting with Lingua Latina per se Illustratum and supplementing it with an old grammar book or two. Then I'll read whatever I can at that skill level
Actually yes, what resources would you recommend to learn Greek? I like the natural approach LL uses for Latin.
Leo Miller
Gardening/farming.
Carson Johnson
You should definitely learn Latin before Greek.
There is a difference between how one approaches an ancient language and a modern language. The direct method may work very well for modern languages, but I'm not convinced it works so well for ancient languages. The strength of the direct method comes from listening. The brain learns language by listening. You can't do that with ancient languages. The only real input you're going to get is vocalizing what you're reading. Luckily, reading is how we learn most of what we know. We retain much more information from our reading than we do from our listening. I'm not going to say Lingua Latina is bad, because it's not. It's designed to build reading fluency. The best thing you can do, I believe, is to read a lot. And by a lot, I do mean a lot. I'd recommend reading through Bennett's New Latin Grammar, and whatever other grammars strike your fancy.
As for a grammar, there's nothing better than Smyth. As for the natural approach, there's nothing comprehensive in Greek. Greek resources are even worse than Latin. Unfortunately, college programs are bad nowadays, too. If you insist on a full direct approach course, Athenaze approximates that, but is really a grammar-translation course. There are some smaller volumes you can find online that are like Lingua Latina. Check the textkit forums. For both Greek and Latin, I suggest just grabbing a text that's hard, but not too hard, and sitting down and grinding through it. Read, don't translate.
Christopher Rivera
Gardening and wood-working.
Joshua Ward
I wish I had an opportunity to learn woodworking. My grandfather was (still is) a master woodworker but he lives 10 hours away and I've never been close with him.
Alexander Ross
Do you have a decent tablet or a TV that can show Youtube? You can set that up in your shop and learn that way. Not quite the same as learning from your grandpa, though.
Hunter Sullivan
Lol, I'm a college dorm student, maybe once I get my own place. It's the same thing that keeps me from gardening but I still do hydroponics and am starting to raise carnivorous plants.
Luke Bailey
Anyone know any natural approach books for Russian, German, French?
Grayson Ward
Pick three skills and integrate them with your community. If you do the second part right then you'll have everything you need and most of what you want.
Skill 1: something to make honest money, that you can keep applying in your off time as long as you're fit and sober. In other words, a trade.
Skill 2: something to make useful things you desire as a hobby, like woodworking. Some projects to keep, some to gift, some to sell for side money, some to give to the needy.
Skill 3: something to help make people happy or help you connect with them better, like music or languages. Something that helps you stand out as a person who builds meaningful skills instead of only amusing yourself with all your idle time.
If twenty people did this in a group, they could provide for two hundred children between them while also making themselves happy every day.
Ethan Barnes
Cooking, gardening, sewing, cleaning; any homemaking skills are useful in their own rights. Language and communication arts are for spreading the gospel and peacemaking; instead of being an obnoxious nuisance like some overzealous door-to-doors or street preachers, be charismatic like our Lord, we are to be as innocent as doves and as wise as serpents. First aid skills should the need arise, you will have the power to save someones life.
Mathematics and physics are useful if you wish to make your own architectural design to build your own house or make one for others, make a watermill, or any home DIY projects.
Jayden Ward
I know of a ROCOR priest who earns his bread from being an electrician, it has given a certain independence from the heirarchy and their dubious ecclestiatical matters.
Christian Wilson
Seriously? If you want to take said "trade" beyond the monkey level you need at least a basic understanding of Math. Obviously don't sacrifice practical skills, but still
Wyatt Roberts
I took some Latin and Greek in high school and I'm planning on going back to studying them too (especially the New Testament in Greek). There's some great tools to study ancient texts online such as perseus.tufts.edu
Christopher Price
Painting. Piano. Vocal. Composition. Pottery. Poetry. Study Latin, then Greek. Dont bother with Hebrew, there isn't a practical use for it and Hebrew manuscripts are all corrupted anyways.