Thursday, October 9, 2008

Charlotte Mason on Theology "In Her Own Words"

Theology, divinity, the knowledge of God, by whatever name we call it, is a sphere in which, more than any other, we must needs be ruled by the instructed conscience; and yet we are apt to think, as do the children, that God requires us to be good, and punishes us when we are bad; and this is all we care to know about religion: we leave out of count that knowledge of God which, we have it on the authority of Christ himself,'is eternal life.'
Perhaps it is because the word 'eternal' casts our thoughts into the far future, about which we do not much concern ourselves.  We do not realise that eternity is past, present, and to come.  Life, in any real sense, is the knowledge of God now; and, without that knowledge, there cannot be the free and joyous activity of our powers, the glow of our feelings, the happy living, free from care, the open eye for all beauty, the open heart for all goodness, the responsive mind, the tender heart, the aspiring soul-which go to make up fulness of life. Most people live a poor maimed life, as though they carried about one or other mortified limb, dead in itself and a burden to the body.  But they do not realise that their minds are slow and their hearts heavy for want of the knowledge which is life.
~ Ourselves  by C. M. Mason pgs 79-80

2 comments:

Dr Ben Bernier said...

Dear Gladys,

I appreciate your effort in presenting Mason in her own words;
specially from the book "Ourselves" which is so often left out of the picture in regard to Mason's method.

Thank you,

My name is Benjamin Bernier,

I am a pastor, and homeschool dad of seven boys, who made his doctoral dissertation studying Charlotte Mason's Philosophy.

I came across your blog looking for people interested in Charlotte Mason's original writings; and I thought that you would like to know about my recent publication:

Scale How 'Meditations' by Charlotte M. Mason,
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/scale-how-meditations/15100538#detailsSection

The meditations are a record of a series of Sunday talks delivered by Mason during the year 1898, at the House of Education, "Scale How" in Ambleside Uk, where she presents a verse by verse commentary on the first chapters of the Gospel according to St. John.

I found this collection while doing my research at the Armitt library in Ambleside.
Most people are not aware that Mason wrote these, and that they are an amazing source of devotional inspiration and instruction in the art of Christian meditation.

That is why I am spreading the word so that more people may benefit from this important resource in Charlotte Mason's, as you well say, "own words".

Let me know if you have any question,
You may found more information at my blog:
http://educationforthekingdom.blogspot.com/

Thank you for your attention to this comment, (I am sorry to use the comment section but I could not find anyother way to email you.)

At your service,

Benjamin Bernier

--
“This duty of devout meditation seems to me the most important part of the preparation of the mother or other teacher who would instruct children in the things of the Divine life.”
Charlotte M. Mason.
=====
The Rev. Dr. Benjamin E. Bernier
benbernier@providencerec.org
http://educationforthekingdom.blogspot.com/
=====

Dr Ben Bernier said...

Dear Gladys,

Thank you for you comment, concerning the Meditations,
Feel free to contact me at my email
address:
benbernier@providencerec.org

thank you,

Ben