“Family Structure, Educational Liberty and Creative Genius”

The Natural Family As An “Idea to Fix the World” - 11th Annual Rhodes Meeting, World Public Forum, Dialogue of Civilizations

(Rhodes, Greece) Dr Allan C. Carlson, International Secretary of the World Congress of Families and President of the Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society spoke “Family Structure, Educational Liberty and Creative Genius” at the Rhodes Forum October 2-6. Dr. Carlson, one of the foremost authorities on the history of the family and the author of 14 books, presented twice during the conference including the “Family and Education Plenary” and the “Closing Plenary.”

Drawing on natural family research and the writings of Russian-born American Sociologist, Pitirim Sorokin, Carlson described the current “Sensate Culture” and proposed two essential steps necessary to build a new “Idealistic Order” with the natural family at its center: 

(1) “Fundamentally, marriage and the family must be restored to their place of dignity among the great values in human life, not to be trifled with.”

(2) Turning to the subject of education, Dr. Carlson also used Sorokin’s work, explaining that schools needed to escape from sterile attention to mere job training, “animalistic theories of man,” and “degrading sensate ideologies.” 

Instead, schools should be organized to develop attitudes of duty and altruism in the young, to imbue “true wisdom” and not intellectual fads, and to nurture “creative geniuses,” in those necessary few who would guide the building of an Idealistic Culture.

Each autumn for the past decade on the historic Greek Island of Rhodes, more than 500 of the world’s leading scholars, researchers, authors, business people, communicators and officeholders, from over 60 countries, have gathered to dialogue and find common ground for solving the interrelated problems of an increasingly complex world.

Sponsored by the World Public Forum and called the Dialogue of Civilizations, the conference is informally known as The Rhodes Forum. This year marked the 11thAnniversary of The Rhodes Forum, which was held October 2-6, with the theme “Age of the World Picture.” For the first time this year, an entire plenary session was devoted to “Family and Education.”

Discussion focused on:

• Family and education as the necessary steps to restore an idealistic culture
• The current crisis of the family (ethical, and social aspects of values, the impact of modern biotechnology)
• The anti-family values imposed on developing nations by Western elites
• The role of the natural family in the spiritual and moral education of children and young people, and the continuity of the dialogue of generation
• The purposes of education
• Character education and virtues
• Family upbringing and “Wholistic” education

The session was moderated by: (1) Natalya Yakunina, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, “Sanctity of Motherhood” Program, vice-president of St. Andrew the First-called Foundation and wife of Vladimir Yakunin, founder and president of the World Public Forum, and (2) Larry Jacobs, World Congress of Families Managing Director and Vice President of The Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society.

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