Age

[Greg the byzantine]

Do you think a person's age should be a factor in determining how serious you take a poster, as well as the overall credibility of the poster is on TAW?

If so do you think there is a cut off age?

Please answer the poll, it is anonymous. But please do make comments below as it interests me.

Also if you do believe it does, please provide the age at which you do think they can be taken seriously, or their statments are credible.

[Nickolai]

I think TAW is in a different situation than the rest of CF in this regard. I would say that the actual TAWers are all people that are smart enough to understand Orthodox Theology, and to be here one usually cares about Orthodox Theology enough to learn it well. So age doesn't play much of a role (although age does often = wisdom).

Many young people in other christian groups just don't care much about theology, many of these people are the ones where age matters in determining whether or not to listen to them. If someone is 15 and fundigelical (Yes ExOrienteLux, if you ever come on here again, I stole your word) then they more often than not don't really have a grasp on anything theological.

This however may be my own observation, as I was a "youth minister" in my old church, and this is what I noticed in the children I took care of.

Reader Nikolai

[Orthocat]

Tough question.

I am over the hill age wise, or at least looking down from it.
I have some young friends on here that I have learned greatly from.
I'm not sure that wisdom comes with age. I'm an old fool that often puts my foot in my mouth.

I guess posters should be taken individually by their posts, instead of what age they are.
Spiritual maturity is not a product of our physical age.

[choirfiend]

I approach each poster separately, letting their posting speak for them rather than the age which accompanies them.

[Mary of Bethany]

I answered "no". I have seen too many well thought out, mature posts from teenagers to dismiss them because of age.

Of course, having posters like Marjorie and Greg and Melethiel and many others I'm sure I could list, has sort of skewed my thinking on this. :)

Mary

[If Not For Grace]

We are the sum total of our experience, which in my HO
overrides the influence of the gene pool. With age should come wisdom. But without it (age) wisdom is rare.

[HandmaidenOfGod]

I think that everyone's post has validity to it, regardless of the year of birth of the poster.

I have seen teenagers make remarkably wise and mature statements, and I have seen middle-aged people make remarkably *ahem* un-wise statements.

It all depends on the individual.

[Happy Orthodox]

I would say that the actual TAWers are all people that are smart enough to understand Orthodox Theology... If someone is 15 and fundigelical then they more often than not don't really have a grasp on anything theological.

Eh, you lost me at the "most often", man :scratch:

;)

I would say, I believe that a person 11 years of age wouldn't lie and be honest, but I would hesitate to trust their opinion on certain things. Older people, however, are not always honest, and I may not believe them immediately (of course, I am not talking about TAWers). But I would still hesitate to trust their opinion... I'm confused. :cry:Heck, I don't trust even my own opinion! So, nah, age don't matter. It's all individual. You can be a dum-dum at any age. And I don't believe that people ever grow out of duminess, so that you're somehow dum at 11 and not dum at 30. Something like that.

[The Prokeimenon!]

I answered "other."

St. Athanasius was wiser in his faith as a kid than I'll probably ever be.

But I wouldn't ask a 13 year-old, no matter how theologically wise, for marriage advice.

Does that make sense?

Rdr Moses

[rusmeister]

I said age makes a difference. But only due to experience. In terms of intelligence, it makes no difference.

Still, experience generally has value. If you haven't had time to be married yourself (due to youth), it's obviously more difficult to make wise observations about someone's problems with marriage, for instance. That's where the seasoning of experience comes in. An older person has had more time to do stupid things, and (hopefully) learn from them.
But I don't think anyone's comments should be discounted merely due to age. (Lewis said that 'merely' is a dangerous word!)

[wynd]

I voted undecided. Like someone said, it's all about experience. I'm not even Orthodox, so there are probably many 13-year-olds who know a great deal more than I do.

Also, Nickolai, just use "evangementalist" to avoid accusations of stealing. I think it sounds better anyway :thumbsup:

[Greg the byzantine]

Quite a few people have voted and commented on this thread, and I thank you.

I am still interested in more input, if others would be so kind.

[Melethiel]

Depends on the person.

[Brushstroke]

It depends on the person really.

Some teenagers tend to be more mature than others, even adults. I've seen that this is usually based on life experience and/or intelligence.

[DonVA]

I think I would have voted "yes" twenty years ago, when I was in my 20s and ignoring the advice of people younger than I am. I voted "no." It seems to me that today's kids are exposed to so MUCH "adult" stuff at a much younger age than I was, that I can't help but pay attention to their opinions when they're finally capable of forming informed and intelligent ones (and there are a lot of those on TAW!) They're basing them on the wealth of information available to them today, and on their observations of the world around them.

My vision might be skewed by years of viewing through the same old eyes. It's refreshing for me to see how people of different ages view the same things.

It's also nice when they remain open to what WE have to say, instead of simply tuning us out because we're "old." (My 13 year old son, for example...)

I DO believe it was one of the teenagers on this forum that took it upon himself to advise me on how to post a picture on CF! (Right, Greg?) :thumbsup:

[Matrona]

Absolutely not. I believe that this kind of call needs to be made on an individual basis.

Also, I don't take people seriously just because they're older than me. I've seen enough people who are thoroughly undeserving of the respect accorded them by others based on their age or so-called experience or education.

[zhilan]

I think TAW is in a different situation than the rest of CF in this regard. I would say that the actual TAWers are all people that are smart enough to understand Orthodox Theology, and to be here one usually cares about Orthodox Theology enough to learn it well. So age doesn't play much of a role (although age does often = wisdom).

Many young people in other christian groups just don't care much about theology, many of these people are the ones where age matters in determining whether or not to listen to them. If someone is 15 and fundigelical (Yes ExOrienteLux, if you ever come on here again, I stole your word) then they more often than not don't really have a grasp on anything theological.

This however may be my own observation, as I was a "youth minister" in my old church, and this is what I noticed in the children I took care of.

Reader Nikolai

Great point. I answered it was a factor, but that was before reading what you just said. I agree with you 100%. If a 13 year old can get on and talk about Orthodox theology I'll listen to them and respect them over a 23 year old "fundigelical." :)

[NyssaTheHobbit]

I've found myself getting advice or wise words from a teenager...while I was in my 20s.... Hubby's cousin amazed me with how wise she was even in high school/college. I did a lot of stupid things in college. Also, regarding spiritual things, I knew a lot when I was a teenager, but it was mostly restricted to my own church's doctrines, Pat Robertson's doctrines, and "why we aren't Catholics." If I'd had the Internet in those days, not just little BBS's to play with, who knows what church I'd be in today.....

[rusmeister]

I don't think a reasonable person would deny that wisdom can come out of the mouths of babes. In that respect, it's good to not be 'age-ist'. But I wouldn't want to rush to the other extreme and discount experience altogether. It sounds like a lot of the responses are rushing to avoid the extreme of sneering at youth. I certainly wouldn't want to imply that younger folk don't have things of value to say.

Experience should not be treated as a thing of little value, though. Employers are very interested in it on resumes because they understand the value of it. Why should we value it any less?

Also, I think that the (mostly Eastern) cultures that respect age have it more right than the Western idea that "there is no difference". Age ought to be respected. For what it is, not for what it is not, of course. It's not a golden ticket to wisdom. But their experience is worth listening to.