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Vocation

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	Vocation
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	Topics Vocation Topic Home A vocation is an occupationOccupation Occupation may refer to:* the principal activity that earns money for a person... for which a personPerson Summary A person is defined by philosophers as a being who is in possession of a range of psychological capacities that are regarded... is suited, trained or qualifiedQualification Overview The term qualification may refer to:... . It is also the inclination to undertake a certain kind of workEmployment Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee.... , especially a religious careerCareer The Oxford English Dictionary says one's career is one's "course or progress through life".... ; often in response to a perceivedPerception In psychology and the cognitive sciences, perception is the process of acquiring, interpreting, selecting, and organizing se... summonsSummons A summons is a legal document issued by a court or by an administrative agency of government for various purposes.... ; a callingCalling #Calling in poker is a type of bet, where one matches the previous bet.... . This type of vocation is either professionalProfession A profession is an occupation that requires extensive training and the study and mastery of specialized knowledge, and usual... or voluntaryVolunteer The term volunteer is contested — there is no one agreed-to definition, and the term is frequently debated.... , that is carried out more for its altruisticAltruism Overview Altruism is the practice of placing others before oneself.... benefit than for incomeIncome Income, generally defined, is the money that is received as a result of the normal business activities of an individual or a... , which might be regarded as a secondary aspect of the vocation, however beneficial. Background Vocations can be seen as fulfilling a psychologicalPsychology Psychology is an academic and applied field involving the study of the human mind, brain, and behavior.... or spiritualFacts About Spirituality Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit.... need for the worker, and the term can also be used to describe any occupation for which a person is specifically gifted, and usually implies that the worker has a form of "calling" for the task. The word "vocation" comes from the LatinLatin Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome.... vocare, meaning "to call"; , however, its usage before the sixteenth century, particularly in the VulgateVulgate The Vulgate Bible is an early 5th century version of the Bible in Latin partly revised and partly translated by Jerome on th... , refers to the calling of all humankind to salvation, with its more modern usage of a life-task first employed by Martin LutherMartin Luther Martin Luther was a German monk, priest, professor, theologian, and church reformer.... . The idea of vocation is central to the Christian belief that God has created each person with gifts and talents oriented toward specific purposes and a way of life. Particularly in the OrthodoxOrthodox Church Several Christian Churches or church bodies are commonly referred to as "Orthodox".... and Catholic Churches, this idea of vocation is especially associated with a divine call to service to the Church and humanity through particular vocational life commitments such as marriage to a particular person, consecration as a religious, ordination to priestly ministry in the Church and even a holy life as a single person. In the broader sense, Christian vocation includes the use of ones gifts in their profession, family life, church and civic commitments for the sake of the greater common good. The idea of a vocation or "calling" has been pivotal within ProtestantismProtestantism Protestantism is one of three main groups currently within Christianity.... . Martin LutherMartin Luther Summary Martin Luther was a German monk, priest, professor, theologian, and church reformer.... taught that each individual was expected to fulfill his God-appointed task in everyday life. Although the Lutheran concept of the calling emphasized vocation, there was no particular emphasis on labor beyond what was required for one's daily bread. CalvinismCalvinism Calvinism is a system of Christian theology and an approach to Christian life and thought within the Protestant tradition ar... transformed the idea of the calling by emphasizing relentless, disciplined labor. In the Institutes of the Christian ReligionInstitutes of the Christian Religion *Institutes of the Christian Religion* is John Calvin's seminal work on Protestant theology. ... (1536), Calvin defined the role of "The Christian in his vocation." He noted that God has prescribed appointed duties to men and styled such spheres of life vocations or callings. Calvinists distinguished two callings: a general calling to serve GodGod God is the deity believed by monotheists to be the supreme reality.... and a particular calling to engage in some employment by which one's usefulness is determined. The PuritanPuritan The Puritans were originally members of a group of English Protestants seeking "purity" — further reforms from the est... minister Cotton MatherCotton Mather Cotton Mather . B.A. 1678 , M.A. 1681; honorary doctorate 1710 , was a socially and politically influential Puritan ministe... , in A Christian at his Calling (1701), described the obligations of the personal calling as, "some special business, and some settled business, wherein a Christian should for the most part spend the most of his time; so he may glorify God by doing good for himself." Mather admonished that it wasn't lawful ordinarily to live without some calling, "for men will fall into "horrible snares and infinite sins." This idea has endured throughout the history of Protestantism. Three centuries after John Calvin's death, Thomas CarlyleThomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle was a Scottish essayist, satirist, and historian, whose work was hugely influential during the Victorian era.... (1843) would proclaim, "The latest GospelGospel In Christianity, gospel means "good news".... in this world is, 'know thy work and do it.'" The legacy of this religious ethic continues to exert its influence in an increasingly secular world. Modern occupations which are seen as vocations often include those where a combination of skill and community help are implied, such as medical, care-giving, and veterinary occupations. Occupations where rewards are seen more in spiritual or other non-financial terms, such as religious occupations, are also seen as vocations. Borderline occupations, where community serviceCommunity service Community service refers to service that a person performs for the benefit of his or her local community.... and more personal reward are more evenly balanced, such as politicsPolitics Politics is the process by which groups make decisions.... , may often be regarded as vocations. Many forms of humanitarian campaigning, such as work for organisations such as Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organization with the stated purpose of campaigning for internat... and GreenpeaceGreenpeace Greenpeace is an international environmental organization founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1971.... can also be considered vocations, although the term tends to imply that the activity is a full-time job rather than a part-time activity or hobbyHobby A hobby is a spare-time recreational pursuit.... .... The emerging church movement, catholic social thought, and an increased interest in reformation thought has renewed interest in the Christian idea of vocation. Another aspect of vocation is working through how to define/discuss/and revitalize the importance of vocational thought not defined by an official church body. Several books have discussed this topic as well as the Catholic Church has defined the calling of the worker in Laborem Exercens. Books that have attempted to define / clarify aspects of vocation: A Theology of the Laity by Hendrik Kraemer The Fabric of this World by Lee Hardy Your Work Matters to God by Doug Sherman and William Hendricks The Call by Os Guinness The Preaching Life by Barbara Brown Taylor Let Your Life Speak by Parker J. Palmer See also Calling (LDS Church) External links