Religion In Childhood And Adolescence

This Handbook draws together leading social scientists in the world from multiple disciplines to articulate what is known and needs to be known about spiritual development in childhood and adolescence.

First published in 1964, Religious Thinking from Childhood to Adolescence describes the capacities of pupils of varying ages, abilities and backgrounds to understand religious truths. How concepts of the Bible, of God, of Jesus, of Prayer and of the Church developed from the early years is seen within the psychological context of maturing thought, and the implications for religious education, which are provocative and far-reaching, are explored. Teachers, clergy and parents will find this book a challenge to reconsider not only how the growing child views what he is taught but also the reasons why he frequently misunderstands religious teaching. By presenting a systematic account of religious thinking from 6 to 17 years, Dr. Goldman adds a new dimension to our insights into child development.

Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality: Perspectives from the World's Religious Traditions provides a forum for prominent religious scholars to examine the state of religious knowledge and theological reflection on spiritual development in childhood and adolescence. Featuring essays from thinkers representing the world's major religious traditions, the book introduces new voices, challenges assumptions, raises new questions, and broadens the base of knowledge and investment in this important domain of life. Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality will set the stage for new waves of scholarship and dialogue within and across traditions, disciplines, and cultures that will enrich understanding and strengthen how the world's religious traditions, and others, understand and cultivate the spiritual lives of children and adolescents around the globe.

This volume presents multidisciplinary perspectives on the role of cultural values and religious beliefs in adolescent development.

Everyone knows there are differences between the religiosity of children, youth, and adults. We need no reminder that growing older can bring profound and diverse changes in the way individuals pray, talk about God, and worship. Equally obvious is the diversity we find in the public face of adult religion and in the private thoughts and feeling of those from the same religion. But what is the common core in all this diversity? Is there a basic mother structure of religious feeling and thinking that binds the diversity we find across ages and across different expressions of public and private religion? This volume of New Directions for Child Development addresses these questions from the developmental perspectives of different theories. More specifcally, the volume is about the development of private religion and the inner dynamic that pushes children, youth, and adults to construct and reform their views and change their feelings as they mature and adapt to life's new problems. This is the 52nd issue of New Directions for Child Development. For mre information on the series, please see the Journals and Periodicals page.

This Element provides a comprehensive yet concise account of scientific research on children's religious and spiritual (RS) development. After providing a historical sketch of definitional issues in the science of RS, the first section reviews basic descriptive information on children's RS development as well as wholistic theoretical models and measures of children's RS development. The second section covers evidence about links of child and parental RS to children's psychosocial adjustment, and highlights the need for more research that discriminates specific positive and negative manifestations of RS for children's development. The third section summarizes evidence about the robust influence of parents on their children's RS development and parents' perceptions of their role in this process. The fourth section focuses on cognitive-developmental research on children's cognitions about God/deities and prayer. The Element concludes with a synopsis of key themes and challenges that researchers face to advance the science of children's RS development.