Ch9: Faith

• Stages of Faith; Childhood:

  • A child observes the actions of siblings or parents and repeats the actions themselves
  • They may learn to pray even though they may not understand what they're doing
  • This stage is known as a passive phase due to the child tending to accept what they're taught and told
• Stages of Faith; Adolescence:

  • Can be described as a questioning phase, as the adolescent begins to question what they're taught and debate people
  • They are trying to figure out what they are trying to believe in, they question why certain things happen and they learn what is important to them
  • An adolescent may turn to a trusted adult and people their age for assistance or help for their questions.
  • They may no longer believe what they used to believe in, making them turn away from God or religion
• Stages of Faith; Mature:

  • Focuses on relationships, where the older the person gets, the more life experiences they have
  • This means they are able to form deep relationships with others
  • Just because a person is mature doesn't mean they don't ask questions; they just know where to go to get an answer
  • They too can experience times of questioning their religious beliefs
  • Their relationship with God could have helped them in times of difficulty; loneliness, loss, pain, doubt
  • A person with mature faith is less likely to walk away from religion when it is challenged, like an adolescent