In Chapter 15 Dana Kennamer Hood (Children's Spirituality, Donald Ratcliff ed. p.233-248) looks at "Six Children Seeking God: Exploring Childhood Spiritual Development In Context. " She looks at six kindergarteners (through interview and observation) in the context of family, faith community, larger community, still noting that they are processing life as unique individuals. They are not just absorbing, they are active participants. Children influence context as much as context influences them. She gathered information not only from the children but also from their parents, Bible school teachers, and the Children's minister.
[I love this:] "As reseachers have explored children's perceptions of God from a developmental perspective, they have often described the thinking of young children as magical in quality(Fowler, 1981; Harms, 1944; Steele, 1990). Rather than viewing this as a limitation, Levine (1999) asserts that it is precisely these 'cognitive capacities' - not limitations - of children to look beyond what is 'real' to what is imagined 'which are quintessential conditions for the experience of the spiritual. (p. 122). Berke (1999) also supports a respect for imagination, stating that God is 'unseen.' To imagine, she comments, is to form an image of something that is not seen. So, therefore, 'how could we form an image of God except through the faculty of the imagination?' (p. 10)
This isn't to imply that God is imaginary but rather unseen and (though we were once children) a child's ability to work with this surpasses that of most adults.
Hood also says "Susanne Johnson (1989) asserts that 'spiritual formation simply is not intelligible apart from the communal context and faith tradition in which people are formed.' (p. 19)...Westerhoff (1976) . . . states that children learn faith and theological concepts through 'participation in the life of tradition-bearing community. . ." Yet within this context according to Brofenbrenner (1979) developemental and personal characteristics also shape context.
Hood supports the idea that talking with children, not just at them give children opportunity to make sense of the ideas that they form as they participate in their family, faith community, and the larger world in which they live, (emphasizing a child's active participation).
She ends saying, "...my hope is that [this study] will be applied through the manner in which the reader listens to children's ideas about their most sacred beliefs. I would encourage the adults in children's lives to avoid dismissing a child's ideas as simple reflections of their immature thinking but urge them to listen with anticipation as children have something meaningful and personal to share."
Questions:
In the context of your own faith community who listens to children?
How/when/where are you listening to children?
Do you hear them processing their faith and their ideas about God?
Are there opportunities for them to do this without ridicule - a time and place where they're not "put on the spot", where they don't feel self-conscious?
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Good to see that you are back to this text.
ReplyDeleteAs for listening. I got to do some of tha tat camp. That's one thing nice about that intimate camp setting. Kids are more open to talking about what's going on in their spirits.