This is a rather long excerpt but it is provided on the Institute for Learning and Human Development website rather than taken directly from the book. I find it interesting as my own developement was arrested at stage 1 by this system in early elementary school when my family stopped going to church. Interestingly it was written by a Methodist theologian and that was the church we had attended.
James W. Fowler (1940-2015) was an American theologian who was Professor of Theology and Human Development at Emory University. He was director of both the Center for Research on Faith and Moral Development and the Center for Ethics until he retired in 2005. He was a minister in the United Methodist Church. He is perhaps best known for his developmental model based on faith, which he wrote about in his book Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning.
According to Fowler, there are seven primary stages of faith (including Stage 0) in the life of the individual. They are as follows:
Stage 0 â Primal Undifferentiated Faith (Ages Birth-2): This stage is very much like Erik Eriksonâs first stage of âtrust versus mistrust.â Here, the baby acquires experiences from the outer environment that either instill in him a feeling of trust and assurance (from being comforted, living in a secure and stable environment, and a experiencing a sense of consistency and care from parents). These personalized experiences, according to Fowler, essentially translate into feelings of trust and assurance in the universe and harmony with the divine. Conversely, experiences of parental or environmental neglect and/or abuse at this stage of development, can result in the formation of feelings of mistrust and fear with respect to the universe and the divine, sowing the seeds for later doubt and existential angst. This stage also compares with Jean Piagetâs sensori-motor stage of cognitive development, where thinking takes place in and through the body.
Stage 1 â âIntuitive-Projectiveâ Faith (Ages 3-7). Children at this stage have acquired language and the ability to work with symbols to express thoughts. Children at this stage donât develop formalized religious beliefs, but are instead affected by the psycheâs exposure to the Unconscious, and by a relatively fluidity of patterns of thought. Faith at this stage is experiential and develops through encounters with stories, images, the influence of others, a deeper intuitive sense of what is right and wrong, and innocent perceptions of how God causes the universe to function. This stage aligns with Piagetâs stage of pre-operational thinking (lacking consistent logical-mental structures).
Stage 2 â Mythic-Literal Faith (Ages 7-12). Children at this stage have a belief in justice and fairness in religious matters, a sense of reciprocity in the workings of the universe (e.g. doing good will result in a good result, doing bad will cause a bad thing to happen) and an anthropomorphic image of God (e.g. a man with a long white beard who lives in the clouds). Religious metaphors are often taken literally thus leading to misunderstandings. Thus, passages in the Holy Bible that say: âIf, then, you obey the commandments that I enjoin upon you this day, loving the Lord your God and serving Him with all your heart and soul, I will grant the rain for your land in season, the early rain and the late. You shall gather in your new grain and wine and oilâI will also provide grass in the fields for your cattleâand thus you shall eat your fill.â If these promises donât come to pass in the world, then a person at this stage might feel cheated or disappointed in God. This stage aligns with Piagetâs concrete operational stages of cognitive development, where true logical thinking begins to develop in the childâs mind.
Stage 3 â âSynthetic-Conventionalâ Faith (Ages 12 to Adult). This stage is characterized by the identification of the adolescent/adult with a religious institution, belief system, or authority, and the growth of a personal religious or spiritual identity. Conflicts that occur when oneâs beliefs are challenged are often ignored because they represent too much of a threat to oneâs faith-based identity. This stage (and all subsequent stages) correspond to Piagetâs stage of formal operational thinking, thus making it possible for the adolescent or adult to perceive the divine as an abstract or formless manifestation.
Stage 4 â âIndividuative-Reflective Faithâ (Ages Mid-Twenties to Late Thirties). This stage is often characterized by angst and struggle as the individual takes personal responsibility for her beliefs or feelings. Religious or spiritual beliefs can take on greater complexity and shades of nuance, and there is a greater sense of open-mindedness, which can at the same time open up the individual to potential conflicts as different beliefs or traditions collide.
Stage 5 â âConjunctiveâ Faith (Mid-Life Crisis). A person at this stage acknowledges paradoxes and the mysteries attendant on transcendent values. This causes the person to move beyond the conventional religious traditions or beliefs he may have inherited from previous stages of development. A resolution of the conflicts of this stage occurs when the person is able to hold a multi-dimensional perspective that acknowledges âtruthâ as something that cannot be articulated through any particular statement of faith.
Stage 6 â âUniversalizingâ Faith (or âEnlightenmentâ). (Later Adulthood). This stage is only rarely achieved by individuals. A person at this stage is not hemmed in by differences in religious or spiritual beliefs among people in the world, but regards all beings as worthy of compassion and deep understanding. Here, individuals âwalk the talkâ of the great religious traditions (e.g. âthe kingdom of God is within youâ). One good example of this stage in the life of an individual is the life of Count Leo Tolstoy, who in his later years emphasized the importance of equality among people, asceticism in oneâs style of living, and the practice of compassion for all (see, for example, his last novel, Resurrection, which caused him to be excommunicated from the Russian Orthodox Church).
Fowlerâs developmental model has been empirically investigated, with the creation of research instruments, such as the Faith Development Scale of Gary Leak. More importantly, Fowlerâs Stages of Faith theory has been used in pastoral counseling and spiritual care, and continues to be taught in seminaries, and other faith-based educational institutions worldwide.
The passage I bolded about Tolstoy interested me because @vulcanlogician had mentioned him in the thread I started on two questions concerning faith and I learned something more about Tolstoy than I had known before.
I note that your author is simply rehashing Jean Piaget with a religious spin. In light of that, id suggest one could study any other author who has written about child/adolescent/adult developmentâŚMaslow is another one that immediately comes to mind.
Yes Iâm familiar with them. This author is obviously looking to fit the development of faith into that sort of hierarchy. I havenât gleaned any particular insight from what he says here and I donât think Iâll be buying the book (and my library doesnât stock it). I just think it is interesting to examine faith in a naturalistic way. That doesnât mean I try to cram all of faith into a naturalistic box.
I would think that there were dangers in trying to fathom or equate the way individuals come to faith. The old Nature and nurture debate will factor in terms of the beliefs of the parents or guardians. Children will tend to follow what they are accustomed to. Having said that my own path rejected my upbringing as a reason for faith.
My guess would be that there as many paths to faith as there are individuals on earth.
Incidentally, I find myself equating with the level that is claimed as rare or unattainable.
I think youre on the money there Mark. I hope im agreeing with you in that we both believe even non christian sources are provide valuable insight into the human mind, given many here believe God is the ultimate origin of life and intelligence. (note i have not used the word creator there as im trying to avoid inserting a word that is often attached to YEC. I dont want to portray that in this comment because i really value this topic).
Even i must admit, if my parents did not become Christians, i really cant form a scenario whereby i would have become one by my own accord.
I always knew that inside me something was saying that certain secular activities didnt feel right, however, i am hesitant to say i would have ever stumbled across God because of those feelings.
One thing i really do want to highlight at this point is the value of this forum in bringing the notion of God into what i have viewed is a very secular arena (science).
I personally am really humbled and proud that the scientists here do what they do. Its so much better than the redneck idiot standing on a sidewalk with a sign around his neck with the words âthe end of the world is comingâ, whilst preaching fire and brimstone at the top of his voice to individuals who speed up their walking pace to get past as quickly as they can lest they be infected by some kind of religious cult mind corrupting virus!
I think that this kind of models are useful as they may help in gaining a systematic understanding of the seemingly disordered world around us, even if the classification would not be quite correct.
The models reflect the worldview of the persons that develop them. The criteria are selected among multiple possible alternatives and the most advanced stages tell what the persons value. In this case, the most advanced stages are possibly an amalgamation of the opinions written in the underlying model (Jean Piaget?) and those of the person that modified the underlying model to the religious context (James Fowler).
Although I recognize some features that have changed in my thinking almost as described in the model, I am not sure if the most advanced stage is really the top. The criteria of the most advanced stages seem to focus on human-human(/created being) relationships and humane ideals more than the human-God relationship. From the viewpoint of Christianity, it is not enough to have a deeper understanding of the value of all creation and a mature, balanced attitude towards differing beliefs, there is also a need to grow deeper in the relationship with God, to walk with God. I would name that as stage 7. I am not at stage 7 yet but hope to grow towards it.
In my not-a-Christian opinion growing closer to God is what drives us up the scale. At the top level I believe God wants us to recognize Him in each other and in His world. God as the source is highest but given who/what we are a relationship with His manifestations is more fitting.
Our faith should become visible in our relationships and acts, in that I agree. All humans are created beings, loved by God, and in that sense equally valuable in front of God. Recognizing the work of God in each other and His world is needed.
At the same time, I have to remind that there is an exclusive element in the teachings of the Bible and Christianity. There is only one God, all others are judged as idols that are not to be lifted above God. There is also the claim that only faith in the one true God can save, through Jesus Christ. Although everyone is equally valuable as humans, all ideas and beliefs are not.
How vein a tp think that you have the monopoly on God. How restricting to think tthat God cannot meet people where they are instead of through you (Christianity) How small to think that all those people in far away countries who lived before or even after Christ but without possible contact could be ignored or even condemned by God and not provided with a means to reach or worship Him
Your God is too small.
And your view of humanity? Better not go there.
I find myself put off by talk of âa godâ. There is just God and God is not a particular one of a type of being. God is what God will be and no man (or tradition) on earth is qualified to say what that is or to rule on how we will know Him. All attempts to pin God down result in another idol. The Christianity that sees God as their exclusive, trademarked property is passeâ. Something grander should be attempted, like granting that God is and has been everywhere and is invested throughout. Until we are humble enough to admit our best attempts at understanding and worshipping God are simply the best we can do rather than the gold standard, we will not be ready to invest in the world where God is already committed.
I believe all creation is made by God and valuable as such. All wisdom is not concentrated within a single group, so we can learn from each others if we have a humble and respecting attitude.
This does not mean that everything is ok or that all roads lead to âheavenâ.
It is true that we do not know much about God. What little we know is what God has informed us about Himself. Christians believe that Gods selfrevelation can be found in or through the biblical scriptures. The scriptures were written by humans, with the limited words and worldview of that time but I believe that these scriptures give us a possibility to learn something crucial about God.
Whatever we think about God and the roads leading to God, it is obvious that the biblical scriptures include an exclusive element. For example, in Acts 4:8-12 Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaims:
âAnd there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be savedâ
If we read through the biblical scriptures, we see similar kind of thinking: there is just one true God and salvation is through Jesus Christ. If we disagree, it is a disagreement between our thinking and the messages told in the biblical scriptures. We either believe the apostolic teaching we can learn through the canon of biblical scriptures, or we do not believe. I choose to believe the key messages in the biblical scriptures, even when my own thinking might lead to other tracks.
What is the fate of those who have not heard the gospel about the Kingdom of God?
God will decide that and I believe He knows what He is doing.
As a non Christian I wouldnât know about that. But I find it consistent with thoughts of a world spirit. Iâm new to God belief but do not distinguish between separate portions of divinity.
