Db 3 replies

Write  300 words in reply also Provide a response to 3 classmates’ threads. Your replies can include dialogue regarding their impressions of Fowler’s faith theory or contribute to their personal reflection and analysis of faith development. Seek to integrate insight from the article, or relevant source of information, to support your own ideas. Also use a Bible reference.

(Student 1 Lee   Faith development

When I first started to read this article, I felt that Fowler was making a far stretch in trying to compare faith development to an individual’s developmental processes. My first initial read of the article left me perplex and a little confused. So, like all great students I read it again. In the second round of reading the article, I took the advice of the author of taking a more inclusive aspect when correlating the faith and individual developmental processes. In reading the article, I slowly was bought to believe that perhaps the two ideas could mutually exist within each other. 

Comparing faith development to that of an individual’s natural human development can be looked at from a metaphor sense or literal sense. Metaphorically, using  Fowler description of relationship and development of trust between an infant and a caregiver in the Primal Faith stage in which the trust is formed with the parents or caregiver (Fowler, 2004). That idea can be associated with a new believer’s faith of trusting and learning to trust what they cannot see or God who is looked at as the ultimate caregiver. As new believers many times you are as a child discovering the joys of faith. Even the Jesus references the childlike faith both in the book of Matthew 18:1-5 and Mark 10:13-16.  The child would be the faith and the primal stages of developing rich and awareness is the religion/belief. As the article continues, it transitions and concludes with Conjunctive faith and Universalizing faith. I would have to agree that these two stages and those who attain it, must have the biological mental development to comprehend and seek this level of growth.  According to the article, Conjunctive faith is someone who can cognitively reflect from various perspective (Fowler, 2004).  I agree that at this level, the individual’s self-development must meet the faith development for an individual to be successful.

Growing up as a first-generation Asian American was difficult. My parents were refugees after the Vietnam war and were relocated to the States. The challenges of a new world, new language and culture really impacted them. They came from a village mentality and when they arrived that did not exist.  So, to supplement it, the church (all of the same ethnicity) was turned to the village. Culture and the Christianity were blurred within each other. Not intentionally, but more because our parents had a desire to create what they lacked and therefore created shelters environment. But as the new generation grew up, questions of what was “right” emerged. I was no exception. I struggled in college with choices that would eventually leave me with a testimony I would not be proud of but having to overcome those challenges on my own and growing from them also forced my faith to develop too.  I am thankful that Christianity was a strong foundation in my youth and ended up being my compass through my young adult life, it is because of that I feel like I am  closer to Fowlers idea of Universalizing faith. I believe that we are all made in his image and Christ came to give us two commandments, love your God and love your neighbors. Even though I am no Mother Theresa,  I would hope that as I get older and experience more life my faith will continue to grow and develop with me. 

Reference 

Fowler, J. W., & Dell, M. L. (2004). Stages of faith and identity: birth to teens. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 13(1), 17–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1056-4993(03)00073-7

(Student 2 John 

I believe faith has to develop as the person develops. For example: when an infant is 3 months old they can react to visual and audial stimuli for 3 to 5 seconds. By 16 weeks the infant can hold its head up and by 5 months they have developed arm and leg movements for contented and angry states (Fowler and Dell, 2004). At 9 months babies can gestor intentionally for desired objects or to be picked up. At 12 months a child is able to walk and shortly after one-years of age a child is able to start mastering gross motor skills (Fowler and Dell, 2004). This brings me to my next point; a child will interact differently with its environment as it grows and develops through the stages. As seeking behaviors develop, a child may develop a sense of faith. The first sense of faith is from the assurance that a caregiver will attend to a child’s needs as the child seeks and cries for the attention of the caregiver. The child will display behavior in hopes to receive comfort. This sense of faith evolves as the child understands object permanence. If an object is covered up the child may not understand that it still exists until after it is uncovered or until it reaches a certain age. Once a child reaches the age where he or she understands object permanence the child can have faith that the object he or she was playing with will still be present when it’s uncovered. This concept of faith, the concept that something is there without seeing it, matures as the child goes from infant to toddler and to early childhood. In early childhood a child will understand that a light switch will turn on and off a light. They may not understand how it happens, but they can have faith that the light will turn on when the switch is flipped unless there is something wrong with the bulb. Also, they may not be able to see the wind blow but they can see the leaves on the trees ruffle when the wind blows and they can feel the wind on their skin but may not understand abstract thinking in terms of God, and heaven until a later age.  Abstract thinking evolves into four stages sensorimotor stage or the stage where a child that is 2 years old and younger cannot store memories symbolically. Within stages adolescents may show abstract reasoning about math than interpersonal matters. The next stage, preoperational, is of the ages 2 to 7 years of age, thinking is not logical, and is focused on one piece of information at a time. The concrete operational stage is between the ages 7 to 12 years of age, development has allowed thinking to be decentered or focus on more than one thing at a time.  The final phase, formal operational, which is the ages of 12 years and older; logical thinking extends now to formal or abstract, where the person can think hypothetically (Broderick, and Blewitt, 2015).  

To completely understand the theology of God, and understand the Bible at an academic level one must be fully developed, however, it only takes a childlike faith to receive salvation. Salvation is received as simple as believing God exists, he is the creator, he sent his son Jesus to die on a cross for our sins, and Jesus arose to live again so we can have eternal life and a way to heaven. If this is believed we will be saved. In Mark 10:12 ESV Jesus tells his disciples whosoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child, shall not enter. A person will be accountable for their sins when they reach the age of accountability. Although, the term “age of accountability” is not mentioned in the Bible, the concept is still evident. 

“For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God (Rom 14:10-12). 

A child may not know right from wrong and may not know what it means to repent, however, a child can still accept Jesus as their savior through the believing in him. From my personal experience I was saved at the age of 5. My dad is a preacher and I was raised in church ever since I was born. The day I was saved, I was attending a baptizing and as I saw the last person being baptized, I had an uncontrollable urge to get baptized and be saved. My dad asked me if I knew what it meant to be saved and he explained to me the details of how Jesus died for me. I answered him and told him I knew what it meant to be saved, we prayed, and that day I was saved before being baptized. To enforce my belief in God I would see the power of prayer, as a child I would have nightmares and those nightmares would only go away if I prayed before I slept. As I grew up my faith was enforced by prayer when my family and I prayed that my dad would see again when he went blind from the effects of his diabetes. After going blind six times, having laser surgery and cataract surgery, my dad can see without having to wear glasses all due to the faith we had in our prayers.    

References

Fowler, J. W., & Dell, M. L. (2004). Stages of faith and identity: Birth to teens. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 13(1), 17-33. doi:10.1016/S1056-4993(03)00073-7

Broderick, P., & Blewitt, P. (2015). The Life Span: Human Development for Helping Professionals (Fourth ed.). New York, NY. Pearson Education.

Student 3Terry 

faith development

When one thinks of the word faith, they are instantly drawn to a conclusion of spirituality or religion.  Faith is more than that.  Faith is having confidence or  trust in someone else.  It can also mean the belief in God without having to see proof that He exists.  It is interesting to learn of the faith development stages from the article in this week’s reading.  According to Fowler (2004), there are seven stages of faith development, starting at birth and going through adulthood.

I found the faith development statges interesting because in order to survive as infants and children, it is important to have trust and faith in our caregiver, whoever they may be.  We trust they will feed, cloth, and shelter us to thrive as individuals.  This trust or faith grows into having trust and faith in others that are not caregivers as we get older.  Ultimately, faith development grows into trust in God, whom we cannot see but believe and trust through faith that he will meet our spiritual needs.  “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (II Corinthians 5:7, KJV).

In relation to other developmental processes, I think they work together.  According to Fowler (2004), the first faith stage is primal faith, which is birth to age two.  He describes in this stage how the brain develops and the visual and auditory functions of the child develop.  These functions aid a child in learning and understanding who their caregivers, mom and dad, are.  This stage can make or break the faith and trust a child has on the caregiver.  According to Erikson’s stage of trust v. mistrust (Broderick & Blewitt, 2020),, this statge can cause mistrust if proper stimulation, nourishment, and attention is not given to the child.  The other statges of Fowler explain the physical development of the individual as it relates to the faith development of the individual in that stage.

One stage I found to have some issue or disagreement with was the mythic-literal faith stage.  According to Fowler (2004) it states that children in this stage do not understand the concept of God and having faith in Him.  The age of accountability is different for everyone.  I believe it also depends on the caregiver as to whether the child understands the concept of God.  If the child is raised in a christian home they will understand more quickly.  There are children in this age droup and younger that have professed their faith in Jesus.  I was raised in a Christian home and went to church as a child.  I was age 8 when I realized there was a God I could have faith in and trust.  My Sunday School teacher, Lucy had a profound effect on me and led me in the path to become a Christian.

References

Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2020). The life span: Human development for helping professionals. Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Education.

Fowler, J. W., & Dell, M. L. (2004). Stages of faith and identity: Birth to teens. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 13(1), 17-33. doi:10.1016/S1056-4993(03)00073-7