Natural-Theological Understanding from Childhood to Adulthood

ISBN-13: 9781138939479 / Angielski / Miękka / 2018 / 160 str.

Olivera Petrovich

Opis

This volume sheds new light on children’s acquisition of the concept of God, repositioning the development of religious understanding as one of the core domains of human cognition. Petrovich’s argument- that children are intuitive or everyday natural theologians – is underpinned by new evidence from several studies involving children and adults from very different cultures and religions. In discussing the implications of an early natural-theological theory for cognitive development, the book also considers the practical relevance for children’s education, especially in science and in religion. This book will be invaluable for students in developmental psychology, education and theology.

Recenzje

A common objection to teaching about religious faith by parents and schools is that this implants ideas that children would otherwise lack. In this fascinating book, Olivera Petrovich explores the validity of this objection. Drawing on data with children and adults from different religious cultures and traditions, Petrovich shows that children’s questions about the physical world lead them to postulate causal agents which transcend the empirical domain. In other words, they behave much as natural theologians have always done. Petrovich’s work has major implications for how we should teach about theology in schools and elsewhere. Professor Michael J Reiss, UCL Institute of Education