Children and Spirituality

When we raise children, life becomes hectic. Betweenchurch or temple, others develop a moral sense
work, after school activities, homework, team sportscompletely separate from organized religion.
and social events, there is very little time left to thinkChildren start thinking about spirituality at about the
about spirituality, unless you are a parent alreadytime they learn language. By the age of 4 or 5 most
involved in church, temple, religious and/or spiritualchildren are intensely interested in right and wrong,
practices. Even having a strong religious and spiritualgood and evil. The researcher, Maria Bindl noticed that
belief system, it is difficult to teach this to ourup to the age of about six or seven, children have a
children. The questions I hear most often are "How"naive relatedness" to God after which there is a
do I share my spirituality with my children? How do Inoticeable decline in "spontaneous experience of the
teach my child to meditate? My child does not likenuminous".
going to church or temple, should I force them? MyIn thinking about spirituality, many parents give their
child has no interest in guided meditations and prayer.children a religious education because it's part of the
Is he not spiritual?"family's spiritual values and cultural identity. It's a way
In the past it was assumed that children's religiousto connect with a heritage going back thousands of
education must match their capacity to think andyears. Spirituality encompasses religious beliefs, ethical
reason. So religious education focused on learningbehavior, social responsibility and faith to name a few.
prayers and bible stories, and left the exploration ofSome ancient religious philosophers believe that if a
the capacity to have deep spiritual concerns tochild is utterly convinced that his or her existence has
adulthood. Today we know that even very youngmeaning and his/her deeds have consequences and
children ask the kind of questions that can only bewe can teach them that our every thought and deed
called spiritual. "Who created the earth? Why am Iis of real, even global, significance, then I belief we
here? How do I know what's right and wrong?"have succeeded in blending all aspects of spirituality.
Some children find answers to these questions in