The Children's GodHow do children imagine God? Surprisingly, few researchers have asked this question. In crayon drawings, doll-play, letters, and carefully designed interviews, the forty children in David Heller's study reveal a rich array of spiritual imagery. Though Heller does find some differing views attributable to age, gender, and religious background (the children were Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, and Hindu), he discovers to a surprising degree a common vision of God that cuts across ethnic and religious differences. He also considers related issues of school prayer and the psychology of religion. |
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activities adult androgyny Annette anxiety appears Artie ashram asked Baba Baptist children belief boys C. S. Lewis Carin Carol Carole Klein Catholic children chil child children's conceptions children's responses close closer to God concerning connectedness deity conceptions deity representations describe developmental dolls drawing dren eight-year-old emerges ences example expression faith family scenario fantasy father fear feel female figure formal religion forty children Gerard girls God's group of children guilt Hans Küng Harold Kushner Hawthorn Books Hindu indicate individual influences inner world interview intimacy involved Jesus Jewish children Judy Blume Keith Küng Lenny light Miriam mother motif nature nine-year-old nurturance orientation parents paternal perhaps play scenarios protocols question relation relationship religious development religious groups religious imagery Richard Mann Rizzuto role seems sense Seven-year-old six-year-old socialization sometimes speak spiritual spontaneous story suggest Swami Muktananda Tamara ten-year-old things tion twelve-year-old Wilfred Cantwell Smith year-old York
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Bibliographic information
| Title | The Children's God |
| Author | David Heller |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press, 1988 |
| ISBN | 0226326365, 9780226326368 |
| Length | 176 pages |
| Subjects | › › Psychology / General Religion / Christian Theology / General Religion / General |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |