Astra Salvensis (Jul 2019)
The Role of Religious Education in the Formation of Children's Character
Abstract
Family and educational systems’ main purpose is to socialize and form the personality of a child. Unfortunately, parents and teachers in most situations are distracted by alternative expectations and societal pressures: to help them become smart, competitive, rich, famous, successful, happy (etc.). Parents wish to help their children develop their abilities, talents, and self-understanding, but this desire tends to forget the importance of developing a child’s character as the basic structure of their personality. Parents strive to give children a better life, but don’t do enough to help children discover their spiritual lives and deepen their relationship with God. Many teachers believe that issues of spirituality are developed outside the classroom, but this writer argues that children need access to spiritual and/or religious influences for holistic development. Basic psychological experiments agree. One experiment is called “Princess Alice is watching you” and proves that children respond to invisible perceptions. The children in this experiment are told that “Alice” is watching them and will report everything they do. Although they had no evidence of “Alice’s” presence, the children behaved better when told she is watching. This experiment challenges us to meditate on how children’s behavior is shaped by the belief that God is with them, watching over them, and in constant relationship with them.
