Question

A child who attends church with his parents imitates religious gesture but does not have an understanding of these religious behaviors. The child also asks his parents, "How do you know God exists? Have you ever seen him?" This child is described as having characteristics associated with which stage of faith development as defined by Fowler?

A) Intuitive-Projective Faith
B) Mystical-Literal Faith
C) Synthetic-Conventional Faith
D) Individuative-Reflective Faith

Answer 1

The child's imitation of religious gestures and questioning of God's existence align with Fowler's Intuitive-Projective Faith stage, which is characterized by intuitive thinking and imitation without understanding.

Step-by-step explanation:

The child who imitates religious behaviors without understanding and questions the existence of God is demonstrating characteristics associated with Intuitive-Projective Faith, the first stage of faith development according to James Fowler's theory. In this stage, typical for children ages 2 to 7, they rely on their intuition and imagination, and they mimic the religious actions of adults without comprehending their significance. Fowler's stage of Intuitive-Projective Faith correlates with Piaget's preoperational stage of cognitive development, where children think symbolically but do not yet use logical reasoning to understand concepts such as conservation and perspectivism (understanding others' viewpoints).