Introduction
Raising a child is a complex process that requires theory and supporting factors. Proper upbringing determines the kind of person a child grows up to be, one’s attitude to life, and one’s place in society. It also determines how the child will relate to parents and whether one will respect and care for them in the future. In addition, upbringing formulates the child as a person, since in childhood, one receives, accumulates, and analyzes the information received. In the future, this data becomes decisive in shaping a person’s place in society. Religion is an important factor that helps to give the child the correct information in childhood. The aim of this paper is to analyze Childhood Religious Instruction at home and its role in spiritual formation.
The Role of Childhood Religious Instruction
Religion is an essential collection of moral principles and norms, which are some frameworks for the formation of a person. It helps to set priorities in life, and to explain to the child in a variety of ways what is right and what is not. In addition, religious teachings formulate the unification in this information of both moral rules and the history of the world. This is important in the context of the general development and education of the child, which formulates his horizons and knowledge. In addition, as a rule, certain rules are observed in families that are related to a particular religion. It is crucial as part of the formation of the child’s knowledge of the discipline and accustoming the child to the fulfillment of obligations.
Talking about why Childhood Religious Instruction at home is critical to Spiritual Formation, one may highlight several factors. First, it is necessary to understand what children’s spirituality is and consider the definition of this term. Children’s spirituality is how a child relates to certain things, a deep understanding of values and moral standards, and a relationship with God (Lawson & May, 2019). Thus, one may notice that children’s spirituality is, in fact, a fundamental factor in the development of a child as a person. It includes those core values and knowledge that the child needs in order to understand how to do the right thing in the future.
Given the importance of children’s spirituality, one might conclude that Childhood Religious Instruction at home is an inevitable part of a child’s development. It forms the fundamental factors of children’s spirituality, without which the process of growing up cannot be adequate. In addition, given that this process takes place at home with the participation of parents, it also acts as a strengthening of the relationship between the child and parents.
Moreover, this is more effective since the child perceives such information better from relatives and not from strangers. The process allows one to explain to the child why certain actions are wrong, and other are good without coming up with arguments. Childhood Religious Instruction helps the child to be comprehensively developed and to have enough information about those factors that go beyond the usual education. The transition between childhood and young adulthood is one of the most vital in the process of spiritual formation. Some catalysts of changes, such as media-based experience, public school experiences, and radical individualism ideas, can affect the shaping of religious perceptions of young people (A theology of maturity, n.d.). The role of Religious Instruction is significant during such periods because there are many distortion factors that can prevent the normal process of spiritual formation.
Catechisms for Religious Instruction are an appropriate format for explaining to a child the basic concepts of religion and moral standards. This information is presented in the form of a question-answer, which contributes to a better understanding of the basic principles. However, one can highlight both the pros and possible cons of this format. One of the issues is the formation of strong established concepts in the child, regardless of whether the parents want it. In other words, the child will form one’s own vision of this information, and sometimes it may be invalid. Therefore, it may be difficult to correct the child’s understanding in the future because it will be associated with exactly how the child understood subconsciously.
Talking about my experience or the practice of my congregation regarding Childhood Religious Instruction, I can mention several points. Firstly, it was formulated by the fact that in childhood, I was provided with Childhood Religious Instruction at home. This was argued by explanations about the creation of the world and interaction with the environment. In addition, the first concepts of what is good and what is wrong and what actions cannot be done were formulated. It also included the history of religion, interesting facts about the origin of religion and the world, and the interaction of man and church. Further, this consisted of going to the local church, where I received information about traditions, culture, and rituals. All this formed my basic concepts about life and interaction with the outside world.
Conclusion
To conclude, religion is an essential factor in formatting the child’s image of the world and humanity. It provides basic norms and rules about how to build one’s relationships with the environment. Childhood Religious Instruction home is critical to spiritual formation as it helps to formulate its basic principles. Accordingly, a child’s spirituality is an inevitable part of forming the child as a future individual. Catechisms are an essential option for religious information providing, being in the form of answers and questions. It is appropriate for children; however, it may formulate solid invalid notions which would be difficult to correct in the future.
References
A theology of maturity: The life-cycle crisis [PDF document]. (n.d.).
Lawson, K. E., & May, S. (2019). Children’s spirituality, second edition: Christian perspectives, research, and applications. Wipf and Stock Publishers.