Natural-Theological Understanding from Childhood to Adulthood

This volume sheds new light on children’s acquisition of the concept of God, repositioning the development of religious understanding as one of the core domains of human cognition. Petrovich’s argument- that children are intuitive or everyday natural theologians – is underpinned by new evidence from several studies involving children and adults from very different cultures and religions. In discussing the implications of an early natural-theological theory for cognitive development, the book also considers the practical relevance for children’s education, especially in science and in religion. This book will be invaluable for students in developmental psychology, education and theology.

It is commonly assumed that young children only begin to think about God as a result of some educational or cultural influence, perhaps provided by their parents. Natural-Theological Understanding from Childhood to Adulthood  asks if there is anything about God that children can know independently of any specific cultural input; does their knowledge of God simply come from their everyday encounters with the surrounding world?

Whilst children’s theoretical reasoning in biology, physics and psychology has received considerable attention in recent developmental research, the same could not be said about their religious or theological understanding. Olivera Petrovich explores children’s religious concepts, from a natural-theological perspective. Using supporting evidence from a series of studies with children and adults living in as diverse cultures as the UK and Japan, Petrovich explains how young children begin to construct their everyday scientific and metaphysical theories by relying on their own already advanced causal understanding. The unique contribution that this volume makes to the developmental psychology of religion is its contention that religion or theology constitutes one of the core domains of human cognition rather than being a by-product of other core domains and specific cultural inputs.

is essential reading for students and researchers in cognitive-developmental psychology, religious studies, education and cognitive anthropology.