Dunno if this has been posted before, but pretty interesting article.
Children are born believers in God, academic claims
Children are "born believers" in God and do not simply acquire religious beliefs through indoctrination, according to an academic.
By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent
Last Updated: 11:36PM GMT 24 Nov 2008
Dr Justin Barrett, a senior researcher at the University of Oxford's Centre for Anthropology and Mind, claims that young people have a predisposition to believe in a supreme being because they assume that everything in the world was created with a purpose.
He says that young children have faith even when they have not been taught about it by family or at school, and argues that even those raised alone on a desert island would come to believe in God.
"The preponderance of scientific evidence for the past 10 years or so has shown that a lot more seems to be built into the natural development of children's minds than we once thought, including a predisposition to see the natural world as designed and purposeful and that some kind of intelligent being is behind that purpose," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"If we threw a handful on an island and they raised themselves I think they would believe in God."
In a lecture to be given at the University of Cambridge's Faraday Institute on Tuesday, Dr Barrett will cite psychological experiments carried out on children that he says show they instinctively believe that almost everything has been designed with a specific purpose.
In one study, six and seven-year-olds who were asked why the first bird existed replied "to make nice music" and "because it makes the world look nice".
Another experiment on 12-month-old babies suggested that they were surprised by a film in which a rolling ball apparently created a neat stack of blocks from a disordered heap.
Dr Barrett said there is evidence that even by the age of four, children understand that although some objects are made by humans, the natural world is different.
He added that this means children are more likely to believe in creationism rather than evolution, despite what they may be told by parents or teachers.
Dr Barrett claimed anthropologists have found that in some cultures children believe in God even when religious teachings are withheld from them.
"Children's normally and naturally developing minds make them prone to believe in divine creation and intelligent design. In contrast, evolution is unnatural for human minds; relatively difficult to believe."
Re: Children are born believers in God, academic claims
Cool, how interesting.. I'm trying to think back to my earliest memories, and from as long as i can remember i think i always knew there was a God. I mean stuff like rain, i knew it was something that occured through his will..
N e hu, must be diffficult conducting the method for lil kiddies like..
The believer has four characteristics: if he is afflicted by any misfortune, he remains patient and steadfast. If he is given anything, he is grateful. If he speaks , he speaks the truth. If he passes judgment on any issue,he is just .
Re: Children are born believers in God, academic claims
That's an awesome study. It's proves Allah's statement in the Quraan, that he asked all mankind "Am I not your Lord?" and they answered , "why not." This shows that this knowledge is built into our minds.
Re: Children are born believers in God, academic claims
you don't need an academic to tell you that, all you need are young kids in the house..
I started a thread recently here asking on how to introduce religion to children, on the account my niece and before here my other nieces and nephews would incessantly ask the 'questions of the ages' and of course their favorite word is 'why', I wanted to introduce the concept in an appropriate fashion for a young inquisitive mind but not make it too abstract or philosophical, got some good feedback wal7mdlilah..
the whole atheistic module of children not knowing or needing God until someone introduces or indoctrinates them is faulty as evidenced solely from the mouths of babes, as well their unceasing need to spend most of their free times on religion forums jabbering on their various nonsense!
Text without context is pretext If your opponent is of choleric temperament, seek to irritate him
Re: Children are born believers in God, academic claims
this is not really what the article says, what it says is that children look for purpose in everything and can't grasp things like coincidence and may think a person is behind it.
Dr Barrett claimed anthropologists have found that in some cultures children believe in God even when religious teachings are withheld from them.
I would like to hear to what extent religious teachings were withdrawn from them and what kind of god did they come up with.
Re: Children are born believers in God, academic claims
format_quote Originally Posted by Whatsthepoint
this is not really what the article says, what it says is that children look for purpose in everything and can't grasp things like coincidence and may think a person is behind it.
I would like to hear to what extent religious teachings were withdrawn from them and what kind of god did they come up with.
He doesn't need to spell it out for you.. finding a purpose for life is the very basis of belief in God and that is actually in concert with fitrah.. fitrah doesn't cover rituals, or a specific type religion, merely the instinct of belief in God, hence the child's parents can fashion that eventually into the god or gods of their choosing!
but they all start from the same baseline!
peace
Text without context is pretext If your opponent is of choleric temperament, seek to irritate him
Re: Children are born believers in God, academic claims
format_quote Originally Posted by Gossamer skye
He doesn't need to spell it out for you.. finding a purpose for life is the very basis of belief in God and that is actually in concert with fitrah.. fitrah doesn't cover rituals, or a specific type religion, merely the instinct of belief in God, hence the child's parents can fashion that eventually into the god or gods of their choosing!
but they all start from the same baseline!
peace
So Islam doesn't really say children believe in the oneness of god, omnipotence etc, but rather have an instinct for a higher purpose?
What about the shahaddah whisperred to every child at birth?
Re: Children are born believers in God, academic claims
format_quote Originally Posted by Whatsthepoint
So Islam doesn't really say children believe in the oneness of god, omnipotence etc, but rather have an instinct for a higher purpose?
What about the shahaddah whisperred to every child at birth?
we have discussed this before no? Children are born with the same thing all prophets who found Allah swt are born with..
I have no idea about the shahada whispered in children's ears? what does that mean?
Text without context is pretext If your opponent is of choleric temperament, seek to irritate him
Re: Children are born believers in God, academic claims
stupid jibber jabber starting again. Simply just ask what fitra means in Islam before jumping to conclusions.
It is not Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, and obedience to Allâh, etc.) that you turn your faces towards east and (or) west (in prayers); but Al-Birr is (the quality of) the one who believes in Allâh, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophets and gives his wealth, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to Al-Masâkîn (the poor), and to the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves free, performs As-Salât, and gives the Zakât, and keep their word whenever they make a promise, and who are patient in extreme poverty and ailment (disease) and at the time of persecution, hardship, and war. Such are the people of the truth and they are Al-Muttaqûn (the pious).
Re: Children are born believers in God, academic claims
Hadith - Bukhari 2.440, Narrated Ibn Shihab
Abu Huraira, narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said, "Every child is born with a true faith (i.e. to worship none but Allah Alone) but his parents convert him to Judaism or to Christianity or to Magainism, as an animal delivers a perfect baby animal. Do you find it mutilated?" Then Abu Huraira recited the holy verse: "So set you (O Muhammad SAW) your face towards the religion of pure Islâmic Monotheism Hanifa (worship none but Allâh Alone) Allâh's Fitrah (i.e. Allâh's Islâmic Monotheism), with which He has created mankind. No change let there be in Khalq*illâh (i.e. the Religion of Allâh Islâmic Monotheism), that is the straight religion, but most of men know not. [Tafsir At*Tabarî, Vol 21, Page 41] " (30.30).
Do they seek for other than the Religion of Allah.-while all creatures in the heavens and on earth have, willing or unwilling, bowed to His Will (Accepted Islam), and to Him shall they all be brought back. [Aal-Imran: 83]
Last edited by AabiruSabeel; 06-08-2009 at 05:17 AM.
Re: Children are born believers in God, academic claims
Eh, I don't think thats really true, I mean, I was raised to believen god, I didn't wake up and believen a higher being, but I doubt what I got to say on the subject really matters since I am not a scientist or academic...yet.
Re: Children are born believers in God, academic claims
we are not talking about a specific religion or being raised on, we are speaking of the natural curiosity that children feel about the origin of life, how they came to be, and what it all means and their position in the scheme of things and that is certainly very observable in children..
Do you have small ones with a million question running around?
Text without context is pretext If your opponent is of choleric temperament, seek to irritate him
Re: Children are born believers in God, academic claims
format_quote Originally Posted by Gossamer skye
we are not talking about a specific religion or being raised on, we are speaking of the natural curiosity that children feel about the origin of life, how they came to be, and what it all means and their position in the scheme of things and that is certainly very observable in children..
Do you have small ones with a million question running around?
Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
When you create an account, we remember exactly what you've read, so you always come right back where you left off. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and share your thoughts. Sign Up
Hide
Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks