Children, Religion and Development

Drawing from teachings and practices of diverse and distinct religious traditions, this volume takes a unique approach to exploring spiritual aspects of child development which may apply universally to children of all backgrounds. Research with children demonstrates how spirituality is a universal trait, an innate aspect of humanity, which may be and indeed often is nurtured within religious traditions. Though spirituality is not inherently religious in nature, its connection to religion has proven near impossible for scholars to sever. Nonetheless, spirituality is an integral aspect of human development with universal relevance. Child spirituality has been linked to aspects of well-being including prosocial coping skills, avoidance of risky behaviours, confidence-building, forging of meaningful affective ties, development of generosity, mental health and psychosocial well-being. While each chapter brings a unique religious perspective, it offers insight, case studies and practical applications that help nurture children’s development regardless of the child’s own religious tradition – in other words, the starting point is religion but the ending point is a shared vision for the well-being of children. With contributions from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, Ghana, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the UK, Australia, Canada and the USA, this book will be of particular interest to scholars of religion, theology, development studies and humanitarian studies.