Module 9: Capstone Final Paper 2
KCplul76
HED632CAPSTONE2LitRev.docxRunning head: FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY
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FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY 2
FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY
HED632 CAPSTONE 2
Karen Crump
National Louis University
Dr. Dustin Heuerman
May 5, 2019
Faith and Spirituality Development Literature Review
For quite some time, the development and application of religion, Faith, and spirituality have fronted a significant concern among scholars. In most cases, the three concepts have been used interchangeably although Faith, spirituality, and religion are three distinct and different concepts. Notably, Faith is about knowing Godly ways, religion is about is practicing Faith while spirituality is about being in Faith. According to Crowther & Hall (2015), Faith is the foundation of any creed or spirituality, on the other hand, spirituality and religion indicators of Faith.
Hvidt et al. (2017), argues that the study of spirituality and faith development was neglected until the late 1980s. The issue of Faith and religion traces its history back in 1000, but no theory or model addressed the issue of their development. The author further notes that learning the concepts of Faith and spirituality forms the basis for the study of any religion. However, in modern days, there has been tremendous progress in the research of the two concepts. The author recognizes in need to study the development of Faith and religion since they form an important theme in understanding the religion and culture of the people. The period between 1000 and 1300 marked a crucial time in the development and study of Faith and spirituality. During this time, people began to learn about scripture and began exercising religion. Though there was the existence of worship during this time, there was not Faith that was linked to religion. People merely picked, followed, and accepted what they were advised to do and Faith was not essential to them. However, in the early fifteenth century, scholars began to scrutinize the church especially Roman Catholic –a move that was aimed at understanding the religion deeply. This journey was planned by Martin Luther who sought to comprehend the significance of Faith in religion. In this time, the concept of Faith began to surface especially among the Protestants who believed that, "salvation drops by Faith alone, regardless of acts of kindness or the holy observances” (Souza et al., 2015).
Faith is an essential aspect of human beings that help them to create a pattern throughout their lifespan. Considerably, Faith shapes the rational way of “making sense of, and committing to, transcendent values and realities; to ultimate concerns” (Hvidt et al., 2017). Faith development can be understood through a cognitive developmental model known as faith development theory (FDT). This approach allows people and scholars to assess the process of spiritual development free from any influence from faith traditions. Faith development can be understood through multiple stages:
Intuitive-Projective Faith
Mythical-literal Faith
Synthetic-conventional Faith
Individuated-reflective Faith
Conjunctive Faith
Universalizing Faith
The first stage which is intuitive-projective Faith begins when a kid starts to learn a new language characterized by the use of symbols in play and speech. In this stage, young children are highly influenced by their old people in their lives especially parents. There is a lot of imitation in this stage kids learn about God and angels, and the consequences of disobeying the word of God. In the mythical-literal, children begin to develop the ability to think logically and connect to the things that happen in their lives. Children start to learn new stories and beliefs that shape their Faith and symbolize the sense of belonging to a particular faith (Souza et al., 2015). In the third stage which is synthetic-conventional Faith is the stage that takes place in the adulthood and people begin to follow the value and belief systems that link them to God. Individuative-reflective Faith happens in early adulthood whereby people start to evaluating and examining the actual costs and belief and develop their own Faith. Conjunctive Faith takes place at the middle age forces people to build their personal coherence aimed at nurturing and deepening their relationship to God. The last phase is called universalizing Faith that happens in old age and is linked to “universal structures that belong to all faiths” (Souza et al., 2015).
According to Crowther & Hall (2015), Faith is key to the development and growth of spirituality. Faith and spirituality present some outcomes or befits. Spiritual Faith helps people to forgive each other, and people with spiritual divine believe forgiveness. Religion allows people to become spiritually holy leading to victory in life. Religious Faith is a sign of salvation which helps people to act right and love one another. With Faith, people can do a lot of good which is in line with the teachings of God. According to Christians, Faith helps them to avoid committing any kind of sin –something that brings good things in their lives. Religion is defined by spirituality and Faith which help the believer in fighting life battles and winning them. Though the study of Faith and spirituality has been limited, recent researches have proved excellent and promising progress in understanding the development of the two concepts concerning religion.
References
Crowther, S., & Hall, J. (2015). Spirituality and spiritual care in and around childbirth. Women and birth, 28(2), 173-178.
Hvidt, N. C., Hvidtjørn, D., Christensen, K., Nielsen, J. B., & Søndergaard, J. (2017). Faith moves mountains—mountains move Faith: two opposite epidemiological forces in research on religion and health. Journal of religion and health, 56(1), 294-304.
Souza, V. D. M., Frizzo, H. C. F., Paiva, M. H. P. D., Bousso, R. S., & Santos, Á. D. S. (2015). Spirituality, religion and personal beliefs of adolescents with cancer. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 68(5), 791-796.
