replys

The stages of faith development in relation to an individual’s development are correlated.  I think successful faith development is dependent on successfully hitting developmental milestones. Without properly developing and having what some would consider a normal childhood, it would be very hard to hit the stages in faith development. If a child does not form a connection with their parent or caregiver early in life, they may find it more difficult to learn from those around them and mimic that behavior that would lead them to becoming more involved in the religious community. I think if you look at the stages of faith development and then overlay the theory of types that you can really understand how faith develops under different circumstances. The theory of types was developed to traverse the stages of faith development rather than to replace them (Fowler, 2001). This additional tool is critical to truly understand how a person develops their faith in response to their environment and personal experiences. If you were to follow just the staged of faith development you may not fully see how an individual came to their faith because they may have had experiences that have exerted “deconstructive influences” (Fowler, 2001).

I think my personal faith development most resembles the divided self or conflicted type. This type is characterized as a “restless, existentially engaged seeker of truth who has lost an early relation of trust and faith” (Fowler, 2001). I would say that my faith was impacted by the things I witnessed as a child and the divorce of my parents. My family was already not a very close-knit unit or one of profound faith. My faith has always been conflicted or restless and even today I fight days that are much the same.  With the dissolution of my parent’s marriage was the first real dissolution of faith that I had.  I feel as if I lost the faith of those around me and that we were now turned away from the church. I do believe I hit the stages of faith development within the same personal development correlations but to a lesser or more personal degree. I find my faith when I am alone and safe and that is typically how I continue to practice my faith.

Refrences

Fowler, J. (2001). Faith Development Theory and the Postmodern Challenges. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 11(3), 159-172