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Thinking Deeper – Creation Regained Assignment 1
PSYC710
May 22, 2022
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In the paper titled ‘Creation Regained,’ the fall concept that has been showcased by
Wolters in his book has been critically examined. A comprehensive discussion has been
presented on how the comprehension relating to a topic impacts the perception of research in a
specific domain. As per the author’s discussion, the issue of the fall of creation into sin arose
due to the disobedience of Adam and Eve that has been captured in the book of Genesis 3.
When they both consumed the forbidden fruit which God had asked them not to eat, sin came
into existence in the world. They both were deceived by the serpent, which represents the devil,
and fell into its trap. As a result, they became aware of their nakedness, trying to hide from the
Almighty. Wolters has stated that the fall of both Adam and Eve into sin was not merely an act
of disobedience. Instead, it was a significant disastrous occurrence for creation. The overall
impact of the fall has been outlined in Genesis 3:14-17, where God has cursed the serpent, the
man, the woman, as well as the ground. Due to the act of disobedience, sin penetrated not only
Adam and Eve but the entire mankind that descended from them. Thus, it made life challenging
in all aspects.
As a potential researcher, I have a keen interest in conducting integrated research in the
Developmental Psychology domain. This specific branch of psychology revolves around the
scientific study relating to how and why human beings change over the course of their lives.
Formerly, the area of psychology mainly focused on infants and children. However, with the
passage of time, its scope has expanded, and it also expanded to include other dimensions such
as aging, adolescents, adult development as well as the complete life span of a person covering
social, physical, intellectual, emotional, cognitive, and perpetual developments. In the field of
developmental psychology, the specific topic that I am interested in is the ‘parenting style and
instances of child abuse and the impact on academic learning and performance.’ Rodriguez has
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identified parenting styles as psychological constructs that represent standard strategic elements
that parents apply for bringing up their children. On the other hand, child abuse involves the
mistreatment of children (Rodriguez, 2010).
The comprehension that I have regarding the fall into sin impacts the way I perceive
research in the area of developmental psychology. While reading Wolters’ work, a major
learning that I had was related to the significance of truth and information. Information is a key
ingredient in life, and in a research context, it has the potential to build or demolish. It can even
transform or deform based on the availability of accurate or inaccurate information. By using
the right information, it is possible to inform and positively transform, whereas wrong
information could lead to deformation and destruction. The result of the disastrous life of Adam
and Eve was due to the fact that they received and used information from an inaccurate source.
Thus, life became difficult for them and the entire series of mankind that descended from them.
Similarly, in the research context of developmental psychology, the research will be considered
to be useful and valid as per the authenticity of the information, including how and when it was
gathered. The collection of inaccurate information can make the research findings invalid, and it
can mislead the readers.
The research and investigation that is carried out in the developmental psychology
domain are based on data that is captured from empirical findings. But as per my understanding
of the ‘fall’ concept that has been represented by Wolters, the research in developmental
psychology that tries to explain how the thinking, behaviors, and feelings of human beings
change throughout their lives must be carried out by focusing on the natural world, human
identity, and their associations. These elements must e viewed from a biblical point of view
instead of solely using general findings from hypothetical forecasts and insights from empirical
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findings. The Book of Genesis teaches that the entire humanity was created by the Almighty
through his word. Since God created them in his own image with his words, research outcomes
about human development must be conducted by referring to the Bible. This is because it serves
as the ultimate book of true knowledge, as per Wolters. Any research process in the field of
developmental psychology that does not take into consideration scriptures or which is not based
on a biblical perspective is likely to fail and mislead the readers.
The concept of ‘fall’ has impacted how I perceive research in developmental psychology
by shaping my understanding of the sole creator of the universe. I believe that God is the one
and only creator of everything that exists. The origin of everything that God has done can be
found in the most accurate form in the Bible. Several philosophers, such as Plato, used to
believe that true knowledge relating to reality is objective and is based on logical thinking
(Vogt, 2012). On the contrary, psychologies have claimed that there exist two different kinds of
truths which are convenient truth and empirical truth. The empirical truth, which is very
common, is based on research, evidence, and reason. However, Wolters has argued that all
morals, as well as absolute truth and knowledge relating to the universe and God, can be found
in the Holy Book of the Bible. Therefore, in the domain of developmental psychology, moral as
well as absolute truth can be collected from Bible. This is the very reason why the Almighty has
said that humans perish due to a lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). By depending on the
knowledge that exists outside the work of God, humans are likely to perish because the
information that they rely on is misleading.
In the context of developmental psychology, when conducting research on the topic
‘parenting style and instances of child abuse and the impact on academic learning and
performance,’ the justification of the validity of the findings is possible by focusing on the
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source of information. The findings that are arrived at from a secular perspective will
encompass scientific methods such as observing, collecting data, formation of theoretical
frameworks, testing predictions and estimations, and interpreting the outcome. Fundamentally,
observations are made for the purpose of describing as well as measuring behavior. However,
behavior cannot be measured by simply making observations. The word of the Almighty must
serve as the ultimate foundation since it includes true knowledge relating to entire human
behavior. It can be referred to collect information about parenting behavior, and thus, it can help
to arrive at accurate research findings. For example, in Proverbs 13:24, the Bible states that
whoever spared the rod spoils the child bit someone who loves the child is careful to ensure that
he or she is disciplined (Chief, 2020). There are several other sayings in the Bible relating to
how parents must treat their children. For example, Proverbs 22:6 states, ‘Train up a child in the
way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ It implies that it is the
responsibility of parents to show the right path to their children so that in the future, they will
not deviate from it and will continue to follow the righteous path throughout their lives (Train
up a child in the way he should go: He will not depart'. Church News, 1998). Similarly,
Ephesians 6:4 states, ‘Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the
discipline and instruction of the Lord.’ Thus, it has been identified that giving necessary training
to children is critical that parents need to focus upon. From the Biblical perspective, parenting
can be considered to be a shepherd and sheep association where the shepherd is responsible for
training, guiding, and mentoring the sheep on the right path. From the secular point of view, a
diverse range of children have unintentionally received maltreatment, and they have deviated
from the righteous path because of the poor parenting style that has been adopted by their
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parents. The issue relating to the inability to show the right direction to the children may arise if
they use misleading information that is beyond God’s word.
Ultimately, I would like to say that after reading Wolters’s book ‘Creation Regained,’
my perspective in relation to research in the area of developmental psychology has been
redefined. I believe that while conducting a research study relating to the behavior of human
beings, it is necessary to adopt the Biblical point of view instead of merely relying on the
secular perspective. The reason why I am saying this is because the Bible contains the ultimate
and accurate truth about human beings as well as their behavioral aspects. By following the
words of God, who is the author of the entire creation, it will be possible to understand how
mankind has evolved since its very creation. As the Holy Bible gives an accurate representation
of facts, it can serve as a valuable and reliable source for conducting a research study on human
behavior and development aspects. By relying on the Bible, it is possible to make a sensible
decision to capture true and authentic information on human development that takes place
throughout the lives of individuals. Thus, the Bible can serve as a key manual that can be
referred to for the purpose of exploring and learning about the entire creation, including the
human development process. In the context of developmental psychology, it can add value by
presenting true knowledge on how human beings undergo evolution and changes, which
ultimately leads to their development and transformation.
References
Chief, E. in. (2020, February 25). Proverbs 13:24 meaning of spare the rod spoil the child.
ConnectUS. Retrieved May 21, 2022, from https://connectusfund.org/proverbs-13-24-
meaning-of-spare-the-rod-spoil-the-
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child#:~:text=“Whoever%20spares%20the%20rod%20hates,is%20careful%20to%20discip
line%20them.”
Rodriguez, C. M. (2010). Parent–child aggression: Association with child abuse potential and
parenting styles. Violence and Victims, 25(6), 728-741.
Train up a child in the way he should go: He will not depart'. Church News. (1998, July 18).
Retrieved May 21, 2022, from https://www.thechurchnews.com/archives/1998-07-
18/train-up-a-child-in-the-way-he-should-go-he-will-not-depart-
127026#:~:text=%22As%20the%20scripture%20teaches%2C%20%60,22%3A6.
Vogt, K. M. (2012). Belief and truth: A skeptic reading of Plato. Oxford University Press.
