Customer Reviews

Spiritual Life of Children

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I read this book from a point-of-view more interested from a theological than psychological (not that these have to be kept separate), and I suspect that EVERYONE who studies theology could benefit from listening to children describe their own spiritualities.

Coles' narration is occasionally insightful, occasionally annoying, always self-conscious. He interviews children alone and in groups, listening and participating in their reflections and conversations. He interviews various races and religions, including chapters on Christian, Jewish, Islamic and secular children in America, the UK, Tunisia and Israel. I found his interviews with Hopi children very provocative.

The book has both intellectual and spiritual value, and I hope it is read more widely than it has been.

Although this book was published in 1991, the ideas, attitudes, and spiritual insights of the children interviewed are as fresh and important as when the discussions first occurred. As adults we tend to dismiss the ability of children to offer their own interpretation of the Divine. This book clearly shows that it is frequently the adults that don't "get it." I found it especially appealing that Coles did not limit himself solely to children with a Christian background. The inclusion of Muslim, Jewish, and Native American children indicates that children's spirituality cuts across religious and cultural lines. I only wish Robert Coles had included more interviews and drawings!

Robert Coles' insightful study of children's ideas about God and religion also opens an important window on the question of the proper approah of science to religion. Coles appears to struggle personally with this issue, deciding in the end that the scientist may properly take a person's religious beliefs at face value. The delightful discussions with children that lead toward this conclusion make compelling reading.

Read this a long time ago when our children were small, and have now reread it to understand an issue with one of our grandchildren. The book retains its relevancy, some 20 years after publication. I'm not surprised that it is still in print ... 'tis a gem. The insights it offers from thoughtful discussions with children of many faiths are astonishing, as is the trenchant remarks about the integration of religion and science. This would make a wonderful gift for any parent, any thoughtful person who wants to experience the spiritual in a profoundly new way. The stories the children tell can be heartbreaking, as when grade-schoolers talk about death and attempt to answer the oldest questions ... why is there evil? Why am I here? Poignant....