Uppeldi og menntun - 01.01.2001, Side 207

GUNNAR J. GUNNARSSON
Reykjavík, Háskóli íslands.
Tamminen, K. 1991. Religious Developnemt in Childhood and Youth. Helsinki,
Soumalainen Tiedeakatemia.
Westling, G., Pettersson, S. og Fagerlind, I. 1973. Mognad och undervistiitig i
religionskuttnskap (FOU rapport 2). Stokkhólmur, Utbildningsförlaget.
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the development of religious thinking and the
image of God among children and adolescents of Iceland. In order to capture the
understanding of God, the term „God image" is used, despite its ambiguity. A
review of the literature indicates that most studies in this field focus on the nature of
people's God image, the development of the image, and the identification of factors
that affect its development. Due to the ambiguity of the term, carrying out such stud-
ies can be complicated. Parts of the image are both cognitive and emotional, coupled
with subjective and objective feelings and understandings of people. Factors that
influence the God image of people are also numerous, and their effects are variable.
It is nevertheless possible to identify common factors of people's God image.
In order to identify stages in religious growth of children and adolescents, a
review was conducted of both psychoanalytic theories and theories of cognitive
development. Studies of religious development of children in Sweden were also
studied, but in these studies selected existential questions of children are used to
shed light on their God image. This review of the literature provided the background
for the study in Iceland.
A questionnaire was sent to a sample of children (in grades 5, 7, 9) in 1997 and
some of the results are presented in the paper. The findings correspond with a num-
ber of elements in both psychoanalytic theories and theories of cognitive develop-
ment, and indicate that the God image is a part of the lives and conceptual world of
children and adolescents in Iceland. This is line with similar studies in other parts of
the western world. The study does not, however, say anything about the correlation
of children's behavior and their image of God. That focus requires another study. On
the other hand, people who are interested in religious upbringing, such as schools,
households and religious organizations, can apply these findings in various ways.
Despite common factors that appear in the God image of children at different age
levels, it must be stated that the God image is for everyone a very personal thing,
based on his or her religious experiences.
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