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Issues in Faith Development

What struck me is the fact that there appears to be no quantifiable correlation between age and faith and moral development. In fact, we alternate between recognized stages of faith and stages of reasoning simply because, as unique individuals, we cannot be 'boxed in'. A low faith response is determined by many factors - imagination, inspiration, our concerns, conversion experience and life crises, all of which our teens experience sporadically and not in a linear fashion (Slee, 1996.p 78, 80). Also, a search for identity has an impact, as well as the contemporary crisis of faith in significant others (Leavey et.al, 1992.p 217). Of course, the influence of the peer group is undeniable.

After studying 'multiple intelligences' it is easy to see why Piaget's constructivist approach (Moran, 1982.p 12), which idealised science as 'the way to knowledge' (declared to be either physical or logico-mathematical), may be misleading. Understanding the many ways in which we can express our intelligence helps us to see that there are other 'realities' students can tap into to experience the spiritual. The mathematical - logical methods to measure Faith and moral development, such as Kohlberg's method of moral development, may not always be appropriate. As Slee discovered (Slee, 1996.p 82 - 83) theistic belief does not determine higher stages of moral development and spirituality. Students' spirituality is not always professed as a creed but as action, such as Nursing Home visitation which enable students to integrate faith and life and ultimately call it a spiritual experience of God later in life.

One activity carried out with my year 9 and Year 11 classes clearly demonstrated that students are not necessarily at the stage of faith and maturity indicated by their age in Fowler and others. I gave them the following overheads with very interesting results.

The task was for them to circle which of the following items they value and de-value.

WHAT DO YOU VALUE? (You feel these are important ideals which people should live up to and abide by in order to make society a better place and a happy one)

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING DO YOU DE-VALUE? (You discourage people from choosing to live this way or behave in this way or believe in these things. The world would be better without these things)

This activity serves to highlight a contradiction in what they say they value and actually value.

My students were amazed to learn that they were more Christian than they thought they were. Given a chance to really look into their conscience, the vast majority of students agreed with Christian values and valued the Church and other things such as love over lust, which was surprising.

As Moran says, not only do we find that students are sensitive to more than Piaget would claim, but students can demonstrate a universalizing faith with regards to the values they hold.

Integrating faith and life through the community service I have already spoken of so often, is not the only way to foster students' spiritual development. It is also through harnessing the qualities students possess innately - the ability to 'vision an ideal world' (Slee, 1996.p 78) energy to stand up for convictions, affiliation with community, desire to search and question, musical intelligence and a desire for true freedom, although they may not articulate it as such (Leavey et.al, 1992.p 221).

Despite the fact that writers have found Kohlberg's method as a modern-western -sexist- biased way of tackling morality, I have found it effective in class in a modified form. I do use it, contrary to its perceived intention, as a way of uniting religion and moral education. I do not feel there is any real discrepancy between morality and creed. I interpret Kohlberg's stage 6 as equivalent of an informed conscience based on absolute values transcending culture and subjective thought or feeling. It is at this stage where religion and reason unite.

I believe that people can reason at well before their expected time. Likewise, as Moran says 'moral regression' is possible (Moran, 1982.p 3). Furthermore, conversion experiences, (such as one that I experienced) which Moseley calls 'structural conversion' (Slee, 1996.p 77) not only can fling an adolescent from Fowler's Stage 3 to 4 but also from Kohlberg's stages 1, 2 and 3 to Stage 5 and 6 in a very short space of time.

Slee explains (Slee, 1996.p 90) that women's self-sacrifice in Fowler implies a low level of faith. It is interesting that I would place them in Kohlberg's stage 6 as they are abiding by the universal principle - worth of others. If you like, their action betrays a universal ethic behind a 'conventional' act such as rearing children.

It angers me to think as Leavey et. al discovered, that Catholic schools make it more difficult on one hand, for students to develop their faith or realise that Faith is complementary to their spirituality, because Christian belief and general Curriculum undermines it. (It makes me more angry when this needn't be the case and when the curriculum is not called into question because the 'Curriculum Council' or Health Department have produced the relevant documents ( Leavey et.al, 1992.pp 217, 223). When identity is located in interpersonal relationships and where these relationships (peers) find Christian beliefs lacking in credibility because of the way they are lived by the adult community, there is difficulty helping students out of a conventional faith. Both Staff and parents need nurture in this regard.

I believe that this poor example from Staff and parents in general, is what is preventing morality and faith from influencing each other in a positive way. In my own life, an increase in faith has led to a deeper sensitivity to moral action and vice versa. They strengthen each other. Students are already spiritual but have not articulated the relevance of moral issues to this spirituality because adults do not express this concern in their spirituality. I can see this happening at school.

Finally, there is only so much that I can do as one teacher, but that counts and can make a difference.