Religious development

Childhood- According to the psychologist Jean Piaget, children and adolescents go through 3 stages of religious development. From one study, in which children were asked about what they thought of religious pictures and Bible stories, Piaget's theories were supported by the children's responses.
1) Pre-operational intuitive religious thought- This thought process can occur in children up to 7 to 8 years of age, it is marked by unsystematic and fragmented thoughts on children. Children do not understand or comprehend the stories and the evidence of religions.
2) Concrete operational thought- Occurs between 7 and 8 to 13 or 14 years of age, children now focus on particular details of pictures and stories.
3) Formal operational thought- From 14 through the rest of adolescents, abstract religious thoughts start to occur in adolescents.
Early Adulthood- The importance of religion in the lives of people in early adulthood has been going down since the 21st century. Religious importance in early adulthood is still high in less developed countries compared to developed countries where its on the downfall. During this age, people start going through identity development which may lead them to start thinking deeper into religious beliefs.
Adulthood- Religion increase in importance in some studies later in adulthood. 70 percent of U.S individuals surveyed said they are religious and consider spirituality a major part of their lives (Brim 1999). However, studies are also showing that adults are becoming less devoted to one particular religion. Instead they are focused more on their own spiritual journeys.
Parenting- Parents can have a strong effect on religious development in children and adolescents, as they tend to adopt the religion that is practiced during their upbringing. The relationship between parents and their children however can change this. If there is a positive relationship between the parents and child, the child will be more likely to adopt their religious beliefs. In the case where there is a negative relationship between the parents and child, the child will be more likely to disaffiliate themselves with their parents religious ideas.
Race and Gender- Race and gender play a major role in religious development as well. Females tend to believe there is a higher power more than males. They also participate more in organized and personal forms of religion. Females also are more likely to feel like religion is a major factor in their lives. In regards to race, Latinos and African Americans show higher rates of participation in religion than White Americans. Religious importance also varies from country to country. In a study of emerging adults, Japanese said that religion had a 0 percent importance in their lives compared to a high of 93 percent saying it has a very high importance in their lives in Nigeria. 40 percent of emerging adults in Sweden believe in God compared to a high of 100 percent belief in God in Pakistan.