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Show EVOLUTION OF RELIGIOUS . LIFE TRACED "Keligion has to do with that part of the child's Life which helps him to adjust to the broader aspects of the universe. Through it he works out the nature of God, the nature of. man, the nature of man's relationship relation-ship to God, and how that relationship relation-ship is brought about. Consequently, Consequent-ly, the religious life has to do specifically with altitudes and conduct." con-duct." So said Dr. II. M. Woodward in his lecture on "The Evolution of the Religious Life of the Child." "This conduct undergoes a gradual grad-ual evolution from instinctive habits through desires nd sympathy to genuine moral sentiment, where the child does right for its own sake. "Co-ordinate with this evolution in motivated and spiritualized conduct con-duct are certain -pecifie developments develop-ments in the nervous system. Desires, De-sires, for instance, depend upon imagery; sympathies on clear idea; and moral sentiment is reached only after moral thoughtfulness. "The kind of desires that a child has determines to large extent his conduct. It is impossible for a child to have any specific desire before he has developed images pertaining to that desire; therefore, the great importance of the kind of imagery with which a child-s mind is filled during his early years. It is at this point that many parents and teachers teach-ers lose their greatest opportunity by working on the theory that they can correct bad desires rather than on the theory of furnishing (o begin with the kind of Imagery which measured largely by the extent and kind of its sympathies. It is sympathy sym-pathy that gives the individual o assure wholesome desires. "A child's; religions life can be proper relationship with all his fellows fel-lows and all his surroundings. Sympathies however are dependent upon and to a large extent, determined deter-mined by clear-cut ideas. To give those clear-cut ideas, which in turn will bring forth the proper sympathies, sympa-thies, is the duty and the opportunity opportun-ity of teacher and parents. "Up to this point commendable habits and altitude? could be made as automatic as possible, but with the development, of many sympathies, sympa-thies, the child meets the problem of making a choice between the many possible ways of action. This calls for a continuous exercise of judgement judge-ment and a balancing of possible results which in turn brings about moral thoughtfulness. "The period of extreme moral thoughtfulness is perhaps more pronounced pro-nounced during the period of adolescence ado-lescence than at any other time. It is at (his period (hat certain new developments take place which greatly enlarge the individual's social, psychic and religious world. With this greater environment which becomes increasingly more complex. moral and religious though fulness is very pronounced. It is during these years perhaps more than at any other time that the young man or young woman needs wise sympathetic nnd understanding under-standing direction. It is during Ihe period of adolescence when the religious re-ligious and moral code take on definite def-inite form. "As n safeguard for this uncertain uncer-tain period, certain great objeclivos should have been thoroughly fixed. Certain- specific attitudes thoroughly thorough-ly intensified and certain habits made automatic." |