Items of Interest February 21, 2011 Issue

Parents increasingly reclaim role of teaching religious values

G. Jeffrey MacDonald

Home is the primary setting where kids learn to make meaning of their place in the universe. . . .

What’s more, home—not church, synagogue, or mosque—is increasingly where kids acquire religious character. In a time where shrinking percentages of Americans claim religious affiliation, sociological research and religious organizations suggest that responsibility for forming children’s faith identities is shifting from institutions to parents. For families that embrace the challenge, parenting now involves serving as a child’s primary guide through spirituality, which can involve everything from bedtime prayer to volunteering together as a family. 

In some ways, long-held insights about children, faith, and home are receiving fresh affirmation. Gallup Poll data have shown for decades that adults tend to get more serious about religion soon after they have children. . . .

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