Study: Religion is Good for Kids
source: LiveScience
Kids with religious parents are better behaved and adjusted than other children, according to a new study that is the first to look at the effects of religion on young child development.
..
Bartkowski thinks religion can be good for kids for three reasons. First, religious networks provide social support to parents, he said, and this can improve their parenting skills. Children who are brought into such networks and hear parental messages reinforced by other adults may also take more to heart the messages that they get in the home, he said.
Secondly, the types of values and norms that circulate in religious congregations tend to be self-sacrificing and pro-family, Bartkowski told LiveScience. These could be very, very important in shaping how parents relate to their kids, and then how children develop in response, he said.
Finally, religious organizations imbue parenting with sacred meaning and significance, he said.
University of Virginia sociologist W. Bradford Wilcox, who was not involved in the study, agrees. At least for the most religious parents, getting their kids into heaven is more important than getting their kids into Harvard, Wilcox said.
But as for why religious organizations might provide more of a boost to family life than secular organizations designed to do the same thing, thats still somewhat of a mystery, said Annette Mahoney, a psychologist at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, also not involved in the research. Mahoney wondered: Is there anything about religion and spirituality that sets it apart?
yursil on 
syed fareed amad on 
burhan on 
Australian Muslim on 
Ghulam Rasool on 
Abdul Malik on 
Abdul Jabbar on 
Asalaamu alaikum.
Mahoney wondered: “Is there anything about religion and spirituality that sets it apart?”
Yes, in that it can create a deeper connection. I can’t believe people are surprised by this. Obviously, faith issues are going to mean more than just a place to play basketball or swimming with your mentor as many secular organizations offer. Those are important and good things, but for children to have someone they can ask the tough questions to and talk about their fears or confusions is also necessary. This is something that a non-faith community can provide, but only to a certain point. There are just questions and issues that require an answer that comes from spirituality.
as-salamu’alaikum Aaminah,
Indeed!
Also.. Shaykh Effendi is always saying: Islam came to teach us manners. The good behavior being reflected on children is a reflection of that.
This is great, and comes as no surprise to anyone who has observed kids raised in a loving spiritual or religious setting. It sets priorities straight.
Ya Haqq!
Salaams Sidi Yursil (and everyone else)
An interesting piece of research, which certainly backsup my own experiences. However, is there such a thing as too much religion for children? By which I mean too much emphasis on rules, regulations and hellfire and brimstone?
Ma’as salama
Abdur Rahman
Asalaamu alaikum.
Brother Abdur Rahman, I would also be interested to hear brother Yursil’s take on that matter, and I don’t mean to jump in where I don’t belong. But I do think that you bring up a good point. Too much emphasis on regulation and punishment can be detrimental to the emotional and mental health of a child. I have worked in the mental health field and most of the people I worked with had one of two problems that seemed to be often the root of their illnesses: either permissive parents who gave them no direction and no limits, or parents who were so rigid and unkind that the the person was stifled and dealing with guilt for their imperfections. Alot of those issues create a complete lack of self-worth and an inability to believe that they can ever be forgiven or have any hope for their future here or in the afterlife.
I believe that Islam teaches about balance. Yes, we should teach children to have a healthy fear of the hellfire and of disobedience to Allah. But we should counter that with the knowledge that Allah is Merciful and will never stop forgiving when we repent. We should also counter the fear by teaching our children to obey Allah for His Pleasure, not just out of fear of the consequences. This is where the matter of manners really comes in, having good character because it is the right thing.
But I also think that part of the point of this study was to show that it is not “religion” per se that is so beneficial to kids, but the actual spirituality – the deeper connection to God and belief in something that motivates us. And it is about the connection to community that can be created within a religious or spiritual environment that is particularly helpful to children. The opportunity to be mentored and loved by so many people, to have adults they can look up to and trust, to be able to ask the tough questions and to feel safe doing so is part of being in a spiritual community.