02.19.08
A new dilemma….
Ok, in the last post I mentioned there were some new developments I was finding out about that cast some question on the validity of stage theory. It is taking me a while to work through how those might influence my work on this blog.
Well, by now I have decided the best thing to do is to present the dilemmas as they appear to me now. I am going to do my best to share those developments one by one over time. Bear with me as I backtrack a little bit to create a base on which to build this discussion.
For today, I will just start with James Fowler. He was the one who mainly did the original research about the religious stages. It was in 1981 that his main book, Stages of Faith was published. This book detailed six stages a person might go through as they grow in faith. His stages mirror what a person would experience as he develops normally from childhood on - as opposed to some of the other theorists whose stages reflect points at which a typical adult might find himself to be stuck.
For the purpose of this blog, I did not want to spell out Fowler’s six stages one by one because, while they do more or less agree with the four stages I have been referring to (remember? The Lawless, The Faithful, The Rational and the Mystic?) the way they are numbered does not correspond and I am afraid it would cause confusion. You can find a nice summary of each of Fowler’s stages, using his numbering system at http://faculty.plts.edu/gpence/html/fowler.htm.
Anyway, Fowler’s stages begin with a childhood stage based upon imagination and magic, such as would be typical of a child. They move through several more stages including one based upon conformity and the need for a source of external authority, such as a church (our “Faithful” group,) one where reliance upon reason and an internally based authority is primary (our “Rational” group) and then onto two higher levels where the primary concerns reach beyond the person himself and his immediate society, out to increasingly broader, more global issues (our “Mystic” group.) At the highest stage Fowler discussed a person will even risk personal harm – think Ghandi or Mother Teresa - for the sake of others.
I am going to leave the discussion there and will pick up on it in the next post - to appear soon.