Situating Children in the Discourse of Spirituality

Abstract

How is it possible that I have an undergraduate degree in Child Development and am completing my final course for a Masters in Education in Developmental Psychology and I have only just been introduced to the validity of the concept of ‘other ways of knowing’? ‘Other ways of knowing’ explore alternative, nonscientific ways of interpreting and understanding reality. Western scientific models of knowledge production rely almost exclusively on linear theories and empirical evidence that place logical reasoning as the definitive source of knowing. Spiritual ways of knowing rely on intuition and wonder, aspects that Western scientific models discount as taboo. My interest in writing about children’s spirituality has arisen from the startling realization that my current knowledge of child development is dangerously limited. Until now I have been led down a singular path in my education. Without an appreciation for other ways of knowing, my understanding of spirituality has been restricted. I believe that spirituality lies at the core of our humanity and is a gateway to knowledge, not the obstruction that I’ve been taught. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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