ASIA-PACIFIC NAZARENE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

EXPLORING THE SPIRITUALITY OFSELECTED PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

IN QUEZON CITY AND DAVAO CITY

BYEVELYN R. PAJARON

AN ASSIGNMENT PRESENTED TODR. NATZ PETALLAR

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTFOR THE DEGREE OFDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

IN HOLISTIC CHILD DEVELOPMENTTAYTAY, RIZALPHILIPPINES

AUGUST, 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1 CHILDREN’S SPIRITUALITY

Introduction ……… 2

Significance of the Research

……… 2

Assumptions and Limitations

……… 7

Definition of Terms ……… 8

Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

Biblical Perspective

……… 11

Sociological Perspective

……… 16

Chapter 3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY

Research Objectives ……… 25

Research Methodology ……… 26

Research Data Information

……… 26

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Chapter 4 PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION

Family Perceptions and Relationships

……… 28

Attitudes Towards Marriage and Relationships With the Opposite Sex……… 31

Beliefs and Perspectives about Life

……… 32

Religious Perspectives and Practices

……… 33

Chapter 5 RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION

Recommendations ……… 37

Conclusion ……… 41

Appendix

Confidential Survey Questionnaire with Results (English)

……… 43

Confidential Survey Questionnaire (Tagalog)

……… 51

Bibliography ……… 57

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Two four-year old boys, one Filipino and one African,

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were playing and boasting on who of them is stronger. Then all

of a sudden, the Filipino boy had a surge of inspiration and

said, “Oh, I know who is the strongest!” The African boy

curiously asked, “Who?” The quick answer came, “God is the

strongest!” As I overheard that exchange of these little boys

at play, I thought, “That is a deep theological statement

coming from a 4-year old boy!” Confronted with similar

situations in working with children, researchers have sought

to find out more about children’s spirituality.

In recent years, there has been a fast-growing interest

in the study and development of children’s spirituality. A

cursory search on the internet will bring forth the following

sites for a start: www.children’s spirituality.org, which is

the website of an International Association for Children’s

Spirituality that also publishes the International Journal of

Children’s Spirituality and conducts an annual conference

bringing together people from all over the world;

www.spiritualityandpractice.com that offers ideas on

encouraging practices that would enhance children’s

spirituality; and a children’s spirituality webinar on vimeo

by Dr. Rebecca Nye, a researcher, practitioner and consultant

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on children’s spirituality. Another cursory search on Amazon’s

site yielded 7,771 books dealing with children’s spirituality.

With such wealth of information available, a research focusing

on the Christian nurture of children’s spirituality and the

processes involved that can inform ministry to children is

deemed valuable.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH

Research and studies made in children’s spirituality

reveal that children and youth are very much interested in

their spiritual lives and that it positively affects other

areas of their lives. A longitudinal College Students’ Beliefs

and Values (CSBV) Survey conducted from 2004-07 with 14,527

students attending 136 US colleges and universities nationwide

showed “a powerful argument in support of the proposition that

higher education should attend more purposefully to students’

spiritual development.”1 The Search Institute also surveyed

6,500 young people with ages ranging from 12 to 25 living in

17 countries, and results showed that a sizeable portion of 11. Jennifer A. Lindholm et al., A Guidebook of Promising Practices:

Facilitating College Students’ Spiritual Development, University of California in Los Angeles (2011): http://spirituality.ucla.edu/docs/promising-practices/Promising_Practices_web.pdf (accessed July 18, 2013), v.

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the youth is interested in and is committed to their

spiritual development.2 The same group also studied 370

young people in the U.S. who described spirituality as

important and participated in religious community over a

period of three years. The results showed that these young

people are “better off on a variety of risk and thriving

indicators” such as delaying sexual intercourse, preventing

school problems and resisting getting into dangerous

situations.3 Another extensive scientific research that

assessed the behavioral and academic effect of Bible literacy

on students showed that those with high levels of Bible

knowledge exhibited higher academic achievements and positive

behavior patterns.4 These studies have contributed to the

22. Eugene C. Roehlkepartain, et al, “With Their Own Voices:A Global Exploration of How Today’s Young People Experience and Think About Spiritual Development,” Search Institute: The Center for Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence (2008), 5-7.

33. Peter C. Scales. “Early Spirituality and Religious participation Linked to Later Adolescent Well-Being,” Search Institute: Minneapolis, MN (2007), 1-2.

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4. William Jeynes, “Results of Three Scientific Studies Boost Rationale for Introducing Bible as Literature Courses inPublic Schools,” Religious News Service, http://www.bibleliteracy.org/site/News/bibl_newsRNS070424.htm (accessed July 18, 2013).

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growing acceptance of The Bible Literacy Project’s textbook,

The Bible and Its Influence, which is now being used in 580 public

schools in 43 states.5 A survey of 39 professors from top 34

U.S. schools including Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford,

showed that professors agree to the idea that “knowledge of

the Bible is important to a good education.”6 These studies

affirm the fact that children and youth value their spiritual

lives and that attention given to it and the Bible’s central

role in their lives bring about positive results.

There is growing evidence that the spiritual

dimension/development is seen as vital to the children’s

developmental journey. A 2008 report on development issues and

trends of Filipino children included the “Moral, Spiritual or

Transcendent Framework” as often missing but is “perhaps the

most important backbone of development” as it “provides the

55. David Van Biema, “The Case for Teaching the Bible” Time Magazine: March 22, 2007, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1601845-1,00.html (accessed July 18, 2013).

66. “Good Education Includes Bible Knowledge” Newsday: June 3, 2006, http://www.bibleliteracy.org/site/News/bibl_newsNewsday060603.htm (accessed July 18, 2013).

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compass for the other development aspects.”7 UNICEF, in its

global study on child poverty, differentiated it from adult

poverty and proposed a child poverty model that includes not

just material deprivation but also considers the emotional and

spiritual aspects of the child.8 George Barna’s company

conducted a lot of research on parents, children and church

and he wrote a number of books on the implications of the

results of the surveys. He said that, “…most parents see

spiritual development of children as a value-added proposition

rather than the single most-important aspect of children’s

development… more important than intellectual, physical and

emotional development.”9 He considered spiritual health most

important because “every dimension of a person’s experience

77. Florangel Rosario-Braid, Ramon R. Tuazon and Ann Lourdes C.Lopez, “The Future of Filipino Children: Development Issues and Trends” Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (2008): xiv http://www.aijc.com.ph/Megatrend%20final%20complete.pdf (accessed July 19, 2013).

88. Jenny D. Balboa and Josef T. Yap, “Children and Development,” in Global Study on Child Poverty and Disparities: The Case of the Philippines, Philippine Institute for Development Studies Discussion paper Series No 2009-27, (September2009), 2-3.

99. George Barna, Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions: Why Children Should Be your Church’s #1 Priority (Ventura, CA: Regal, 2003), 19.

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hinges on his or her moral and spiritual condition.”10 The

editors of a handbook on the spiritual development of children

and adolescence hypothesized,

…spiritual development is a dimension of human life and experience as significant as cognitive development, emotional development, or social development. All of these dimensions of development are interrelated. It is the spiritual dimension that is most involved in a person’s effort to integrate themany aspects of development. As a core process of development involving the creation of a life narrative(in which the self is connected to larger constructs of values, tradition, space and/or time), spiritual development cannot be reduced to merely human need or desire.11

Indeed, there is a wider consensus that having a vital

spiritual life can help today’s youth face the challenges they

have to contend with in a globalized, technologically wired,

urbanized society where families themselves have a harder time

navigating. Studies made on children in the Philippines show a

greater concern and need for interventions for poverty and all

its concomitant problems and challenges, such as children’s

malnutrition, diseases, mortality, stunting, family breakdown,

1010. Barna, Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions, 33.

11 11. Eugene C. Roehkepartain, Pamela Ebstyne King, Linda Wagener and Peter L. Benson, eds., The Handbook of Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2006), 9.

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child labor, abandonment, exploitation and abuse. There were

estimated 246,011 children living or working in the streets in

the year 2000, and a number of sources say the number has

increased since then.12 In 2006, 12.8 million children under

the age of 15, representing 44% of that population, lived in

families that could not even provide food on the table based

on income.13 In 2010, ABSCBN news reported of 100 kids

abandoned every two months that are turned over to the

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).14 In

2011, the International Labor Organization’s survey showed 5.5

million aged 17 and below as working children, three million

of whom are engaged in hazardous conditions, including

1212. “Street Children Have Rights Too: Problems faced by street children globally and in the Philippines, and why theirrights need protection” Kidsrights Foundation, Universiteit Leiden (September 2012) http://media.leidenuniv.nl/legacy/kidsreport-street-children-have-rights-too.pdf (accessed July 20, 2103): 4.

1313. Celia M. Reyes and Aubrey D. Tabuga, “Poverty and Children,” in Global Study on Child Poverty and Disparities: The Case of the Philippines, Philippine Institute for Development Studies Discussion paper Series No 2009-27 (September 2009), 26.

1414. “100 kids abandoned every 2 months” ABSCBN News: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/09/19/10/100-kids-abandoned-every-2-months (accessed April 5, 2013).

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prostitution and armed conflict.15 Our children today are

facing tremendous challenges that would require fortification

in all areas of their lives.

Since spirituality does matter, and since children’s

spiritual development is deemed vitally important especially

with today’s challenges, a study on children’s spirituality in

the context of urban poor families will be helpful in a number

of ways. It will help inform a growing number of churches and

ministries who compassionately reach out to disadvantaged

children and their families about the views and family

situations of their subjects based on research. The

information can be used to make strategic decisions in the way

they do ministry to urban poor children and their families.

The results for the particular age group chosen will also help

determine interventions, if needed, that can be done to

strengthen the spirituality of younger children; as well as

the spirituality of this age group if there is a wide

difference in their views when compared with those of another

similar research on older children. 1515. International Labor Organization, “ILO survey: 5.5

million working children in the Philippines” June 27, 2012: http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_184203/lang--en/index.htm (accessed July 20, 2013).

10

With these in mind, the research seeks to assess children

aged nine to - thirteen regarding aspects of their lives that

may contribute to their faith formation and spiritual

development. How can those aspects be strengthened within the

family? If the families fail to do so, what interventions can

be made? This paper thus seeks to cull data from an actual

research of children enrolled in the public school as

representative of the majority where our society’s children

are situated. John Bradford puts it succinctly:

For a human being, especially a child or young person, to have a full quality of life, spirituality in all itsaspects must be nurtured and affirmed. For children or young people who have been marginalised or who have suffered deprivation in every way, the need for such nurture and affirmation in human spirituality is all the more pronounced.16

ASSUMPTIONS AND LIMITATIONS

The study of spirituality has spawned so many views,

books, articles, and websites that tackle this issue from many

different perspectives. Researchers in this field agree that

it is a complex multidimensional domain that can be addressed

from many angles.17 This particular study will focus on the

1616. John Bradford. Caring for the Whole Child: Holistic Approach to Spirituality (London: The Children's Society, 1995), 72.

1717. Roehkepartain et al., eds, 9.

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nurture and processes involved in developing children’s

spirituality within the Christian perspective and tradition.

The study will also focus more on the processes within the

family that could nurture children’s spirituality, instead of

the stage development theories and models that are useful in

religious or Christian education within the church and school

context. The researcher is making an assumption that urban

poor parents do not have the time nor the patience to teach

their children the Bible, but could do so in the course of

their daily life and activities.

Institutions, such as church, school, government, and

business, recognize that the family exercises the primary

responsibility and the greatest influence on children. Any

intervention on the family level will directly benefit the

child. The researcher has personal interest in the family’s

role due to her leadership role with FamilyLife Philippines,

Inc., a ministry that conducts seminars and classes on

marriage and parenting in different sectors of society

throughout the country and in some parts of Asia. Thus, the

focus of the research will be on finding the actual role and

practices that Filipino parents and family may have in

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nurturing and developing the children’s spirituality, from the

children’s perspective and experience. Although a faith

community (church/religion) or support group (peers, school)

do essentially contribute to the child’s and even the family’s

spirituality, they will however be treated incidentally and

not primary to this study.

It is believed that the ages four to fourteen are when

children are most receptive to spiritual and moral input and

development.18 Barna’s research has shown that the moral

foundations of children are generally determined by age nine

and the spiritual identity is largely set by age thirteen.19

Thus, the children’s age range particularly chosen for the

research are between 9-14. Children in this age range are able

to understand the questions being asked in the survey and can

give more accurate answers than the younger age group that may

need assistance from and therefore be influenced by their

parents or teachers.

1818. 4/14 Movement: http://www.4to14window.com/about/overview/ (accessed July 20, 2013).

1919. George Barna with Karen Lee-Thorp, Revolutionary Parenting Workbook: How to Raise Spiritual Champions (Colorado Springs, CO: DavidC. Cook, 2009), 9.

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DEFINITION OF TERMS

A book on nurturing children’s spirituality defines it as

…the intrinsic human capacity (being spiritual is part of being human; it is related to but not defined by religion and faith) for self-transcendence in which theindividual participates in the sacred – something greater than the self. It propels the search for meaning, connectedness, purpose and ethical responsibility. It is experienced, formed, shaped, and expressed through a wide range of religious narratives,beliefs, and practices, and is shaped by many influences in family, community, society, culture, and nature.20

This definition caters to wider acceptance in many fields

across all sorts of persuasions, but the writer feels it is

still too vague for the purpose of this study. Rebecca Nye

captured the difficulty of defining spirituality, particularly

children’s spirituality when she said, “a lot about

spirituality is hard to pin down, to define.”21 She said

further, “attempts to define closely, and derive an adequate

‘operational definition’ can be sure of one thing:

misrepresenting spirituality’s complexity, depth and 2020. Karen Marie Yust, Aostre N Johnson, Sandy Eisenberg

Sasso, Eugene C. Roehlkepartain. Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality: Perspectives from the World’s Religious Traditions (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 2006), 8.

2121. Rebecca Nye, Children’s Spirituality: What It Is and Why It Matters (London: Church House Publishing, 2009), 19.

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fluidity.”22 Although it is hard to define, for the purpose of

this paper however, spirituality will use Nye’s definition:

“God’s ways of being with children and children’s ways of

being with God.”23 To the writer, this definition is simple

enough to capture the idea that we are spiritual beings

created to relate with God who takes initiative with His

creatures regardless of religious persuasion or beliefs,

especially when it comes to children. Eventually, this

spirituality hopefully leads to an intimate relationship with

God through Jesus Christ, but is already operative even at

pre-birth.

A term that will be often used interchangeably in the

discussion of spirituality is faith/spiritual

formation/development. This is where it gets tricky as each of

these terms are multidimensional concepts with many shades of

meaning depending on the worldview of the one using the words.

A study on spiritual or faith development will also eventually2222. Rebecca Nye, “Relational Consciousness and the

Spiritual Lives of Children: Convergence with Children’s Spiritual and Religious Development,” in K. Helmut Reich, Fritz K. Oser and W. George Scarlett, eds., The Case of Religion, Vol.2: Psychological Studies on Spiritual and Religious Development (Lengrerich, Germany:Pabst Science,1999), 57-82.

2323. Nye, Children’s Spirituality, 16.

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involve religion as there is an overlap among these concepts

where the latter becomes a more visible and researchable

manifestation of one’s faith and spirituality.24 This paper

will adopt G. May’s definition of spiritual formation as “…a

rather general term referring to all attempts, means,

instructions, and disciplines intended towards deepening of

faith and furtherance of spiritual growth.25 Furthermore,

Dallas Willard, acknowledging the willful engagement in

disciplines that shape us into Christ, qualifies the

“spiritual” in Christian spiritual formation as,

When the Spirit who forms us causes us to love Jesus Christ above all and to walk in his example and deeds (1 Pet. 2:21-23), when it upholds us in obedience, thenwe know that he is the Spirit by which we are formed (2 Cor. 3:17). And with this knowledge as our framework, we may also take comfort in the immediate feeling of the movements of the Spirit in our personalities, lives, and surroundings.26

2424. For a more thorough discussion on this, see David Hay, K. Helmut Reich and Michael Utsch, “Spiritual Development: Intersections and Divergence with Religious Development,” in The Handbook of Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence, Eugene C.Roehlkepartain, et al, eds. (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2006), 46-59. Also see Michael J. Anthony, ed. Perspectives on Children’s Spiritual Formation: Four Views (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2006).

2525. Gerald G. May, Care of Mind, Care of Spirit: A Psychiatrist Explores Spiritual Direction (San Francisco: Harper & Row Publishers, 1982), 6.

2626. Dallas Willard, The Great Omission (San Francisco:

16

Thus, spiritual or faith formation/development in children

refers to the interplay of the means, instructions and

disciplines that deepen a child’s relationship with Jesus

Christ and produce spiritual growth with a sensitivity to and

reliance on the Spirit of Christ’s work on the child.

Chapter 2

LITERATURE REVIEW ON CHILDREN’S SPIRITUALITY AND ITS NURTURE

This paper will approach the study of children’s

spirituality and its nurture in the home setting from two

perspectives: biblical and sociological. The biblical

perspective will briefly look at certain passages of Scripture

that will shed light about God’s initiatives with and view of

HarperCollins, 2006), 75.

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children and the parental role in nurturing children’s ways

with God. The sociological perspective will look at the best

ways that children could best develop spiritually at home and

at the practices the parents can do to nurture their

children’s faith in God.

Biblical Perspective

The historical narratives in the Bible give us a glimpse

of God’s ways with children, and children’s ways with God.

Scripture says that even before children were born, God had

called them and appointed them to play a special role in God’s

scheme of things. Samson (Jdg. 13:1-5), Jeremiah (Jer. 1:4-7),

Isaiah (Isa. 49:1-6), John the Baptist (Lk. 1:11-17, 24-25,

39-44, 80), and Paul (Gal. 1:11-16) are good examples. We see

God speaking to and revealing his plan to the young boy Samuel

(1 Sam. 3:1-15). We see Him be with children as they grow

(Gen. 21:20; 1 Sam. 3: 19-20). We see David being able to

trust God at a very young age and have boldness because of

confidence in God (Ps. 22:9-10; 1 Sa. 17:34-37). Children are

also able to follow God and His ways even in the face of

spiritual decay and challenging times, such as King Josiah who

was only eight when he became king (2 Kgs. 22:1-23:25), King

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Joash who was only seven (2 Chron. 24:1-14), and Daniel and

his friends who were exiled as teens (Dan. 1:3-20).

The Bible also portrays children as blessings and delight

(Ps. 127:3-5), and God personally sides with and looks after

orphans (Deut. 10:18; Ps. 10:14; Hos. 14:3b; Jam. 1:27). We

see Him intervened on behalf of the boy Ishmael (Gen. 21:8-21)

and the son of a Gentile widow (1 kings 17:8-24). Jesus,

during his ministry, raised a boy and a girl from the dead:

the widow of Nain’s son (Lk. 7:11-17) and Jairus’ 12 year old

daughter (Matt. 9:18, 23-25; Mk. 5:21-24, 35-43; Lk. 8:40-42,

49-56). He healed from sickness the royal official’s son (Jn.

4:46-53), the Syrophoenician woman’s demon-possessed daughter

(Mt. 15:21-28; Mk. 7:24-30), and an epileptic, demon-possessed

boy (Matt. 17:14-20; Mk. 9:14-26; Lk. 9:37-43). He welcomed

children, enjoyed their presence and blessed them and made

them as models from whom we can learn about the kingdom of God

(Matt. 19:13-15; Mk. 10:13-16, Lk. 18:15-17).

These passages tell us that children are actively engaged

and involved with God who plans for, calls, initiates, speaks

to, blesses, welcomes, heals, sides with, and uses children to

accomplish His purposes. A further study into Scriptures will

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also show us that even in family and community traditions and

practices in the worship of God, God has children and their

spiritual nurture in mind as they participate actively in

those practices.

The book of Deuteronomy is particularly helpful in

parenting as “from beginning to end it gives prominent

attention to children and especially to what and how they are

taught.”27 It is a book of divine instruction that will develop

in the new generation being formed as a nation awe and

reverence for the holy God. They need to hear and obey the

law of God that would set them apart as a wise and discerning

people (Deut. 4:1-2, 5-8), secure their well-being, and bring

them blessings (Deut. 11:13-15; 22-25, 28:1-14). Parents are

enjoined to take to heart the law and ordinances of God and

pass them on to their children and grandchildren (Deut 4:9;

6:1-2, 4-9, 20-24; 11:18-21) in the family and community

context so that both parents and children will “fear the Lord”

(Deut. 4:10; 6:1-2; 14:23; 17:19; 31:12-13).

One of the God-ordained practices that would develop2727. Patrick D. Miller. “That the Children May Know:

Children in Deuteronomy,” in The Child in the Bible, Marcia J. Bunge,gen. ed., (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008), 45. The book gives a more complete treatment of children as found in the Scriptures.

20

reverence and wonder for God encouraged in Deuteronomy is the

regular reading and hearing of God’s statutes, commands and

ordinances in order to facilitate remembrance and obedience

(Deut. 4:1-2; 5:1-22; 6:1-9, 9:1; 10:12-22). The parents are

to take God’s statutes to heart so that it naturally overflows

into talking about them daily with the children as life

presents itself throughout the day (Deut. 6:6-7; 11:18-19).

They are to do so in a way that will arouse children’s

curiosity and questions about the laws and statutes of God

(Deut. 6:20-25).

Aside from regular hearing of God’s Word in the family,

another God-ordained practice that we see in the Bible is the

family’s participation in the community assembly where God’s

Word is read (Deut. 31:7-13) and where God’s works displayed

in their history is re-enacted (Deut. 16:1-17). The re-

enactments of what God did in their history, such as the

Passover (Ex. 12:1-12, 24-27, 13:8; Deut. 16:1-3, 5-7), and

the unleavened bread (Ex. 12:14-16; 13:1-10; 23:15; 34:18;

Lev. 23:6-8; Num. 28:17-25; Deut. 16:3-4, 8) became sensorial

experiential events for children. Other festivals were added

to celebrate God’s bountiful provision for the people, such as

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the Feast of First Fruits (Ex 23:19; 34:26; Lev. 23:9-14;

Deut. 26:5, 9-10), the Feast of Weeks (Ex 23:16; 34:22a; Lev.

23:15-21; Num. 28:26-31; Deut. 16:9-12), and the Feast of

Tabernacles (Ex. 23:16b; 34:22b; Lev. 23:33-38; 39-43; Num.

29:12-34; Deut. 16:13-15). These were joyful celebrations for

the entire community in worship of God who works on their

behalf. The Festival of Trumpets (Lev. 23:23-25; Num. 29:1-6),

the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:1-34; 23:26-32; Num. 29:7-11),

and the weekly Sabbath (Ex. 16:23-29, 20:8-11, 31:13-16, 35:2-

3; Lev. 23:3) were times of rest and remembrance and

sacrifices. These rich, sensorial, experiential practices and

celebrations in the family and in the faith community were to

be God’s means of grace to nurture the faith of the children

in this God who is involved in their lives.

Lawrence Richards, a Christian educator and prolific writer on

ministry to children, noted,

The Old Testament description of the ideal community isstriking for its lack of separate institutions for thenurture of children. No schools are established by thelaw. No individuals are set aside as teachers of theyoung. Instead the Old Testament assumes that childrenwill grow up as participating members of the community.And it seems to be just this participation that is thecentral feature of Mosaic nurture.28

2828. Lawrence Richards, A Theology of Children’s Ministry (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1983), 18.

22

He also mentioned three factors in the nurture system: the

living faith or personal spiritual life of the instructor, the

family as the primary locus of instruction, and instruction as

being woven in the daily life of both parents and children.29

The reality of a vital faith in God lived out in the natural

rhythm and rituals of life at home and that of the community

the family is part of influences and nurtures the spiritual

lives of children.

In the Book of Proverbs (1-7), the kind of conversation

occurring between parents and children become more specific.

Both parents are involved in the instruction of the child on

how to apply God’s ways with wisdom as the child interacts

with the world around him or her. They teach, instruct, extol

the ways of wisdom and warn about the dangers and enticements

the son might face, The basis and motivation for heeding the

parent’s admonitions are a healthy reverence and awe of God

and a desire to please Him, not a legalistic outward obedience

to a set of rules. Proverbs recognizes that “foolishness is

bound up in the heart of a child” and therefore he/she needs

2929. Richards, A Theology of Children’s Ministry, 23-24.

23

instruction, discipline, reproof, training and correction so

as to impart wisdom and develop character (Prov. 22:15; 13:24;

3:11-12). The child is also urged to receive, obey, remember

and keep the parent’s instructions (Prov. 3:1, 4:10) and

commit himself/herself to trust in God (Prov. 3:5-6) and the

way of wisdom. Proverbs holds in balance both the parents’

responsibility as well as the child’s responsibility to

develop the reverence for God and keep His wise ways.

Biblical stories show the close connection and influence

occurring between the parents and the children’s lives.

Children suffer when their parents sin, such as Achan (Jos.

6:18-19, Jos. 7), Pharaoh ((Ex. 11:1-12:30), Baasha (1 Ki.

16:12-13), Ahab (2 Ki. 10:1-7), and the Canaanite nations who

had to be annihilated because of their evil ways and the

contamination that might have on God’s people.30 Parents are

also held responsible or suffer the consequences when they

fail to train or restrain their children, such as Eli (13030. Shelley Campagnola expounds on how Israel’s treatment

of children sets them apart from other cultures of their day. She also explains three criteria that shed light on the slaughter of innocent children of whole nations by Israel in obedience to God’s commands. Shelley Campagnola, “Unless You Become as One of These: Biblical Perspectives on Children’s Spirituality” in Children’s Spirituality: Christian Persepctives, Research and Applications Donald Ratcliff, Sr. ed. (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2004), 72-89.

24

Samuel 2:12-17, 3:11-14) and David (1 Kings 1:5-10). Yet, we

also see sons, raised by good fathers, who chose to do evil,

such as Joel and Abijah (1 Sam. 8:2-5, 16; Ps. 99: 6; Heb. 11:

32), Ahaz (2 Ki. 15:32-33:4), and Manasseh (2 Ki. 21:1-16;

18:5-7). Likewise, we see children, raised by evil parents,

who chose to follow the Lord and did well, such as Jonathan (1

Sam. 15:26, 18:1-20:9), Asa (2 Chr. 12:16, 1 Ki. 15:3-14),

Josiah (2 Ki. 21-23), and Hezekiah (2 Ki. 16-18). However, we

see a lot more examples of children who turned out evil

because they followed their parents’ evil and idolatrous ways,

such as Solomon – Rehoboam (1 Ki. 11-12, 14:21-31), Rehoboam –

Abijah (1 Ki. 15:1-3), Jeroboam – Nadab (1 Ki. 15:25-26),

Jeroboam – Zechariah (2 Ki. 15:9), Omri – Ahab (1 Ki. 16:21-

34), Ahab – Ahaziah (1 Ki. 22:51-53; 2 Ki. 8:26-27), and

Menahem-Pekahiah (2 Ki. 15:17-24). What was happening in the

kingly families was also reflected in the nation. Reading

Israel’s history in the Old Testament, we can see how the

people have failed to practice God’s laws and statutes that

necessitated God’s discipline. Centuries later, we read the

Psalmist Asaph urging again the faith community to teach the

next generation about the Lord (Ps. 78:4-7). These examples

25

emphasize the importance of godly instruction and modeling of

parents for children to follow, as stated in Deuteronomy, for

a far greater chance of children following the Lord as well.

In the New Testament, we see the deuteronomic ideal

finding some fulfillment. Children were nurtured in the faith

as believers met in homes where children are presumed to be

present (1 Cor. 16:19; Acts 20:20; Rom. 16:5; Col. 4:15,

Phil.1:2). The fellowships in

those homes were participatory (1 Cor. 14:26; see also Col.

3:16, Heb. 10:24–25) that involved teaching, prayer,

fellowship and eating (Acts 2: 42). The children must have

heard repeatedly the events, words, miracles and accounts of

the life of Jesus Christ in those meetings. They would have

seen and have been caught up in the vibrancy of faith, the

transformation of lives, the love and care for one another,

the boldness and zeal of Jesus’ followers despite persecution.

They would also have seen how the Christian faith positively

affected the relationships at home (Eph. 5:21-6:9), as parents

were admonished to bring them up “in the training and

instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:1). We see an example of the

parent passing on the faith successfully in the lives of Lois,

26

Eunice and Timothy (2 Tim. 3:15a). Richards wrote that the

rich relational climate of love in the early church: “…is

perhaps the most powerful single influence in child

development” where “each child was gently guided to

and nurtured in faith.”31

Thus far, we have seen that the Bible generally has a

high view of children and their spiritual nurture, and

specific instructions and commands are given to parents to

love, nurture, nourish, and train up these children. Both the

Old and New Testaments show us that the family’s commitment to

talk, teach, model, train children in God’s ways and their

involvement in a vital faith community greatly contribute to

children’s spirituality. In both, we see that the home needs

to be supported by a community of faith for it to nurture

children in their faith and relationship with God.

Certain considerations need to be pointed out as a result

of the foray into the biblical perspective. The first one that

is made explicit in the Old Testament passages and stories is

that children made as persons in God’s image are “free,

responsible individuals, whose growth can be influenced but3131. Richards, A Theology of Children’s Ministry A Theology of Children’s

Ministry, 47.

27

never determined, and whose progress in faith is linked with

personal relationship with God.”32 This means that parents can

only influence, teach, instruct, model but not control when it

comes to matters of faith and spirituality. The other

consideration is that the processes that could best influence

spiritual growth in children have to take place in a vital

faith community – primarily the home, then the church (or in

the case of Israel as God’s chosen people, the community or

nation). John Westerhoff III, a contemporary Christian

educator, argued that “faith cannot be taught by any method of

instruction; …[it] can be inspired within a community of

faith…is expressed, transformed, and made meaningful by

persons sharing their faith in an historical, tradition-

bearing community of faith.”33 The processes seen in both

biblical and theological accounts are as follows: processes

where children develop a sense of belonging to a vital faith

community, processes that involve children’s participation in

the life of that vital faith community, processes where

children can have warm, loving constant relationship with good3232. Richards, A Theology of Children’s Ministry, 74.

3333. John Westerhoff III, Will Our Children Have Faith? (Seabury Press, 1976), 23.

28

models whom they can identify and imitate in that vital faith

community, processes where biblical instruction of God’s

truths as interpretation-of-life is woven into daily living,

and processes that encourage children to want to and choose to

grow in their own faith.34 These processes will also become

evident as we look into the sociological perspective.

Sociological Perspective

Traditionally, psychologists and educators did not think

that children could have genuine spiritual experiences. Jean

Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, did detailed observational

studies and tests on children’s cognitive development. He said

that children construct an understanding of their world and

experiences through cognitive stages of sensorimotor,

preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational as

they go through biological growth.35 The Piagetian model of

sequential cognitive development related to age had strongly

3434. Richards, A Theology of Children’s Ministry, 76-80.

3535. Jean Piaget and Barbel Inhelder, The Psychology of the Child, Helen Weaver, trans. (NY: Basic Books, 1969), cited in Holly Catterton Allen and Christine Lawton Ross, Intergenerational Christian Formation: Bringing the Whole Ministry Together in Ministry, Community and Worship (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2012), 87-88.

29

influenced Goldman’s (1964) view on children’s religious

thinking, Elkind’s (1978) study of children with institutional

religion, and also Fowler’s (1981) faith stages, which all

relied on the cognitive development of children’s

understanding of the faith/religion.36 Thus, young children

3636. Tobin Hart, “Spiritual Experiences and Capacities of Children and Youth,” in The Handbook of Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence, 163.

Ronald Goldman did tests consisting of telling children stories or showing them pictures in the Christian tradition and asking questions about them to draw out their opinions. Hedid not find a difference between religious and non-religious thinking. He proposed three stages in children’s religious thinking: “pre-religious” or egocentric stage (5-9), the “sub-religious” (9-13) when literalism and concretization take place, and “religious” stage (13 onwards). Religious thinking coincides with the child’s intellectual development in understanding the concepts. See Ronald Goldman, Religious Thinking from Childhood to Adolescence (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1964). David Elkind did investigations about religious conceptions among children of different faiths and how a child formed a sense of belonging. He offered three stages of religious understanding in children: in stage one, children (5-7) have “global, undifferentiated” religious identity; in stage two, children (7-9) can tell the difference between theirs and others’ religions; and in stage three, children (10-12) show “reflection” and look for manifestations of religious identity. He also studied the child’s conception of prayer. See David Elkind, The Child’s Reality: Three Developmental Themes (Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1978). James Fowler offered a developmental model of faith consciousness and proposed seven stages, the first four of which occur before adulthood: Stage 0 or pre-stage is Primal Faith, which is formed in the relationships of oneself with parents and others which is non-observable. Stage 1 (3-7) is

30

were seen to be developmentally immature to meaningfully grasp

spiritual or religious concepts and ideas. There was a

prevailing assumption that genuine spirituality required

abilities for abstract thinking and language, so young

children were seen as not capable of having a spiritual life.37

However, recent numerous studies and interviews based on

years of working and interacting with children, are now

showing that children have powerful spiritual experiences.38

Intuitive-Projective Faith characterized by productive imaginative processes filled with fantasies influenced by the examples, stories, actions of the visible faith of the adults. Stage 2 is Mythic-Literal Faith (8-12 or so) when children's logic begins toseparate the real and actual from fantasy and beliefs and theybegin to take on for themselves the stories and beliefs of their faith community. Stage 3 is Synthetic-Conventional Faith, (early teens) when faith has to synthesize values and information and provide a basis for identity and viewpoint. Stage 4 is Individuative-Reflective Faith (late teens to adulthood) when commitments have to be consciously chosen and critically examined. See James Fowler, Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning (NY: Harper & Row, 1981). Each of these theories had their critics but nevertheless have been widely used and referred to as well.

3737. Hart.

3838. For further reading, see the following: Edward Robinson, The Original Vision: A Study of the Religious Experience of Childhood (NY: Seabury Press, 1983). Thomas Armstrong, “Transpersonal Experience in Childhood,” Journal of Transpersonal Psychology 16 (1984), 207-230. Edward Hoffman, Visions of Innocence: Spiritual and Inspirational Experiences of Childhood (Boston, MA: Shambhala, 1993). Michael M. Piechowski, “Childhood Spirituality,” Journal of Transpersonal Psychology 33 (2001): 1-15.

31

Rebecca Nye wrote, “Children, partly by virtue of their

distinctive psychological characteristics, have an

intriguingly rich capacity for spirituality,” which may have

less to do “with age, intellect and mental life and much more

with being and feeling.”39 She further said that children show

lack of compartmentalization of spirituality from all that

they are and interested in.40 Hay & Nye’s studies with children

reveal what they call a “relational consciousness” wherein

there is “meta-cognition” or unusual awareness of being in

relationship with something or someone “out of which can arise

meaningful aesthetic experience, religious experience,

personal and traditional responses to mystery and being, and

mystical and moral insight.”41 Activities used by the children

in their study to maintain their sense of spirituality include

“…efforts to physically and mentally withdraw frommundane distractions, attempts to consciously focus orconcentrate on a particular subject, seeking relationor communication through prayer, seeking and

3939. Rebecca Nye, “Christian Perspectives on Children’s Spirituality: Social Science Contributions?” in Children’s Spirituality: Christian Perspectives, Research and Applications, 93.

4040. Ibid.

4141. David Hay and Rebecca Nye, The Spirit of the Child, rev. ed. (London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2006), 109.

32

exploiting aesthetic and sensory experiences, anddeliberately ‘philosophizing.’”42

Robert Coles, a child psychiatrist who worked for almost

three decades in several

countries talking with children many of whom were challenged

by their social and economic conditions, saw a natural overlap

between the children’s moral and religious lives and between

their religious and spiritual lives.43 He reported of

children’s “sometimes urgent determination to define God, to

locate Him in time and place, to know Him as precisely as

possible, to explain (to themselves and others) who and what

He is.”44 The insights, questions and conversations these

children shared made him wonder “whether the children

themselves aren’t the very treasure they so obviously seek:

God as children pondering, musing, ruminating, brooding on

Him, young minds bending and applying themselves in His

image.”45

4242. Ibid., 123.

4343. Robert Coles, The Spiritual Life of Children (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1990), xvii.

4444. Ibid., 147.

4545. Ibid.

33

Sofia Cavaletti, pioneer of the educational method

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd used for teaching children the faith

and who worked with children for many decades, wrote of a

number of instances when even young children who have had no

religious exposure or training respond in joy when they speak

of God.46 She also observed that children, after a catechism

session in an atrium, or after prayer or Mass, seemed

“satisfied and serene, want[ing] to extend the experience, …

speaking in subdued voices or singing with intense and

tranquil joy… a deep chord within the children had been

touched and they, as though enraptured, continue to listen to

its prolonged vibrations in the secret of their hearts.”47 She

concluded that a child who longs for deep love no one can give

him/her turns to God to experience His unfailing love.48

Catherine Stonehouse, a Christian education researcher and

teacher on children’s spirituality, also wrote, “With ease,

[children] grasp the reality of the transcendent and are even

4646. Sofia Cavaletti, The Religious Potential of the Child, Barbara Schmich Searle, ed., (Mt. Ranier, MD: Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, 1992), 30-45.

4747. Ibid., 42.

4848. Ibid., 45.

34

more open to God than many adults...children are born with the

potential for spiritual experience, and God is the one who

stimulates the activation of that potential.“49

Indeed, the studies and recorded conversations with

children about God, religion, and

things spiritual show that even younger children try to

grapple with philosophical questions, have spiritual

experiences and sense of wonder, construct meaning out of

their experiences, and have that innate tendency to reach out

to God. God has His ways with children, and children have

their ways with God. And as we have gleaned from the biblical

perspective, Christian spirituality is best nurtured in the

child within the faith community. In a non-Christian or non-

religious context, “…the child still has the quality of

spirituality with accompanying questions about life, self, and

meaning…the environment then strongly influences the direction

that spirituality takes – whether a child finds her or his life

in Jesus Christ or not.”50 So when we speak of nurturing

4949. Catherine Stonehouse, Joining Children on the Spiritual Journey: Nurturing A Life of Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker House, 1998), 181.

5050. Michael J. Anthony, ed. Perspectives on Children’s Spiritual Formation: Four Views (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers,2006), 50.

35

children’s spirituality, we turn now to how best this can be

facilitated in the home and within the family so that children do

not lose it as they grow but that they continue on to a realized

relationship with God in Jesus Christ and mature faith.

Scholars in sociology and psychology have conducted

empirical studies on the family as the place where religious

and spiritual development takes place. These studies usually

revolve around major religions and their adherents’ beliefs

and practices. Marks and Dollahite mentioned three dimensions

to religiosity: religious beliefs (personal, internal

beliefs), religious practices (outward, observable expressions

of faith), and religious communities.51 Their research showed

positive connections between religion and the quality of

marriage and family life. Another study on 810 fathers showed

that high paternal religiosity was linked to a better parent-

child relationship and more effort put by the father into the

parent-child relationship.52 A study on low-income mothers

5151. David C. Dollahite, Loren D. Marks and Michael A. Goodman, “Families and Religious Beliefs, Practices, and Communities: Linkages in a Diverse and Dynamic Cultural Context,” In Handbook on Contemporary Families: Considering the past, Contemplating the Future Marilyn Coleman and Lawrence H. Ganong, eds. (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2004), 413.

5252. Valerie King, “The Influence of Religion on Fathers’ Relationships with their Children,” Journal of Marriage and Family,

36

suggested that “those attending religious services frequently

may help mothers to cope with stress, encourage mothers to be

more involved in their child’s life, and increase social

control for children, all of which may deter young children

from engaging in problem behavior.”53 Another study showed that

the respondents say that the quality of their mother–child

relationship was not affected by the different religious

affiliations, but rather it was the religiosity that promoted

strong familial ties that had significant positive effects on

the quality of their relationships.54 The same study said that

mothers who became more religious throughout the first 18

years of their child's life reported a better relationship

with that child, regardless of the level of their religious

65, No.2 (May, 2003): 395.

5353. Richard J. Petts, “Low-Income Mothers’ Religious Involvement and Early Childhood Behavior,” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Hilton Atlanta and Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Atlanta, GA, (Aug 13, 2010): http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/4/0/8/5/6/pages408562/p 08562-1.php (accessed August 14, 2013), 1.

5454. Lisa D. Pearce and William G. Axinn, "The Impact of Family Religious Life on the Quality of Mother-Child Relations," American Sociological Review, 63, No. 6 (December 1998):810-828. http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1998-03313-004 (accessed August 14, 2013).

37

practice before the child was born.55 Dollahite and Thatcher

surveyed available literature on the benefits of family’s

religious involvement and made the following conclusion:

Since many studies now show the beneficialconsequences of religious belief, practice, andcommunity support on physical health, mental health,and current and future marital and familyrelationships, it appears that one of the mostimportant things parents can provide for theirchildren is a spiritual and religious experience andcommunity.56

Search Institute surveyed 11,000 people from 561

congregations in six Protestant denominations to find out

formal Christian education programs that teach the faith. The

result of their study revealed the importance of family

religiousness and a lifetime exposure to formal Christian

education as the two most important factors in faith maturity.

Benson and Eklin wrote,

…family religiousness is slightly more important thanlifetime exposure to Christian education. Theparticular family experiences that are most tied togreater faith maturity are the frequency with which anadolescent talked with mother and faith about faith,

5555. Ibid.

5656. David C. Dollahite and Jennifer Y. Thatcher, “How Family Religious Involvement Benefits Adults, Youth, and Children and Strengthens Families,” http://www.learningace.com/doc/1489539/b0632b469ee3a03e6884abb4a7507175/dollahite (accessed August 15, 2013), 8.

38

the frequency of family devotions, and the frequencywith which parents and children together were involvedin efforts, formal or informal, to help other people.Each of these family experiences is more powerful thanfrequency with which an adolescent sees his or herparents engage in religious behavior like churchattendance.57

Robert Wuthnow’s research also highlighted the power of

embedded practices, deliberate religious activities “firmly

intertwined with the daily habits of family routines” such as

eating together especially Sunday meals and celebrating

holidays, praying, engaging in family devotions and reading

the Bible that make being religious a way of life.58

Anderson and Hill wrote of four key faith practices that

develop faith and how the church could encourage their

congregation’s families to practice them.59 He noted that

these four practices, caring conversation, devotional life,

service, and rituals and traditions, are “basic disciplines of

5757. Peter L. Benson and Carolyn H. Eklin, “Effective Christian Education: A National Study of Protestant Congregations” (Search Institute, 1990), http://www.searchinstitutepress.org/faith_community_downloads/ece_summary_report.pdf (accessed August 15, 2013), 38.

5858. Robert Wuthnow, Growing Up Religious: Christians and Jews and their Journeys of Faith (Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 1999), xxxi-xxxii.

5959. David W. Anderson and Paul Hill, Frogs Without Legs Can’t Hear: Nurturing Disciples in home and Congregation, (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2003).

39

faithful Christians living in the first or the twenty- first

century…shaped by the good news of Jesus Christ.”60 John

Roberto identified five core family faith practices based on

research on real families that significantly contribute to

building families of faithful Christians. He based the first

four on Anderson and Hill’s book. He listed them as family

faith conversations, family devotions and prayer, family

service, family rituals and traditions, and added family meal

as the fifth practice.61 These findings continue to affirm the

processes earlier mentioned that were gleaned from the

biblical perspective.

Thus far, we have briefly considered empirical evidence

of the spiritual lives of children from the sociological

perspective. We have also seen how the family’s religiosity

and practices could positively affect family relationships and

reinforce children’s spirituality and faith formation over a

lifetime. We have presented biblical and sociological

perspectives on children’s spirituality and faith formation6060. Ibid., 98.

6161. John Roberto, “Best Practices in Family Faith Formation,” Lifelong Faith (Fall/Winter 2007), 5-7 http://www.faithformationlearningexchange.net/uploads/5/2/4/6/5246709/best_practices_in_family_faith_formation.pdf (accessed August 15, 2013).

40

and the crucial role that the family, particularly parents,

play in encouraging and nurturing children’s spirituality. We

will see how these are being played out in a group of children

studying in two public elementary schools.

Chapter 3

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY

Research Objective

The research aims to find out the Filipino children’s

views on parent-child relationships, their practices that

inhibit or nurture their spiritual beliefs, and how the

spiritual aspect affects their ability to cope with their

life’s challenges. The research also aims to find out the

parents’ role or influence on the children’s spiritual lives,

if there are any.

The instrument used in this research was adapted from the

one used by OneHope in its quantitative study on the spiritual

state of the world’s children. The core of the survey was from

the Survey of Juveniles designed by Chris Sleath of Josh

McDowell Ministries to find out the Attitudes and Behavior of

Youth (ABY).62 Since the questionnaire was intended for high6262. OneHope, Inc. Spiritual State of the World’s Children: A Quantitative

Study. Executive Summary for Ministry. Philippines. (May, 2009): 9, http://onehope.net/sswc/country-research/ (accessed June 5,

41

school or older youth, it has been modified for the younger

targeted age group. In order to make the survey not too

tedious for these children, the questionnaire was shortened to

four long bond paper size instead of six. Certain questions

that are hard to understand or considered culturally

irrelevant for the elementary age group level have been

removed. Some categories were shortened as well. A few

categories of parental spiritual practices have been added and

included in the relationship with the parents. The researcher

has deliberately chosen to include the questions on the

relationship with the opposite sex to determine how aware or

involved are these children of this age group in this area.

The questionnaire distributed to the children is the Tagalog

version for better understanding by the children. Both the

modified English and Tagalog versions are included in the

Appendix Section for easier reference.

Research Methodology

Three hundred questionnaires were distributed to children

in section A of grades five and six in two public elementary

2013).

42

schools, one in Quezon City and the other in Davao City. For

the Quezon City public school, 200 questionnaires were left

with the principal who coursed them through the guidance

office to be distributed to the students and then picked up a

week later. The principal was very accommodating and even

offered to have the survey done on their two thousand students

in the grades five and six levels. However, I chose to do only

two hundred in the A sections. I retrieved 199 questionnaires.

For the Davao City public school, my colleagues

personally administered 100 questionnaires during forty-five

minutes of class time, and retrieved 99 pieces. The total

respondents are 298, with 124 male and 173 female and one who

did not indicate any gender. The majority age ranged from ten

to twelve (277), with seven respondents aged nine, six

respondents aged thirteen, two respondents aged fourteen, and

one each aged fifteen and sixteen. Two respondents did not

indicate their age.

The time frame when the research was done, including the

initial contact was from July 16-26, 2013.

Research Data Information

Some pertinent observations as the hard copies of the

43

survey forms were examined are noted here. Only nineteen out

of one hundred and one respondents in Grade five in the Quezon

City public school answered the questions on relationship with

the opposite sex. There is an additional eleven respondents

who initially answered and then erased their answers. The

majority having left those questions blank may indicate that

the questionnaire was answered in class. The eleven may have

answered ahead of the rest and decided to erase their answers

with a white out which may only be provided in class. Also,

there are four respondents who did not answer a whole page,

two did not answer all of page three, and two did not answer

all of page four. The section on relationships with the

members of the opposite sex will then have two sets of data to

reflect the discrepancy created by the 81% not answering the

section.

44

Chapter 4

DATA PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION

There are certain key issues that came out as a result of

the survey. The good news is that the majority of the children

come from quite stable families. The family composition is as

45

follows:

86% - of the parents are married (85% Q.C., 87% D.C.) 78% - live in two-parent family (75% Q,C., 85% D.C.) 11% - live with relatives (which could also be

interpreted as relatives living with them aside from thenuclear family, as gathered from some answers in theother questions)

6% - parents are separated 2% - one parent has died (all in Q.C.)

This result mirrors OneHope’s survey results done among 4,098

Philippine youth aged thirteen onwards where 84% have parents

and 77% of parents are married.63

Family Perceptions and Relationships

The children’s perception of what comprises a family is

interesting as majority (61%) defines family as any group of

people who shares the same set of religion, values and goals

in life. Only 20% define family as those related by birth,

adoption or marriage, and 14% define family as any person or

group who loves or cares about one another deeply. In their

perception, children help comprise a family, as 43% consider a

single woman with children a family and 36% consider an

unmarried man and woman with children a family. This is

confirmed as only 13% consider an unmarried man and woman

without children a family. This age group still has a very

6363. Onehope, Inc., 8, 12.

46

conservative view of the family as only 5% consider homosexual

men a family in contrast to the 86% who says it’s not, and 4%

consider homosexual women a family in contrast to the 76% who

says it’s not. Anywhere from 10%-19% are unsure what to answer

in the different categories. Fifty percent, however, believes

that a traditional family does not play a significant role in

the stability of society, while 32% are unsure.

With regards to the children’s relationships with their

parents, 90% feel very or fairly close to their mother and 75%

feel very or fairly close to their father. As expected, 63%

frequently talk with their mother about everything compared to

39% with their father. They seek their mother’s advice more

(9% compared to 8% with father), do something special with

them (38% compared to 22% with father), and show their love

more to their mother (72% compared to 67% with their father).

These results have also been generally true in OneHope’s

survey on older children.64 Considering that mothers are

usually the primary caregivers at home as the father is the

breadwinner, the results are to be expected. What is

encouraging, however, is the high percentage of the children

feeling close to their father that highlights the importance64 64. OneHope, Inc., 5, 13.

47

of the father’s presence in the family. Thus, they feel almost

equally loved by both parents (77%, 74%) and feel proud of

both of them (69%, 64%), with those of the mother only

slightly higher on both cases. This is true even if the amount

of time talking with their father is much less compared to

their mother: 46% indicate spending only five to fifteen

minutes in a week in meaningful conversation with their

father, compared to 39% of that short time with their mother.

Also, 15% indicate never spending time with their father in

meaningful conversation, compared to only 8% of never spending

time in conversation with their mother. A higher percentage

of children spend longer time anywhere from 16 minutes to over

four hours in meaningful conversation with their mother (48%)

than with their father (35%). The data are tabulated as

follows:

In a typical week, how much time doyou spend talking about things thatreally matter (check one answer):

Mother Father

No time 8% 15%Less than 5 minutes 16% 13%Between 5-15 minutes 23% 33%Between 16-30 minutes 19% 12%Between 31-60 minutes 15% 11%Hour to less than 2 hours 4% 7%2 Hours to leass than 4 hours 5% 2%4 hours or more per week 5% 3%

48

How often do you… Frequently

Occasionally

Seldom Never

a. talk with your fatherabout everything?

39% 45% 9% 4%

b. seek advice from yourfather?

31% 41% 19% 8%

c. wonder whether or notyour father loves you?

16% 30% 18% 32%

d. feel your father showshis love for you?

74% 14% 5% 4%

e. do something specialwith your father thatinvolves just the two ofyou?

22% 34% 21% 22%

f. show your love for yourfather?

67% 23% 5% 2%

g. feel proud of yourfather?

64% 24% 4% 6%

How often do you… Frequently

Occasionally

Seldom Never

a. talk with your motherabout everything?

63% 23% 8% 5%

b. seek advice from yourmother?

51% 32% 7% 9%

c. wonder whether or notyour mother loves you?

34% 23% 16% 24%

d. feel your mother showshis love for you?

77% 15% 5% 1%

e. do something specialwith your mother thatinvolves just the two ofyou?

38% 33% 17% 12%

f. show your love for yourmother?

72% 22% 4% 0%

g. feel proud of yourmother?

69% 20% 5% 3%

Children report that 68% feel their over-all experience

49

at home is positive, 65% feel secure and loved, another 14%

feel loved some of the time and another 14% are trying to love

each other. This is validated when the children report that

69% seldom or never see their parents fight; instead 91% see

their parents frequently or occasionally show love to each

other, 96% of the parents admit when they are wrong or

mistaken, and 81% feel their parents frequently and

occasionally set good examples to them. The children also

indicate that 61% seldom or never get yelled at by their

parents, 72% are really interested in them, 87% make time for

them, 55% seldom or never mistrust them. The children do feel

their parents frequently and occasionally have high

expectation of them (89%), but this is balanced when they

report that 59% of the parents are seldom or are never strict

with them and only 29% frequently or occasionally not allowing

them what they want to do. Overall, 75% report being very or

somewhat satisfied with their lives at present, with only 7%

not so satisfied or not at all satisfied.

Attitudes Towards Marriage and Relationship with the Opposite

Sex

Since majority of the children come from two-parent homes

50

and generally have positive experiences in their family

relationships, the majority still has a high view of marriage

as follows:

76% believe God intended marriage to last a life time 66% believe their parents have a good marriage and love

each other 61% would like to have a marriage like their parents 58% feel most marriage problems have been exaggerated and

that most couples have fulfilling, healthy marriages 49% don't approve of separation especially when children

are involved only 14% indicate that anyone who gets married should

anticipate separation

Part of the source of the children’s perception of separation

and marital problems may probably have come from watching

television (70% of them watch TV) where the private lives of

entertainment personalities get in the news especially when

there is tragedy such as marital break-up occurs. Indeed, 66%

reports that television influences some or a lot of their

thinking.

With regards to relationship with the opposite sex, I

will consider two sets of figures. One is based on the total

respondents (298) and the other is based on the total

respondents who answered this section (217), with the latter

figure in parenthesis. It is heartening to see that for this

age group, none of them including the teenagers (13-16) have

51

engaged in sexual intercourse, although 70% (96%) only

indicted a “no” answer and 2% (3%) are not sure. The resolve

not to engage in sexual intercourse is not as strong when an

opportunity presents itself as 58% (79%) finds it morally

unacceptable, with 10% (14%) being not sure and 3% (4%) say it

is sometimes acceptable. Also, anywhere from one to seven

percent (one to ten percent) will more likely have sexual

intercourse especially when 6% love (8%) and 7% (10%) intend

to marry the person. Only three respondents from Quezon City

reported sexual fondling, but one paper seems to be invalid as

the respondent answered by column in all the pages without

thinking of the question and the appropriate answer. For the

question on the actions with the opposite sex, she checked all

under the “yes” column. She is also one of the two who did not

answer the last page.

Generally for this age group, intimate physical display

with the opposite sex is still not practiced by 64-70% (88-

96%) of the respondents, with 40-58% (54-80%) finding those

actions morally unacceptable and 64-70% (87-93%) as less

likely or will not engage in sexual intercourse even if

circumstances will create an opportunity for them to do so.

52

Interestingly, older children also report little engagement in

more intense sexual activities with only eight percent of the

4,098 respondents having had sexual intercourse.65

Beliefs and Perspectives About Life

The spirituality of this age group is evident as they

report what or who influences their thoughts and actions a lot

in a descending order: God (80%), parents (70%), teachers

(65%), religion (63%), siblings (60%), the Bible (52%), priest

or pastor (48%), the Christian faith (43%) and friends (38%).

This shows that for this age group, relationships with

authority and family figures such as parents, siblings,

teachers, religious leaders exert a crucial influence in their

lives. This means that parents and religious leaders could

still highly impact these children’s beliefs and ideas. Eighty

nine percent admit that their faith in God is very important

in their lives, and 79% feel that it is important to be a

member of the church. Sixty-two percent also report that there

was a time when their religious beliefs actually changed their

behavior. Majority still believe that there is God who made

man (85%) and who created the world (89%), but 41% thinks God

6565. OneHope, 13.

53

is no longer involved in humanity’s lives or experiences.

Majority also still regard the Bible highly, with 88% seeing

it as providing practical standards for living and 81% seeing

it as providing a clear and indisputable description of moral

truth. However, there seems to be a disconnect between belief

and practice as 33% thinks it is okay to break the law if it

does not hurt anybody, and 48% think that lying is sometimes

necessary. Indeed, 33% admits to lying to their friends or

peers, and 28% admits to lying to their parent, teacher or

older person.

This age group still has difficulty differentiating the

beliefs of various religions as 66% affirm that all religions

teach equally valid truths. Sixty-four percent also agree that

Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Jews and all other people pray

to the same God even though they use different names for their

god, while 26% are not sure what to think. Sixty-four percent

also agree with the statement that it does not matter what

religious faith you associate with because they all believe

the same principles and truths. Thirty-eight percent also

think there is no such thing as “absolute truth” while 30% are

unsure, but 81% affirm later that the bible provides absolute

54

moral truths that are the same for all people in all

situations without exception. The discrepancy could be either

in their lack of understanding of the statement or the

ambivalence of their beliefs when confronted with other

statements. Their answers reveal that they may not even be

clear as to what they believe, or that they still have not

developed convictions on what they believe. Fifty percent also

agree with the statement that a person can lead a full and

satisfying life even if they do not pursue spiritual

development or maturity, while 24% are unsure.

Another encouraging news is that majority of the

respondents say they are not engaged in cheating in exams

(96%), stealing (93%), pornography (91-96%), heavy drinking

(97%), drugs (98%), gambling (93%), smoking (92%), or violence

(91-94%). The 2-6% who report positive response are mostly

male in the eleven to twelve age group.

Religious Perspectives and Practices

The children are consistent in affirming the importance

of God in their lives. Eighty six percent consider their faith

as very important, 85% say they have committed their lives to

Jesus Christ, 83% report that their faith is relevant to the

55

way they live their lives, and 73% express the desire to know

Jesus Christ personally. Only four percent say that they do

not believe in God, and one percent says the Christian faith

is not important. With regards to spiritual experiences, only

28% say that God has spoken to them and 40% say God has not

spoken to them. Sixty-nine percent affirm that prayer can

change what happens in life, while 14% are not sure, and 10%

do not agree that prayer matters. Although the children know

or affirm the big ideas, such as, Jesus Christ did not commit

sins and can be trusted (80%), the Bible is totally accurate

in all its teachings (77%), angels exist and influence

people’s lives (73%), forgiveness of sins is only possible

through faith in Jesus Christ (61%, while 20% are not sure),

they become more ambivalent and unsure about other ideas.

Although fifty-eight percent say that the miracles described

in the Bible actually took place, 27% are unsure. The

children see Satan as simply a symbol of evil (60%) while 26%

are unsure what to think of him. Fifty-five percent thinks

that Jesus did not return to life physically. Sixty-five

percent think that they will go to heaven based on good works,

but when given more choices, 28% think it’s because they have

56

obeyed the Ten Commandments, 31% says it’s because they have

received Jesus Christ, and only 3% say it’s because they are

basically a good person. They are almost equally divided when

it comes to terrible sins and crimes that cannot be forgiven

(35% say yes, 31% say no, and 27% are unsure). Sixty-nine

percent feel a responsibility to tell other people about their

religious beliefs but they do not seem to be sure or clear

about their beliefs and how it differs from those in other

religions.

A look into their religious practices may shed light on

this ambivalence and seeming discrepancy in their ideas. As we

have seen in Chapter two, parents are commanded, urged and

admonished to nurture, teach, train and model godliness for

their children to be nurtured in the faith. As we look at the

table below, 63% of the fathers and 54% of the mothers of the

respondents seldom or never read the Bible to the children.

Only 36% of the fathers and 44% of the mothers frequently or

occasionally read the bible to them, with 26% doing it daily

and 24% doing it weekly. Thus, 38% of the children rarely or

never read the Bible themselves, with only 18% doing it daily

and 30% doing it weekly. Although there is the desire to know

57

God for these children, and they see God as very important in

their lives, if there is no grounding in what the Bible

actually teaches, the children will continue to be ambivalent

about their beliefs. The study of the Bible happens more

outside the home for 38% who attend Sunday School and 46% who

attend youth group.

Frequently

Occasionally

Seldom Never

your father reads theBible to you?

17% 19% 22% 41%

your father advices you 70 17 7 5 your father prays foryou?

39 23 21 17

go to church with yourfather?

38 36 12 12

your mother reads theBible to you?

20 24 19 35

your mother advices you 71 20 4 3 your mother prays foryou?

49 22 14 11

go to church with yourmother?

51 29 10 9

In the practice of prayer, 62% of the fathers and 71% of

the mothers pray for their children, while 38% of the fathers

and 25% of the mothers seldom or never pray visibly for their

children to notice. Respondents report that 77% of their

parents pray daily, which may have influenced the children who

say they pray to God daily (76%).

Church-going is more the habit of the mothers (51%) than

58

fathers (38%), but the fathers seem to be more consistent

(35%) on a weekly basis than the mothers (28%). The siblings

are reported to go to church weekly (39%) while the respondent

children say 51% of them attend weekly. Thirty-three percent

of the fathers and twenty-three percent of the mothers rarely

or never go to church.

Eighty six percent indicate having received Jesus Christ

into their lives, nine percent have no answer, and four

percent say they have not received Christ. Of those who say

they received Christ, only 28% indicate the ages when they did

so. Five children indicate having received Christ at the ages

two to five years old, seventeen people at ages six to eight,

forty-nine people at ages nine to twelve, and two children at

aged thirteen onwards. These figures show that the ages nine

to twelve could probably be the most responsive and

intelligent response to Christ’s claims that can be made by

children before the teen years.

59

Chapter 5

RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION

Recommendations

60

This research has shown a number of encouraging results

regarding the respondents and their families from the two

public elementary schools. It also shows the areas that need

strengthening to help the children develop spiritual

convictions and a more experiential faith relationship with

God that will enable them to fare better in the challenges

they face. Over-all, the strengths of the respondents lie in

the stable family lives of the majority, their seeming

spirituality or religiosity, and in the conservative values

still being practiced by the children especially when it comes

to relationship with the opposite sex and involvement in

vices. The weakness noted is the apparent ambivalence when it

comes to what they believe and the lack of practices that will

strengthen their faith and grasp of spiritual truths. The

recommendations that follow will deal with both the strengths

and the weaknesses seen as a result of the research done.

James 2: 14-17 says,

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someoneclaims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faithsave them? Suppose a brother or a sister is withoutclothes and daily food. If one of you says to them,“Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but doesnothing about their physical needs, what good is it?In the same way, faith by itself, if it is notaccompanied by action, is dead.

61

As a researcher thinking of recommendations to be made as a

result of the research, I could go on one of two routes. One

is to simply use the findings to make recommendations in a

theoretical sense for future research and that is it. The

other route is to make recommendations to the end that

something gets done as a result of the findings, aside from

suggesting that further research be done. As a ministry

practitioner and not just a student researcher, I will take

the latter route. James 2 talks about seeing a person in need

and the Christian response is to do something about it. In my

recommendations, I have in mind what the great social activist

Mahatma Gandhi who led India to independence using non-violent

means once said,

“It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that'simportant. You have to do the right thing. It may notbe in your power, may not be in your time, thatthere'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stopdoing the right thing. You may never know what resultscome from your action. But if you do nothing, therewill be no result.”66

The first recommendation is to take action that would

strengthen the faith and convictions of the children while6666. “Quotations of Mahatma Gandhi,”

http://mindprod.com/ethics/gandhi.html#ACTION (accessed August16, 2013).

62

they are spiritually receptive. As empirical studies have

shown, religious and spiritual aspects positively affect many

areas and serve as the foundation for significant growth and

development of children. Strengthening the children’s

relationship with God and their understanding of truths in the

Bible will fortify their moral fibers and their relationships

both at home and in school. An action that this researcher

will undertake is to connect the International Graduate School

of Leadership (IGSL), where the researcher is part-faculty,

with the principal of the school so that a partnership could

be made. Students from IGSL, which is located near the

elementary school, could make it as part of their practicum to

reach out and be a big brother/sister to the grades five/six

students to develop them holistically, including teaching them

the Bible. This will necessitate the team to come up with a

workable plan to accomplish set objectives to nurture these

children. The plan could include coming into the school as

teachers for the values formation classes. Since the ages nine

to twelve are found most responsive, the IGSL team could

target these students.

Further research is suggested to include the rest of the

63

2000 grades five and six population has been surveyed to

warrant more convincing and persuasive action on the part of

the public school for this partnership to take place.

The second recommendation is connected to the first, and

that is to strengthen the Filipino families of children in the

public elementary schools starting in Quezon City In the

selected Quezon City public school site alone, there are 5000

students belonging to thousands of families. Quezon City,

which has the highest school age population in the country,

has 99 public schools with 263,988 students according to the

2009-2010 data.67 Of the 16 cities and one municipality

comprising Metro Manila (MM) or the National Capital Region

(NCR), Quezon City has the highest population.68 It also has

the highest population of informal settlers in the

country having more than 90,000 households.69 If the families6767. “School Age Population and Education,” The Local

Government of Quezon City: http://www.quezoncity.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&id=335&Itemid=353 (accessed August 15, 2013).

6868. National Statistics Office, “2010 Census of Population and Housing,” http://www.census.gov.ph/sites/default/files/attachments/hsd/pressrelease/National%20Capital%20Region.pdf (accessed August 16, 2013).

6969. Jeanette E. Cruz, “Estimating Informal Settlers in the

64

of the respondents represent the ordinary Filipino family,

then the heartening news is that many of these families may

still be intact living in two-parent homes. Belonging to a

class that may not be able to afford to pay the exorbitant

fees to be able to work abroad, the parents of these children

try to eke out with what they have. These are the ones who

need to be supported and need people to come alongside them so

that they will continue to do well for their children and

family’s sake.

Since the biblical and sociological perspectives show the

importance of the family in the nurture and in passing on the

faith to children, family relationships and processes to

nurture children’s spirituality need to be strengthened as

well. Empirical studies have shown that parents’ religiosity

lived out in the daily affairs of life impact the children

more. Family rituals and practices, conversations, Bible

reading and devotions need to be strengthened in these

families. The course of action the researcher will undertake

is to connect the FamilyLife Philippines team based at IGSL to

Philippines,” Paper presented to the 11th National Convention on Statistics, EDSA Shangrila Hotel, October 4-5, 2010, http://www.nscb.gov.ph/ncs/11thNCS/papers/invited%20papers/ips-15/03_Estimating%20Informal%20Settlers%20in%20the%20Philippines.pdf (accessed August 15, 2013).

65

formulate a plan that could be presented to the public school

principal so that we could connect with the parents of the

children. The plan could include a Parenting Seminar hosted by

the public school, Parent support groups being formed, Parent

mentoring program that is holistic, to name a few. Marital and

spiritual issues will also be addressed among other areas.

Best practices on effective parenting programs will be

considered and incorporated. The long-term goal is for the

parents themselves to act as support groups for one another.

Since mothers are found to be more involved in the children’s

nurture and discussion that concerns them, the mother’s

spiritual lives could also be strengthened. The resident wives

and mothers staying at IGSL could be challenged to mentor and

reach out to the mothers who are seen waiting outside the

school before dismissal times in the morning and afternoon.

A suggestion for further research would be to do a survey

on the parents of the children to determine their greatest

needs and desires, so that any intervention done can

specifically address those needs.

A third recommendation will be the formation of vital

faith communities among the families who will respond to the

66

actions done in the above recommendations. Later in the

program, a fellowship of those who want to study God’s word

more can be established at either the public school, if that

is possible, or at the IGSL facility. As families respond to

Christ, they need to eventually become part of a church

fellowship for growth and continuity. This young faith

community can then be nurtured using the intergenerational

model instead of segregating by age groups so that children

become active participants with their parents in prayer and

worship, in learning the Bible, and in service to others. In

this way, there might be greater continuity of this being done

at home as the practice in church gives them a model to

follow. The church needs to also find ways that will

encourage, equip and strengthen parents in doing family

practices that will spiritually nurture their children.

Parents need to be equipped in initiating and going about

discussions on issues that the children face and the biblical

views on those issues, such as cheating, lying, stealing,

premarital sex, and others. Efforts need to be made to tackle

true-to-life issues and provide examples of models of youth

standing for God when faced with those issues. The church then

67

becomes an active partner of parents in providing a vital

faith community where children can be nurtured to spiritual

maturity.

Conclusion

Biblical data has shown us that God regards children

highly. He places high responsibility on parents to see to it

that children are nurtured and nourished in their faith and in

their love for God. Both the Old and New Testaments have shown

us the processes by which such nurture is made possible.

Scientific researches described in the sociological

perspective has also shown that adherence and practice of the

principles seen in the biblical perspective data do indeed

nurture children’s spirituality over the long haul.

It is such a daunting job for any parent to attend to the

physical, emotional, material, intellectual and spiritual

needs of their children. But the challenge becomes much more

staggering for those who don’t have much in resources, both

material, physical, emotional and spiritual, to fulfill the

stewardship given them by God. The body of Christ needs to

strategically reach out to these children and their families

at a time when they are most receptive and teachable. As shown

68

by this research, the family needs to focus on those processes

which they may already be doing at home – family meals, family

conversations, family prayers and devotions, family working

together to serve others, and family rituals and traditions –

but with Bible truths that will strengthen their spiritual and

moral foundations incorporated into these processes. With the

help of the church providing a vital faith community support

for these families, the job becomes easier and more natural

for the parents to spiritually nurture their children.

By the way, the four-year old Filipino boy mentioned at

the beginning of this paper, indeed exhibited a great heart

for God and faith in Him even at such an early age. He had

seen God answer his specific nightly prayers, from a superboy

costume, to a 21-year old friend getting healed from clinical

depression, to some relatives coming to faith in Christ. His

family followed the processes mentioned in this study, and

that boy trusted Christ as his Savior and Lord at age nine. He

grew into a young man who despite a period of angst and

identity crisis in his early teens and exposure to older

youths involved in questionable vices and behavior, he

remained steadfast and began to experience God’s reality more

69

in his teens. His faith in God guided his decisions, his

relationships, his work and now, his marriage.

This researcher is passionate that families be equipped,

and helped to strengthen and nurture their children’s faith

because she has seen it work in her family. That boy is her

son!

APPENDIX

CONFIDENTIAL SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

70

The following questionnaire will be be answered anonymously by grades five and six pupils in the public elementary school.

SECTION A: Background Characteristics: Put a check mark on theappropriate answer.

1. What is your gender? 124 Male 173Female

2. What is your age? 9 to 16

3. What grade/year are you currently enrolled in school?Grades five and six A sections

4. My parents are:

86% Married 6% Lived together without gettingmarried

6% Separated 2% One has died 0%Both have died

7. I live with:

78% My real father and mother 0% Not my realparents

8% My real mother or father only 11% Relatives

SECTION B: Family Relationships: Put a check mark on ONE answeraccording to your perspective:

1. Which one of the following descriptions comes closest todescribing how you would

define a family?

20% all of the people related to each other by birth,adoption or marriage. 14% any person or group whom you love or care aboutdeeply, or who love or care about you deeply 1% any group of people who live together. 61% any group of people who share the same set of religion, values and goals in life.

2. Please indicate whether or not you would consider each of the groups of people described below to be a family. Is this a family?

71

Description of situation Yes No Notsure

a. a man and woman who are notmarried but are living togetherand have no children

13% 72% 14%

b. a man and woman who are notmarried, are living togetherand have had children together

36 44 19

c. two homosexual men livingtogether

5 82 10

d. two homosexual women livingtogether

4 76 16

e. an unmarried mother and herchildren

43 38 15

3. How would you describe your relationship with your father?(Circle one answer.)

65% we are very close 5% we are not atall close 10% we are fairly close 2% my father isnot alive -- (Go to #6) 6% we are not too close 1% do not know myfather -- (Go to #6)

4. Put a check mark on the appropriate answer in each row toindicate how frequently each of the following situationsoccur.

How often do you... Frequently

Occasionally

Seldom

Never

a. talk with your fatherabout everything?

39 45 9 4

b. seek advice from yourfather?

31 41 19 8

c. wonder whether or notyour father loves you?

16 30 18 32

d. feel your father showshis love for you?

74 14 5 4

e. do something specialwith your father thatinvolves just the two of

22 34 21 22

72

you?f. show your love for yourfather?

67 23 5 2

g. feel proud of yourfather?

64 24 4 6

h. your father reads theBible to you?

17 19 22 41

i. your father advices you? 70 17 7 5j. your father prays foryou?

39 23 21 17

k. go to church with yourfather?

38 36 12 12

5. In a typical week, about how much time do you spend talkingwith your father about things that really matter to you?(Circle one answer.)

15% no time 11% between 31-60minutes13% less than 5 minutes 7% hour to less

than 2 hours33% between 5-15 minutes 2% 2 hours to less

than 4 hours12% between 16-30 minutes 3% 4 hours or more

per week

6. How would you describe your relationship with your mother?(Circle one answer.)

83% we are very close 1%we are not at allclose 7% we are fairly close 1% my mother isnot alive -- (Go to #9) 6% we are not too close 0% do not knowmy mother -- (Go to #9)

7. Put a check mark on the appropriate answer in each row toindicate how frequently each of the following situationsoccur.

How often do you... Frequently

Occasionally

Seldom

Never

a. talk with your mother 63% 23% 8% 5%

73

about everything?b. seek advice from yourmother?

51 32 7 9

c. wonder whether or notyour mother loves you?

34 23 16 24

d. feel your mother showshis love for you?

77 15 5 1

e. do something special with your mother that involves just the two of you?

38 33 17 12

f. show your love for yourmother?

72 22 4 0

g. feel proud of yourmother?

69 20 5 3

h. your mother reads theBible to you?

20 24 19 35

i. your mother advices you? 71 20 4 3j. your mother prays foryou?

49 22 14 11

k. go to church with yourmother?

51 29 10 9

8. In a typical week, about how much time do you spend talkingwith your mother about things that really matter to you?(Circle one answer.)

8% no time 15% between 31-60 minutes16% less than 5 minutes 4% hour to less than

2 hours23% between 5-15 minutes 5% 2 hours to less

than 4 hours19% between 16-30 minutes 5% 4 hours or more

per week

9. Listed below are some situations that some teenagers face.Put a check mark on each row how often this is true of you.

"My parents..." Frequen

tlyOccasionally

Seldom

Never

a. do not trust me 8% 30% 23% 32%b. yell at me 9 30 28 33

74

c. fight with each other 6 27 29 37d. do not allow me to dothings I want to do

6 23 22 47

e. are really interestedin who I am

39 33 11 15

f. spend time with me 55 32 10 3g. admit when they arewrong or mistaken

68 28 12 6

h. are too strict 14 26 35 24i. set good examples forme

55 26 10 7

j. show that they reallylove each other

75 16 6 2

k. expect more of me thanis fair

67 22 6 3

10. My home is a place... (Circle one answer to complete thesentence.)

65% where I feel secure and loved. 14% where each of us is trying to love each other. 14% where sometimes I feel loved, other times I don't. 1% where I usually feel uncomfortable and wouldrather be elsewhere. 3% where I feel comfortable, although we are not aclose, loving family.

11. Please check one answer for each statement below toindicate your reaction to the statement about marriage.

Statement Agree Disagr

eeNotsure

a. If there are children involved inthe marriage, the parents should notget divorced or separated, even ifthey do not love each other anymore

49% 25% 23%

b. Overall, you feel that yourfamily experience has been positive

68 4 4

c. If the traditional family inyour country falls apart, yourcountry’s society will collapse

16 50 32

d. These days it is very hard to 37 26 33

75

have a successful marriagee. Anyone who gets married thesedays should expect that theirmarriage will end in divorce orseparation

14 45 38

f. Most marriage problems have beenexaggerated; most married coupleshave fulfilling, healthy marriages

58 22 19

g. I want a marriage like myparents

61 21 15

h. God intended for marriage tolast a lifetime

76 10 13

i. I would like to be a virgin atmarriage

37 38 24

j. If I wasn’t a virgin now and Icould change the past, I would waitto have sex after marriage

59 18 19

SECTION C: Daily Challenges

1. Think about your life during the past three months.Please check which, if any, of these

activities you did during that period of time.

-----------Did this?-----------Activity Yes Noa. watched TV at least once a week 70% 27%b. watched an X-rated orpornographic movie

4 96

c. used some type of illegal, non-prescription drug

2 98

d. cheated on an exam or otherevaluation

4 96

e. stole money or some othermaterial possession

6 93

f. lied to a parent, teacher orother older person

28 71

g. lied to one of your friends orpeers

33 65

h. attempted suicide 6 93i. read a pornographic magazine 6 91j. drank enough alcohol to be 2 97

76

legally drunkk. intentionally tried tophysically hurt someone

5 94

l. intentionally tried toemotionally hurt someone

7 91

m. gambled or bet your money onsomething

5 93

n. smoked a cigarette or usedanother tobacco product

4 92

2. Overall, how satisfied are you with your life these days?(Circle one answer)

42% Very satisfied 6% Not too satisfied 33% Somewhat satisfied 1% Not at allsatisfied

SECTION D: Relationship With Members of the Opposite Sex

1. Which of the following have you done with a member of theopposite sex?

Action Yes No Notsure

a. hold hands 20% 50% 3%b. embracing and some kissing 5 64 5c. heavy kissing 2 68 1d. fondling of breasts 1 69 2e. fondling of genitals 0 66 3f. Sexual intercourse 0 70 2

2. For two people who are not married but are both in love witheach other and are willing, please indicate whether theactions described below are morally acceptable or not.

Action Always Sometimes

Never NotSure

a. hold hands 17% 27% 23% 6%b. embracing and somekissing

6 16 40 9

c. heavy kissing 1 7 52 10d. fondling of breasts 0 5 55 10e. fondling of genitals 0 2 58 9f. Sexual intercourse 0 3 58 10

77

3. If the opportunity presented itself today, how likely wouldyou be to have sexual intercourse with another person if:

Action MoreLikely

LessLikely

NoDifference

a. your friends encouraged you todo so?

3% 49% 17%

b. you were in love with theperson?

6 44 21

k. you really intended to marrythat person?

7 43 21

d. you were positive that apregnancy would not result?

1 49 21

e. you knew that your parents wouldnot find out?

3 42 26

g. you felt that your parents wouldnot mind?

4 45 21

SECTION E: Beliefs and Perspectives About Life

1. How much do the following sources influence your thoughtsand actions:

------------Howmuch influence they have?--------

A lot Some Alittle

None

a. television 23% 43% 21% 7%b. the bible 58 18 11 9c. your brothers and sisters 60 20 14 13d. national politicalleaders

24 15 23 30

e. your religion 63 15 8 10f. your parents 70 14 4 8g. your teachers 65 15 8 10h. your friends 39 29 22 6i. the music you listen to 32 32 19 12j. movies 18 27 31 19k. the Christian faith 43 14 22 16

78

l. the information that youget from the Internet

25 26 25 18

m. church pastors or priests 48 19 14 16n. God 80 8 1 9

2. Please mark one answer next to each statement to indicatewhether you agree or disagree with that statement.

------------------- Agree ------------------

Statement: Yes No Notsure

a. I can think of a specific timewhen my religious beliefs actuallychanged the way I behaved

62% 19% 14%

b. there is no such thing as"absolute truth"; it depends on thepeople how they may define"truth"

38 28 30

c. the Bible provides today'speople with practical standards forliving

88 1 4

d. I believe that there is God whomade man

85 3 4

e. it’s OK to break the law as longas it doesn't hurt anybody

33 49 14

f. the way things are these days,lying is sometimes necessary

48 31 17

g. the Bible provides a clear andindisputable description of moraltruth

81 5 8

h. a person can lead a full andsatisfying life even if they do notpursue spiritual development ormaturity

50 22 24

i. the Bible provides absolutemoral truths that are the same forall people in all situations,without exception

81 7 9

j. I feel that it is important tobe a member of a church

79 5 12

79

k. all religions teach equallyvalid truths

66 9 20

l. you know that something ismorally or ethically right if itworks in your life

68 10 16

m. God created humans, but he is nolonger personally involved in theirlives or experiences

41 37 15

n. anyone who relies upon the Biblefor moral guidance is foolish

20 61 14

o. my faith is very important in mylife

89 1 4

p. the universe was originallycreated by God

89 1 6

SECTION F: Religious Background

1. How often do you and others in your life attend servicesat a Christian church?

Person Every

week2-3timesa

month

Once amonth

Rarely

Never

a. myself 51% 15% 6% 16 4b. my father 35% 16 6 24 9c. my mother 28% 21 7 17 6d. brothers/sistersliving at my home

39% 20 4 18 8

2. How often do you do each of the activities listed below?

Activity Daily Weekly Monthly

Rarely

Never

a. read part of thebible

18% 30% 8% 33% 5%

b. pray to God 76 6 0 10 1c. attend a churchyouth group

32 14 2 27 18

80

d. attend a biblestudy group

31 13 3 26 17

e. attend a Sundayschool class

26 12 2 17 33

f. lead a small group 5 4 1 19 62

3. How often do your parents do each of the activities listedbelow?

Activity Daily Weekly Monthly

Rarely

Never

a. read part of thebible

26% 24% 4% 29% 10%

b. pray to God 77 4 2 9 2c. attend a biblestudy group

29 10 4 30 23

d. attend a Sundayschool class

16 7 3 24 41

e. lead a small group 23 7 3 34 26

4. Overall, how important is the Christian faith in your lifethese days?

86% very important 1% not too important 9% somewhat important 0% not at all important

5. Please mark one answer next to each statement to indicatewhether you agree or disagree with that statement.

---------------------Agree -----------------------

Statement: Yes No Notsure

a. the Christian faith isrelevant to the way I live today

83% 1% 8%

b. I felt God speak to me 28 46 20c. the Bible is totally accuratein all of its teachings

77 4 13

d. I, personally, have aresponsibility to tell otherpeople about my religious beliefs

69 9 14

e. the devil, or Satan, is not a 60 22 26

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living being, but is a symbol ofevilf. after he was crucified anddied, Jesus Christ did not returnto life physically

31 55 7

g. if a person is generally good,or does enough good things forothers during their life, theywill earn a place in Heaven

65 14 13

h. what I do for other people ismore important than what Ibelieve about Jesus Christ

21 54 10

i. prayer can change what happensin life

69 10 14

j. I want to know Jesus Christpersonally

73 8 13

k. Jesus Christ did not commitsins, and I can trust Him

80 3 9

l. it does not matter whatreligious faith you associatewith because they all believe thesame principles and truths

64 11 17

m. Muslims, Buddhists,Christians, Jews and all otherpeople pray to the same God, eventhough they use different namesfor their god

64 6 26

n. there are some crimes, sinsand other behaviors people dothat are so terrible that theycannot be forgiven by God.

35 31 27

o. angels exist and influencepeople’s lives

73 3 15

p. forgiveness of sins is onlypossible through faith in JesusChrist

61 10 20

q. all people will be judged byGod after they die, regardless oftheir religious beliefs

50 16 26

r. all of the miracles describedin the bible actually took place

58 7 27

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s. I don’t believe in God 4 81 8

6. Have you ever made a personal commitment to Jesus Christthat is still important in your life today?

85%Yes 6% No If so, at what age did you makethat commitment?

5 people answered at age 2-5 17 people at age 6-8 49 at age 9-12 2 at 13 up

7. Which of the following statements best describes what youbelieve will happen to you after you die?

28% When you die you will go to Heaven because you have triedto obey the Ten Commandments. 3% When you die you will go to Heaven because you arebasically a good person.31% When you die you will go to Heaven because you haveconfessed your sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as yoursavior. 0% When you die you will not go to Heaven.31%You do not know what will happen after you die.

Confidential Survey Questionnaire(Tagalog Version)

Ang mga sumusunod na katanungan ay sasagutin ng mga kabataan na nasagradong 4 – 6

sa mababang paaralan na pampubliko na hindi nangagailangan ng kanilangpangalan.

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Section A: Background Characteristics Lagyan ng tsek (✓) ang tamang sagot.1. Kasarian: ___Lalaki ___Babae 2. ilang taon ka na _____3. Grado o baitang sa paaralan: ______4. Ang mga magulang ko ay: _____ Ikinasal ______ Nagsasama na hindi

ikinasal ______ Hiwalay _______ Namatay na ang isa ______

Parehong patay na5. Ako ay nakatira kasama ng: ______ aking nanay at tatay ______ nanay

lang o tatay lang ______ di ko tunay na mga magulang ______ mga kamag-anak

Section B: Family Relationships Lagyan ng tsek (✓) ang ISANG sagot na tamasa iyong pananaw1. Aling isang deskripsyon ang naglalarawan para sa iyo ng pamilya? ANG

PAMILYA AY…_____ lahat ay konektado dahil sa pag-aasawa, panganganak, o pag-ampon

sa di kapamilya_____ kahit hindi magakarelasyon pero may pagmamahalan sa bawat isa na

magkasama sa bahay_____ kahit hindi magkarelasyon pero nagsama lang sa isang bahay._____ magkasama sa bahay na may parehong relihiyon, layunin o panananaw

sa buhay

2. Pakisagutan kung ang mga sumusunod na grupo ay masasabi mo na isangpamilya

PAGLALARAWAN OO HINDI DI SIGURADOa. Babae at lalaking nagsasama na hindi kasalat walang anakb. Babae at lalaking nagsasama ng hindi kasalna may anakk. Isang bakla at lalaking nagsasamad. Isang tomboy at babaeng nagsasamae. Isang nanay na walang asawa na kasama angkanyang mga anak

3. Paano mo isasalarawn ang relasyon mo sa iyong tatay? (BILUGAN ANG 1SAGOT) malapit kayo sa isa’t isa malayo kayo saisa’t isa medyo malapit kayo patay na tatay mo --(Punta sa #6) hindi kayo masyado nag-uusap hindi mo kilalatatay mo -- (Punta sa #6)

4. Markahan ng tsek (✓) ang tamang sagot sa bawa’t hanay kung gaanokadalas nangyayari ang ...

PANGYAYARI Madalas Minsan Bihira Hind

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ia. kausap mo si tatay tungkol sakahit anong bagay?b. humihingi ka ng payo kay tatay?k. nagtatanong ka sa sarili kungmahal ka ni tatay?d. nararamdaman mo ang pagmamahal nitatay?e. magkasama sa special time na kayolang dalawa?g. ipinapakita mong mahal mo sitatay?h. naipagmamalaki mo si tatay?i. binabasahan ka ng Biblia nitatay?l. pinapangaralan ka ng mabuti nitatay?m. nagdarasal kayo ni tatayn. nagsisimba kayo ni tatay

5. Kadalasan na nagyayari sa isang linggo, gaano katagal kang nakikipag-usap sa iyong tatay sa mga mahahalagang nangyayari sa buhay mo?(BILUGAN ANG 1 SAGOT)

hindi ito nangyayari Mga 30 minuto hanggang1 oras kulang sa 5 minuto 1 hanggang kulang sa 2oras Mga 5-15 minuto 2 oras hanggang kulang sa 4oras Mga 16-30 minuto 4 na oras at mahigit pa

6. Paano mo isasalarawn ang relasyon mo sa iyong nanay? (BILUGAN ANG 1SAGOT) malapit kami sa isa’t isa malayo kami sa isa’tisa medyo malapit kami patay na tatay ko --(Punta sa #9) hindi kami masyado nag-uusap hindi ko kilala tatayko -- (Punta sa #9)

7. Markahan ng tsek (✓) ang tamang sagot kung gaano kadalas nangyayari angmga sumusunod.

PANGYAYARI Madalas Minsan Bihira Hindi

a. kausap mo si nanay tungkol sakahit anong bagay?b. humihingi ka ng payo kaynanay?k. nagtatanong ka sa sarili kung

85

mahal ka ni nanay?d. nararamdaman mo ang pagmamahalni nanay?e. magkasama sa special time nakayo lang dalawa?g. ipinapakita mong mahal mo sinanay?h. naipagmamalaki mo si nanay?i. binabasahan ka ng Biblia ninanay?l. pinapangaralan ka ng mabutini nanay?m. nagdarasal kayo ni nanayn. nagsisimba kayo ni nanay

8. Kadalasan na nagyayari sa isang linggo, gaano katagal kang nakikipag-

usap sa iyong nanay sa mga mahahalagang nangyayari sa buhay mo?(BILUGAN ANG 1 SAGOT)

hindi ito nangyayari Mga 30 minuto hanggang 1oras kulang sa 5 minuto 1 hanggang kulang sa 2 oras Mga 5-15 minuto 2 oras hanggang kulang sa 4oras Mga 16-30 minuto 4 na oras at mahigit pa

9. Nakasulat sa mga sumusunod ang mga kadalasang nangyayari sa mgakabataan. Lagyan ng tsek (✓) kung gaano kadalas ang bawa’t hanay aynangyayari sa iyo:

“ANG MGA MAGULANG KO AY…” Madalas Minsan Bihira Hindia. hindi ako pinagtitiwalaanb. sinisigawan akok. nag-aawayd. sinasaktan akoe. interesado sa aking. nagbibigay ng panahon sa akinh. tinatanggap ang kanilangpagkakamalii. masyadong striktol. mabuting modelo para sa akinm. nagmamahalan sa isa’t isan. mataas ang pag-asa nila saakin

10. Ang bahay ko ay lugar na... (BILUGAN ANG ISANG SAGOT para makompletoang pangungusap):

Kung saan ako ay nakakaramdam ng seguridad at pagmamahal Kung saan kami ay nagmamahalan Kung saan minsan ay nakararamdam ako ng pagmamahal at kung minsan ay

86

hindi Kung saan hindi ako komportable at mas gusto kong sa iba tumira Kung saan okay naman sa akin kahit hindi kami malapit at mapagmahalsa isa’t isa

11. Markahan ng tsek (✓) ang bawa’t hanay kung ano ang iyong reaksiyon sapahayag ng pag-aasawa:

PAHAYAG SANG-AYON

DISANG-AYON

DISIGURADO

a. Kung may mga anak dapat hindi maghiwalayang mag-asawa kahit na hindi na nila mahalang isa’t isab. Maayos naman ang aking buhay pamilyak. Pag nabuwag ang pamilya, masisira angating bayand. Mahirap magkaroon ng masayang pag-aasawasa panahon ngayone. Kahit sinong magpakasal ngayon ay tutungopa rin sa hiwalayang. Karamihan sa mga problema ng mag-asawa aypinagrabe lang ng media pero karamihan aymasaya naman sa kanilang pagsasamah. Gusto kong ang aking buhay may-asawa ay katulad sa magulang koh. Plano ng Diyos na ang pag-aasawa aypanghabang-buhayi. Gusto kong virgin ako pag kinasalj. Kung wala pa sana akong karanasangsekswal at maibabalik ko ang panahon, gustokong hintaying makasal bago magkaroon ngpagtatalik

Section C: Daily Challenges1. Markahan ng tsek (✓) sa bawa’t hanay kung alin ang mga ginawa mo sa

loob ng nakalipas na tatlong buwan.GAWAIN OO HINDI

a. Nanood ng TV minsan sa isang linggob. Nanoood ng x-rated o malaswang sinec. Gumamit ng bawal na gamut o drogad. Nandaya sa isang exame. Nagnakaw ng pera o gamitg Nagsinungaling sa magulang, guro o ibangnakakatandah. Nagsinungaling sa kaibigan o kabarkadai. Nagtangkang magpakamatayl. Nagbasa ng malaswang magazinem. Nagpakalasing sa beer o alakn. Nagplano o nagtangkang saktan ang iba

87

ng Nagplano o nagtangkang saktan ang damdaminng ibao. Nagsugal o pumusta sa sugalp. Nagsigarilyo

2. Gaano ka kakontento sa buhay mo sa ngayon? (BILUGAN ANG 1 SAGOT)Masyadong kontento Hindi gaanong

kontento Medyo kontento Talagang hindi kontento

Section D: Relasyon sa Hindi Kabaro (Opposite Sex)1. Alin sa mga sumusuond ang nagawa mo na sa opposite sex?

NAGAWA OO HINDI DISIGURADO

a. Hawak kamayb. Yakap at halikk. Matinding halikand. Pagkarinyo o paghawak ng suso ng babaee. Paghawak o pagkarinyo ng ari ng lalakig. Sexual intercourse

2. Para sa iyo, tama ba o hindi ang mga sumusunod sa dalawang taong hindikasal pero nagmamahalan at may pagsang-ayon:

GAWAIN PALAGI MINSAN HINDI DISIGURADO

a. Hawak kamayb. Yakap at halikk. Matinding halikand. Pagkarinyo o paghawak ng susong babaee. Paghawak o pagkarinyo ng aring lalakig. Sexual intercourse

3. Kung may pagkakataong mangyari ngayon, gaano kalamang na gawin mongmakipagtalik ng sexual sa isang tao kung:

PANGYAYARI MASMALAMANG

HINDIGAANO

WALANGPAGKAKAIBA

a. Inudyukan ka ng mga kaibigan?b. Mahal mo ang katalik mo?k. Intensyon mong pakasalan ang taongiyon?d. Sigurado kang hindi ka mabubuntis?e. Alam mong hindi malalaman ngmagulang mo?g. Sa tingin mo ay hindi namanmakikialam magulang mo?

88

Section E: Paniniwala at Pananaw sa Buhay1. Alin sa mga sumusunod ang malaking impluwensya sa iyong pag-iisip atgawa:

IMPLUWENSIYA MALAKI MEDYO KONTI WALAa. telebisyonb. ang Bibliyak. mga kapatidd. mga politikoe. relihiyong. mga magulangh. mga guroi. mga kaibiganl. ang musikang pinakikinggan mom. mga pelikulan. ang Kristianongpananampalatayang. mga impormasyong nababasa sainterneto. pastor o pari sa simbahanp. Diyos

2. Markahan ng (✓) ng OO (kung ikaw ay sumasang-ayon), HINDI (di sumasang-ayon), DI SIGURADO ang bawat pahayag.

PAHAYAG: OO HINDI DI SIGURADOa. May panahon na ang aking relihiyon ay nagpabagong aking ugalib. Wala talagang ganap na katotohanan; depende satao kung ano itok. Ang Biblia ay nagbibigay ng gabay sa taod. Naniniwala ako na may Diyos na lumalang sa atine. OK lang na di sumunod sa batas kung walangmasasaktang. Kung minsan kailangan talagang magsinungalingh. Ang biblia ay nagbibigay ng tamang sagot sakatotohanang morali. Pwedeng mabuhay ng masaya at lubos kahit na hindika relihiyosol. Ang Biblia ay nagsasabi ng katotohanan para salahat ng tao at lahat ng orasm. Importante sa akin ang maging miyembro ngsimbahann. Ang lahat ng relihiyon ay pantay na wastongkatotohananng. Alam mong wasto ang isang asal kung ito aygumagana sa buhay moo. Ginawa ng Diyos ang tao pero hindi siyanakikialam sa kanila

89

p. Ang taong umaasa sa Bibliya para sa tamang asalay nasisiraan ng baitr. Ang aking pagtitiwala sa Diyos ay mahalaga saaking buhays. Ang mundo ay ginawa ng Diyos

Section F: Religious Background Markahan ng (✓) kahanay ng Sino/Gawain angnaaangkop na sagot.

1. Gaano kayo kadalas magpunta sa simbahan? SINO Tuwing

Linggo2-3

Beses sa1 Buwan

1 sa 1Buwan

Bihira

Hindi

a. akob. tatay kok. nanay kod. mga kapatid na kasamasa bahay

2. Gaano kadalas mo ginagawa ang mga sumusunod? GAWAIN ARAW-

ARAW1 saIsangLinggo

1 saIsangbuwan

Bihira

Hindi

a. Pagbasa ng Bibliyab. Pagdadasal sa Diyosk. Sumali sa kabataan sasimbahand. Sumaling mag-aral ngBibliyae. Dumalo sa Sunday Schoolg. Mangulo sa maliit nagrupo

3. Gaano kadalas ginagawa ng magulang mo ang mga sumusunod sa bahay ninyo?

GAWAIN ARAWARAW

1 saIsangLinggo

1 saIsangbuwan

Bihira

Hindi

a. Magbasa ng Bibliyab. Magdasal sa Diyosk. Sumaling mag-aral ngBibliyad. Dumalo sa Sunday Schoole. Magturo ng Bibliya sapamilya

4. Sa pangkalahatan, gaano kaimportante sa iyo ang pagtitiwala sa Diyossa panahon ngayon?

_____ masyadong mahalaga _____ hindi gaanong mahalaga

90

_____ medyo mahalaga _____ hindi mahalaga

5. Markahan ng (✓) sa ilalim ng OO (kung ikaw ay sumasang-ayon), HINDI,(di sumasang-ayon) DI SIGURADO sa bawa’t pahayag.

PAHAYAG OO HINDI DISIGURADO

a. May kaugnayan ang aking pagtitiwala saiIyos sa aking pamumuhayb. Naranasan ko na na makipag-usap ang Diyossa akink. Ang Bibliya ay ganap na tumpak sa lahat ngitinuturo nitod. Meron akong responsibilidad na ibahagi angaking relihiyon sa ibae. Si satanas o ang diyablo ay hindi totookundi simbulo lang ng kasamaang. Matapos siyang namatay sa Krus, si Hesus ayhindi nabuhay ulith. Maaaring makapunta sa langit kung mabaitang isang tao o maraming nagagawang kabutihani. Mas mahalaga ang ginagawa ko sa kapwa kokaysa sa paniniwala ko kay Hesusl. Ang pananalangin ay nakakabago ngpangyayari sa buhay kom. Gusto kong makilala ng personal si Hesusn. Si Hesus ay tunay na walang kasalanan atpwede kong mapagkatiwalaanng. Hindi mahalaga kung ano ang iyongrelihiyon dahil pare-pareho sila halos ngpaniniwala at itinuturoo. Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Jews aynagdadasal sa parehong Diyos na ibat’t ibalang ang pnagalanp. Mayroong krimen o kasalanan na walangkapatawaran sa Diyosr. Ang mga anghel ay totoo na tumutulong sataos. Ang kapatawaran ng kasalanan ay posiblelamang pag nagtiwala kay Hesust. Lahat ng tao ay huhusgahan ng Diyospagkamatay kahit ano pa ang kanilang relihiyono paniniawalau. Lahat ng mirakulo sa Bibliya ay talagangnangyariw. Wala akong kinikilalang Diyos

6. Ikaw ba ay tumanggap na ng personal kay HesuKristo na mahalaga pa rinhanggang ngayon?

____85%___ OO ___6%____ HINDI Edad kung kailan ka

91

nagdesisyon? _________

7. Alin sa mga sumusunod ang naglalarawan ng iyong paniniwala na manyayaripag namatay ka?

_______ Pupunta ka sa langit dahil sinusunod mo ang Sampung Utos ngDiyos _______ Pupunta ka sa langit dahil mabait kang bata _______ Pupunta ka sa langit dahil tinanggap mo na si Hesus sa iyongpuso bilang Panginoon _______ Hindi ka pupunta sa langit _______ Hindi mo alam kung ano ang mangyayari

 

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