In our Metaphysics class recently, the subject of stages of faith development came up.  One’s spiritual life grows (well, at least it can grow) in different stages just as our bodies do.  The most well-known teacher of stages of faith development is Dr. James W. Fowler III who retired from Emory University in 2005.  Additionally, he is a minister in the United Methodist Church.  In his 1981 book Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Development and the Quest for Meaning he put forth the idea that there are seven stages of faith development.  Here is a brief description of each taken from Wikipedia.

Faith is seen as a holistic orientation, and is concerned with the individual’s relatedness to the universal:

• Stage 0 – “Primal or Undifferentiated” faith (birth to 2 years), is characterized by an early learning of the safety of their environment (i.e. warm, safe and secure vs. hurt, neglect and abuse). If consistent nurturance is experienced, one will develop a sense of trust and safety about the universe and the divine. Conversely, negative experiences will cause one to develop distrust with the universe and the divine. Transition to the next stage begins with integration of thought and languages which facilitates the use of symbols in speech and play.

• Stage 1 – “Intuitive-Projective” faith (ages of three to seven), is characterized by the psyche’s unprotected exposure to the Unconscious.

• Stage 2 – “Mythic-Literal” faith (mostly in school children), stage two persons have a strong belief in the justice and reciprocity of the universe, and their deities are almost always anthropomorphic.

• Stage 3 – “Synthetic-Conventional” faith (arising in adolescence) characterized by conformity

• Stage 4 – “Individuative-Reflective” faith (usually mid-twenties to late thirties) a stage of angst and struggle. The individual takes personal responsibility for their beliefs and feelings.

• Stage 5 – “Conjunctive” faith (mid-life crisis) acknowledges paradox and transcendence relating reality behind the symbols of inherited systems

• Stage 6 – “Universalizing” faith, or what some might call “enlightenment“.

I realize that some might say, “Hey, there’s only 6 stages!” but that’s because “0″ is a stage.  It’s like the confusion suffered by Americans who visit Europe for the first time and wonder why they have to climb stairs to get up to the 1st floor…

For many people it is natural, when presented with such a scale, to ask, “where do I fit in?”  Many of us in Unity and the New Thought Movement might like to rush to enlightenment.  We would, I suggest, be fooling no one but ourselves.  Many might be tempted to use this scale to compare themselves to others as in, “I’m higher on the scale than you!”  Again, we may only be fooling ourselves.

However, that being said, such a scale is helpful if we use it as an invitation to look deeply and honestly at our current belief system (sometimes abbreviated as “bs” for a good reason!).  We might ask ourselves questions like

Was my early upbringing nurturing or fearful?  Is my perception of the Divine reflecting that? (stage 0)

Does my concept of the divine make any logical sense? (stage 1)

How do I refer to the Divine?  In what respects, if any, is my God a “man” – God created out of man’s image? (stage 2)

How black and white is my thinking?  Can I separate the idea of “policeman” from “law enforcement”? (stage 3)

Is this really what I think and feel and believe? Or is that what I’ve been told or taught how to think and feel and believe? (stage 4)

Is there a place in my spiritual life for paradoxes? (stage 5)

To what extend am I willing to engage and live the idea of “oneness” (stage 6).  For  more about that visit our First Unity on-demand video of Sunday, April 25.

Your answers to these and other related questions can help you come to appreciate your spiritual journey of self discovery.  Always, though, remember that everyone has their own unique and beautiful path of spiritual unfoldment.  The key is to be compassionate with all, especially yourself.