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RELIGIOUS STORIES Often contain a mixture of realistic and
fantastical elementsOrdinary people granted special
powersEvents that defy scientific principles
Are conveyed as historical by authority figuresParentsSunday school teachers
BACKGROUND Goldman (1964) - 80% of children up
to age 12 held literal views of Bible stories
Bucher (1991) - children up to age 11 held literal views of Bible stories
ABC news poll (Morris, 1994) - 6 in 10 adults hold literal views of Bible stories
WHAT DO CHILDREN THINK ABOUT STORYBOOK REALITY?
Woolley & Cox (2007)
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
3-year-olds 4-year-olds 5-year-oldsMean number claims events could happen
Fantastical
Realistic
Religious
WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCE CHILDREN’S REALITY STATUS
BELIEFS?
God’s involvement in an event
FamiliarityFamily religiosity
METHOD4-, 5-, and 6-year-olds, primary
ChristianTwo levels of religiosity of stories
(between subjects):References to God intactReferences to God removed
Two levels of familiarity (within subjects):Familiar Bible storiesUnfamiliar Bible stories
MOSES AND MATTHEW AND THETHE
RED SEA GREEN SEA
Moses led God’s people, the Israelites, out of Egypt to get away from the mean Egyptians..
But the king of Egypt was mad. He sent his army to chase after them..
The Israelites called to God for help, and God told Moses, “Do not be afraid. Stretch out your hands over the sea to part the water..”
God told Moses to stretch out his hands again so the sea would go back..
Matthew was helping the people of Ison, the Isonites, out of the town to get away from the mean king..
But the king of Ison was mad. He sent his army to chase after them..
The Isonites called to Matthew for help, and Matthew stretched his hands over the sea to part the water..
Matthew stretched out his hands again so the sea would go back together..
ELIJAH AND THE ETHAN AND THE
FLOUR AND OILFLOUR AND OIL Elijah was hiding from King
Ahab .. God told Elijah, “Pack up
your things.. And so Elijah did exactly
what God told him to do...
Elijah said to the woman, “Don’t worry! God has promised that your flour and oil will not be used up.”
The woman did this and each day more flour and oil appeared (in the jar).
Ethan was hiding from the mayor of Morganton..
Ethan’s father told him, “Pack up your things..
And so Ethan did exactly what his father told him to do..
Ethan said to the woman, “Don’t worry! Your flour and oil will not be used up.”
The woman did this, and each day more flour and oil appeared (in the jar).
TEST QUESTIONS Event factuality: Did the event happen
in real life? Event possibility: Could the event
happen in real life? Character factuality: Is the character a
real person or is he just in the story? Explanations General principles task Parent religiosity questionnaire
EFFECTS OF CONDITION ON CLAIMS ABOUT EXISTENCE OF CHARACTERS
EFFECTS OF CONDITION ON CLAIMS ABOUT FACTUALITY OF EVENTS
EFFECT OF CONDITION ON CLAIMS ABOUT POSSIBILITY OF EVENTS
EFFECTS OF FAMILIARITY ON CHARACTER JUDGMENTS (RELIGIOUS CONDITION ONLY)
EFFECTS OF FAMILIARITY ON EVENT JUDGMENTS (RELIGIOUS CONDITION ONLY)
EFFECTS OF FAMILY RELIGIOSITY
Children with higher family religiosity (FR) scores more often judged characters as real (Religious condition)
Children with higher FR scores more often judged events as real (Religious condition)
No differences re: event possibility No effects of FR in Non-religious
condition Religious education an important
component of FR
CONCLUSIONSBetween 4 and 6, children
increasingly use God’s involvement as a cue to adjust the boundary between fantasy and reality.
How does this work?Reference to God sets up a
contextGod as part of causal chain
CONCLUSIONS (CONT.)Familiar stories are more likely to
be judged as realHow does this work?
Increased familiarity reality status
Multiple contexts/formats reality status
Church reality status
FUTURE RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Do beliefs in God’s omnipotence lead to belief in the reality of stories OR Does belief in the reality of stories promote beliefs in omnipotence?
What other mechanisms can lead to shifting of reality/fantasy boundary?
Would this work with more modern story events?
What constraints are there on this?
Other religions