The Spiritual Life of Children Book Summary

In 'The Spiritual Life of Children', Robert Coles explores the profound inner lives of children and their innate spiritual curiosity. Through poignant anecdotes and vivid narratives, he uncovers how children grapple with belief, doubt, and the mysteries of existence. The book reveals the surprising depth of their questions about morality, love, and connection to the world around them. Coles invites readers to reconsider the ways in which society perceives children's spiritual experiences, challenging the assumption that spirituality is an adult concern. This thought-provoking work encourages us to listen and learn from the young, who possess a unique lens through which to view life's most significant mysteries.

By Robert Coles

Published: 1990

"Children possess a remarkable ability to find meaning in the world around them, often revealing insights that elude even the most seasoned adults."

Book Review of The Spiritual Life of Children

For 30 years Robert Coles has been talking and listening to children all over the world and recording their responses to crises, to hardship and sorrow and to moral and political pressure. In this one of eight volumes in his Pulitzer Prize-winning series, Children of Crisis, he speaks to and for the religious and spiritual lives of children, conveying their views of salvation and righteousness, their experience of God and their ways of understanding the ultimate meaning of their own lives.

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Children possess a remarkable ability to find meaning in the world around them, often revealing insights that elude even the most seasoned adults.

The Spiritual Life of Children

By Robert Coles