Are Children Born to Believe in God?

The BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. uses very young children as symbolic of those who readily accept the creation account and who anticipate the Kingdom of God during this age of man.

Recently a senior researcher at Britain's University of Oxford Centre for Anthropology and Mind made some startling statements regarding children. In an interview on BBC Radio4, Dr. Justin Barrett said: "The preponderance of scientific evidence for the past 10 years or so has shown that a lot more seems to be built into the natural development of children's minds than we once thought, including a predisposition to see the natural world as designed and purposeful and that some kind of intelligent being is behind that purpose " (quoted in The Daily Telegraph, Nov. 25, emphasis added throughout).

He further observed that "children's normally and naturally developing minds make them prone to believe in divine creation and intelligent design. In contrast evolution is unnatural for human minds; relatively difficult to believe " (http://www.telegraph.co.uk, "Children are born believers in God, academic claims", Nov. 24, 2008).

In reporting on this rather astonishing development in the scientific world of Oxford University, Martin Beckford (religious affairs correspondent for The Daily Telegraph , Nov. 25) wrote that "Children are 'born believers' in God and do not simply acquire religious ideas through indoctrination, according to an academic [referring to Justin Barrett]" Dr. Barrett also said that "If we threw a handful [of children] on an island and they raised themselves, I think they would believe in God" (ibid.).

Martin Beckford also noted that "In a lecture to be given [the following day] at the University of Cambridge's Faraday Institute … Dr. Barrett will cite psychological experiments carried out on children that he says show they instinctively believe that almost everything has been designed with a specific purpose.

"In one study, six and seven-year-olds who were asked why the first bird existed replied 'to make nice music' and 'because it makes the world look nice.' … Dr Barrett claimed anthropologists have found that in some cultures children believe in God even when religious teachings are withheld from them. 'Children's normally and naturally developing minds make them prone to believe in divine creation and intelligent design. In contrast, evolution is unnatural for human minds; relatively difficult to believe'" (ibid).

Undoubtedly Dr. Barrett's observations will not be well-received by fellow academics and scientists steeped in the evolutionary viewpoint. After all, how could Darwinian evolution account for human beings having an inborn propensity to believe in a divine Creator?

Nonetheless, his findings raise the important issue of adult responsibility in teaching young people truth. The God who created human beings in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27 [26] And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
[27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

See All...) will hold both parents and teachers responsible for what they teach children (Deuteronomy 6:6-7 [6] And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
[7] And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

See All...; Proverbs 22:6Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
See All...).

Should it be divine creation or evolution? Many may not understand that Darwinian evolution is still unproven theory—and really not established fact. (For a comprehensive study of this important question, request or download our free booklet Creation or Evolution: Does It Really Matter What You Believe? ) 

The BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. uses very young children as symbolic of those who readily accept the creation account and who anticipate the Kingdom of God during this age of man. King DavidKing of Israel, killed the giant Goliath with a sling and stones, a man after God's own heart, only turned from God in the matter of Uriah the Hittite (1 Kings 15:5), had an affair with Bathsheba, Messiah would come from line of David, main author of Psalms and highly musical. once wrote: "O LORD, our Lord…who have set your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength…When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers" (Psalm 8:1-3 [1] (To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of DavidKing of Israel, killed the giant Goliath with a sling and stones, a man after God's own heart, only turned from God in the matter of Uriah the Hittite (1 Kings 15:5), had an affair with Bathsheba, Messiah would come from line of David, main author of Psalms and highly musical..) O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
[2] Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
[3] When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

See All...). About a millennium later Jesus Christ exclaimed: "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God" (Luke 18:16But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
See All...).

In his report on Dr. Barrett's findings, Daily Telegraph correspondent Martin Beckford wrote about children assuming "that everything in the world was created with a purpose." This assumption is true!