009 FOUNDATION BLOCKS OF INTEGRATIONAL SPIRITAN MOVEMENT CHAPTER 8: MORAL DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN

009 FOUNDATION BLOCKS OF INTEGRATIONAL SPIRITAN MOVEMENT

CHAPTER 8: MORAL DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN

 

i Another recent research scientist that studied childhood in detail is Lawrence Kohlberghas, an American psychologist, who stated that as we grew up each one of us passed six developmental stages of morality! He carefully monitored and documented how infants develop the sense of right and wrong. He is a current scientist, and we can learn a lot from his research!

 

ii Stage one, he labelled; PRE-MORAL , here moral development is essentially at the  pre-moral level. Children at this stage behave properly simply to avoid punishment. They show an unquestioning deference to power /authority, moreover, the physical consequences of any action determine its goodness or badness for the child.

 

iii. Stage two, is INSTRUMENTAL-HEDONISTIC, morality here is like a marketable commodity for the teenager. What is considered right is primarily what is good for the child himself; occasionally, the satisfaction of other’s needs is a factor, but the outlook of these persons is essentially an instrumental-hedonistic one; e.g. ‘You scratch my back, I scratch yours.’

 

iv. Stage three, is PEER GROUP APPROVAL; morality is what is approved by others. Peer group satisfaction gradually replaces parent’s approval. At this level the child is able to take the role of others, he can understand what will please them and tries to gain recognition as “the good child”.

v. Stage four; The LAW–AND–ORDER stage. Here, children’s respect for authority, whether parents, teachers, policemen, priests or pastor originates in anticipation of honour and avoidance of dishonour. The orientation is to do one’s duty, obey fixed rules and maintain the social order.

vi. Stage five; AUTONOMY, principally behaviour is based on what is right or wrong, decisions are made on what is proper or improper on the basis of contracts, social or personal at the stage. Adolescents are able to take into account the viewpoint of society in general or play the roles of adults.

vii. Stage six; is the UNIVERSAL ETHICAL PRINCIPLE orientation. According to Kohlberg, only Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King jnr. have displayed in their lives; respect for the rights and dignity of their fellow human beings and had been concerned that this mutual respect becomes a universal law!

viii. From the information garnered from Lawrence Kohlberghas, most of us humans are still struggling to graduate from the third stage of moral development and this accounts for so many puerile and purposeless leaders all over the globe!

ix. The second stage of moral development fits what we observe in Third World countries, whereas, only a few of the so-called Fist and Second world country are fixated at the third stage.

x. In INTEGRATIONAL SPIRITAN MOVEMENT. (I.S.M.),

the target of each member is to reach the sixth stage within ten years of joining the fellowship. Any one who lags behind will be asked to resign his/her membership! It is a sure proof that such a one is neither rational nor scientific and we detest such regressive behaviour!

xi. If as scientists or rationalists we are agreed that only AN UNMOVED MOVER, or AN UNCUSED CAUSER was responsible for existence, the universe and life; then we are brothers and sisters with equal rights, privileges and responsibilities to one another.

xii. Some philosophers prefer the term ‘The Summum Bonuum’ but we are not restricting our discussion to languages that are cumbersome for some to master. ‘The Supreme Good’ is neither an idiomatic translation nor an adequate literal translation! More over both are subject to myopic misrepresentations as what is ‘good’ to one person or culture may be ‘bad’ to another, for example, polygamy whether polyandry or polygyny!

xiii. At this point it might be fundamental to summarise what Gestalt Therapy has to offer! The mainstay or the notion here  is that people are born wonderful, happy creatures and would remain that was if allowed to grow up naturally.

xiv. It is the society one grows up in which begins to influence us as children, that sometimes pushes us onto the wrong track. Our problems occur when we absorb other people’s value-judgements, like our parents, siblings, uncles, aunts, teachers, religious or political leaders.

xv. When these value-judgements are in sharp contrast to our own real feelings, life-long conflicts arise. We often experience these conflicts as self-disapproval for own genuine feelings and rather impose the opinions of our culture or religion!

xvi. That alone spells the beginning of the end. So in I.S.M. it is your duty to identify these impositions and ratify them based on the divine natural laws the Almighty Creator put in the universe. This is the basic theory and practice of Kenezianism

xvii. Finding them is easy. Look inwards and find the natural laws written boldly in your heart. The little voice that speaks to you anytime you are about to violate the natural laws are international and non-partisan. What your parents and culture tried to do was only to stifle it and imprint what they thought would be good for you!

xviii. You and you are the final arbiter in what you think, decide and implement! No one can imprison your mind, thoughts, and words. Yes, no one can bend your will –power if you are resolute. Are you going to be the driver in the seat of your vehicle (your material body) or are you going to be a passenger? This and only this is the golden price ISM demands of you, and thereafter you can gain eternal freedom!

xix    In Kenezianism, only One True God exists, namely;  GOD,THE ALMIGHTY CREATOR! He initiated initiates and will forever initiate all thoughts, words and actions that are global, eternal and metaphysical in all beings, animate as well as inanimate. He is the Only One that deserves our unalloyed worship, praise, honour and adoration!

i.                   Every other being that ever existed, exists or will ever exist, does so at His pleasure and comes under His Natural and Eternal Laws that govern all macrocosms and microcosms He created! Hence every other great religious leader, dead or alive, those acclaimed as divine prophets, gurus, saviours or mystics are all classified as ‘lords’.

ii.                 Therefore Shankara & Ramanuja, K’ung Ch’iu (Confucius), Siddhartha Guatama (Buddha), Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, John the Baptist, Jesus the Christ, Peter and/or Paul the apostles, Mohammed the Prophet, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Sa’i Baba and/or any other prominent moralist must be referred to only as ‘Lords’!

iii.              None of them or anyone else that may come hereafter is near to or co-equal with Our Almighty Father, who created and sustains everything in existence! This knowledge and its eternal acceptance as the stepping stone to all educational programmes are the beginning of wisdom for scientists of all generations, as well as for all shades of religious affiliations!

iv.              Our great grandfathers knew that much! So why did some fanatics deify their heroes and idolised what was created and finite at any stage of its material/physical existence in this universe? Ignorance is the one and only correct answer!

v.                 None of these famous religious leaders was there at the dawn of creations. Read the books credited to Job, Solomon, Issaiah, Sirach, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. None of these authors suggested anything like that! No, not even the great Patriarch Moses who founded Judaism was ever credited with dualising the Godhead, not to mention Christians tripling it!

vi.              Even the great apostle of the gentiles, Saul of Tarsus, later called Paul after his miraculous conversion, emphatically states that the Almighty God is One and has no equal or deputy! Read more of this in his first letter to his loyal converts at Corinthians, Chapter 8 verses 1-6. Moses did a better job in the whole of his book named EXODUS!

vii.            So let us all stop this buffoonery of attributing equality in personhood to anything else! It is not only idolatrous but sacrilegious and irrational! It breeds fanaticism, segregation, partisanship and finally syncretism. It is the harbinger of all-religious differences, schisms, feuds and wars!

viii.         The world of science, medicine and electronics have demonstrated that all human beings can believe, learn and accept certain universal ways of doing things! This is because these areas of knowledge are impartial, objective and devoid of sentimental attachment or any form of socio-political patronage. We hold international conferences on most departments of academics and arrive at world-wide principles and standards, so why not in religion?

ix.               The answer is simple; Religion is constructed on the shifting sands of emotions, politics and hero-worships. These are inimical to modern man. And the sooner we recognised it and addressed it, the better for our generation! That is all that I.S.M. stands for. Join us today, and provide the human race with a scientifically oriented spiritual fellowship where all are brothers and sisters. Thank you and God bless everyone!