CHILDREN’S FAITH
The article deals with the phenomenon of children’s faith. It argues that children’s world perception is based on their trust in the world; that is why the child’s mentality is inherently religious. Children’s faith is a basic feeling; it defines the further spiritual development of the child. In the course of interiorization faith is transformed into moral norms, rules and principles i9n accordance with which the adult person will live. The article demonstrates the way of temporal transition of faith from the sense imagery sphere to the sphere of moral ideas. © Франц С. В., 2016 The article characterizes the conception of Auguste Comte who once compared the formation of the person’s world outlook with the stages of development of scientific cognition and periods of civil history and singled out three stages (theological, metaphysical and positive) of development of the world outlook. First, the same as the primitive man, the child does not distinguish himself from the surrounding world but identifies it with himself, personifies it and establishes strong connections with it. The next stage is the period of formation of religious (united by Comte with philosophical and called metaphysical) world outlook. Then comes the period of rationalization; the child is connected with religion by the fact that he begins learn the forms of social organization, which are ritual in their essence and are supported by tradition. The article specifies the necessity of parental support and special attention to the questions of faith at the period when children’s faith turns to a different “object” - knowledge (“knowledge faith”) and will (self-motivation).