GODS WORD, RELIGIOUS RULES, AND THEIR RELATION TO CHRISTIAN AND JEWISH CHILDRENS CONCEPTS OF MORALITY

2 studies were conducted of children's concepts of moral and nonmoral religious rules. In Study 1, 64 Amish-Mennonite children (ages 10, 12, 14, 16) were asked to evaluate 4 moral and 7 nonmoral religious rules as to rule alterability, generalizability, and whether the status of the acts was contingent on the word of God. As a second aspect of Stud y 1, 64 Dutch Reform Calvinist children were asked to determine whethe r God's commands could make a harmful act morally right. Study 2 repli cated the basic design of Study 1 with 64 Conservative and 32 Orthodox Jewish children. Findings were that subjects differentiated between m oral and nonmoral religious issues. Moral rules and some nonmoral rule s were seen as nonalterable by religious authorities. The status of mo ral (but not nonmoral) acts was generalized to members outside the rel igion and was not viewed as contingent on the existence of statements from God. Judgments regarding moral issues were justified in terms of justice and human welfare considerations; nonmoral issues were evaluat ed in terms of their nonnative status. Some denominational and age eff ects were found. Findings supported the proposition that social knowle dge is constructed within conceptual systems that represent fundamenta l categories of social experience.