Religious practices such as prayer represent the most prevalent complementa
ry and alternative therapies in the United States. However, biomedicine has
sometimes viewed faith and related religious worldviews as relevant only w
hen they obstruct implementation of scientifically sound biomedical care. R
ecent efforts to arrive at a new synthesis raise challenges for pediatricia
ns. This article reviews theories of child faith development, and models of
child spirituality from different disciplinary perspectives. It provides s
ources illustrating how spirituality and religion may inform children's liv
es; play a part in children's moral formation, socialization, and induction
into a sacred worldview; and provide the child with inner resources. It al
so suggests some of the positive and negative effects of spiritual and reli
gious engagement. Second, this article examines aspects of spirituality and
religion that parents may bring to bear in relation to their children's he
alth. Third, this article addresses the spiritual and/or religious identity
of the provider. These topics are discussed in the context of cultural com
petence and the related importance of religious diversity. The authors sugg
est 1) some approaches for appropriate inclusion of spirituality in clinica
l practice, 2) challenges for medical education, and 3) areas requiring fur
ther research.