Indian children show religious tolerance: Study

Turns out, children inIndiahave a remarkable level of acceptance of differentreligions'rulesandpractices.

A University of California-Santa Cruz study found that bothHinduandMuslimchildren inIndiathought thatHinduchildren should followHindunorms andMuslimchildren should followMuslimnorms.

"Even in a region with a long history of high religioustension, we see impressive levels ofreligious toleranceamong children," said co-authorAudun Dahl. "Childrenthink that people in differentreligions should follow their own norms--and that's a starting point, a reason for optimism."

Very little research has been done on how children reason about religious norms, despite the fact that differences between religious norms underpin conflicts around the globe, including Catholic/Protestant clashes in Europe and differences among Sunni and ShiaMuslims, noted Dahl. Religious norms dictatepracticesfrom clothing and land ownership to reproduction, he said, with adult adherents frequently wanting others to adhere to their norms.

"Childrenexpressed preferences for their ownreligion, but we found no evidence of children rejecting the norms of the otherreligion," said Dahl, adding that such tolerance is the first step toward greater harmony.

The study took place in Gujarat,India, a region with a history ofHindu-Muslimviolence. Investigators worked with 100 children ages 9 to 15, focusing on differentHindunorms, such as the prohibition against eating beef, andMuslimnorms, such as the prohibition against worshipping an idol. They also asked the children about hitting people to explore the youngsters' reasoning around moral norms.

These findings offered hope that exposure to conflicts over religious differences, like those experienced by children in many regions of the world, need not lead children to develop negative attitudes toward the religiouspracticesof other groups. "Rather, perhaps these levels of understanding will play a role in reducing conflict over time," said Dahl.

The study is published in Child Development.