Religion Development Of Personality
“Religion Development of Personality”
[12 September-22 November 1950]
[Chester, Pa.]
In this revealing essay written for the Religious Development of Personality, King reviews the influences of his family and church on his religious beliefs. King's essay reflects Davis's emphasis on the experiences of childhood and adolescence. King recalls a nurturing family life--closely interwoven with activities in his father's church--which conditioned him to be optimistic about human nature. "It is quite easy for me to think of a God of love," King writes, "mainly because I grew up in a family where love was central and where lovely relationships were ever present." King relates seminal events in his religious development, including his baptism into the church at age seven and his call to the ministry while in college. He attributes the decision to become a minister to his father's "noble example"; despite their theological differences, King retains his "admiration for a real father." He also recounts two formative experiences: the shock of a childhood confrontation with racism and the death of his grandmother. Davis marked the paper "Excellent."
My birthplace was Atlanta Georgia, the capital of the state and the so-called "gate-way to the south." I was born in the late twenties on the verge of the great depression, which was to spread its disastrous arms into every corner of this nation for over a decade. I was much too young to remember the beginning of this depression, but I do recall how I questioned my parent about the numerous people standing in bread lines when I was about five years of age. I can see the effects of this early childhood experience on my present anti capitalistic feelings.
I was the second child of a family of three children, having one brother and one sister. Because of {our} relative closeness of ages we all grew up together, and to this day there still exist that intimate relationship which existed between us in childhood. Our parents...
View Full Essay
