Each person has his or her unique view of faith and all it entails, but there is new evidence that faith actually starts in family conversations at the dinner table rather than in school or even in church.
There's a new study by a nonprofit organization called Communio, which uses "data-driven ministry and practical tools to strengthen families," partnered with Harvard University, and in that study some researchers found that the simple act of talking about faith around the table at dinner can shape children's attitudes toward faith and religion later in their lives.
Explaining personal faith to family members, especially children, can have compounding effects as others learn from descriptions of faith and how it can be made a part of life, Communio's study showed, and Texas Values President Jonathan Saenz says he agrees.
"That's a great way to set that example, and that's a big reason why that faith is so often passed on from what the children see while they're at home."
One of the key findings in the survey is that regular discussions about faith with children is a high predictor of children's practice of faith as adults.
"Many people do not attend church every single day but they tend to have dinner every day and that opportunity at the dinner table to share that faith and pass on that faith is there on a regular basis," Mr. Saenz says.