Will My Kids Keep the Faith?

Among all the many things parents aspire for in a child, one of the strongest desires and greatest dreams of many parents is that their faith will be passed down. In the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, parents are instructed to teach their children to love God with all their hearts (Deuteronomy 6:4-8). In the American Families of Faith research project, we asked 396 highly religious but racially, ethnically, and regionally diverse parents in the United States, "How important is it to you that your children follow in your faith?" The majority of parents responded that it was indeed important or very important.