Research Paper on:
Religion and Its Second Generation Adoption

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
the few elements learned in childhood that is the most commonly continued or retained into adulthood. Although religious thoughts and rituals may be consciously taught by the family and the  community and are considered a major aspect of ones identity and self, it is also believed that much of this religious shaping is picked up unconsciously by the child.  Many researchers in psychology, sociology, anthropology and religion have studied what aspects of parental values and habits which are learned and taught in  the home are retained by their children either in conscious or subconscious ways. While many values which are taught at home are later restructured by a childs peer group, many  values practiced or taught by the parents are retained by children (Hulbert, 1998). While at one time it was believed that children behaved largely how they were taught by  their parents it has now been found that many actions, especially delinquent acts, may not be learned actions but genetic. Despite the fact that genetics takes a part in childrens  actions however, research has shown two things that children learn and practice from the home and is not taken from the street or their peer groups: politics and religion. Recent  research has shown that children most often align themselves politically and religiously with what their parents practiced (Wilson, 1999). It has been shown that children become Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Protestants  or atheists depending on what their parents were and this seems to result from the shared environmental effect within a family unit (Wilson, 1999). In sociological research studies involving ethnic  groups in the United States and the retention of the second generation and religion, it has been found that religion is a major component as a part of ones cultural