What is the meaning of God in the different stages of development? Many religious groups in the world recognize the presence of God in their day-to-day lives. However, they know God in different ways. This research paper will look at God according to different stages of human development. Developmental Stage (0-2 years) This is the initial stage in which an infant is brought into the world after birth. An infant encounters God through the family. This means that parents have an influence on a child as far as God is concerned. At this developmental stage, the infant is still getting used to the environment and the people within it. As such, a child cannot have the ability to comprehend fully the meaning of God. The infant is still at a stage where he or she is learning to walk, speak and how to carry out very basic activities. The child still needs close monitoring from a parent or a guardian (Korniejczuk 25). During infancy, children acquire knowledge by observing the environment around them. They are able to gather and obtain information through touch, seeing and hearing. At this stage, the child is inquisitive and satisfies his or her needs through various ways. The child responds to various stimuli that are present within the environment. Consequently, a child adapts gradually to its environment and as time goes by, it learns more about what takes place in society. The child observes closely the actions of adults and their behavior. At this developmental stage, children are more likely to depend on the visual aspect of communication as compared to any other stage (Korniejczuk 31). As such, their understanding of the meaning of God is not likely to be very much developed. This will largely depend on their exposure to images and religious symbols, which can create an impression on their minds as they grow up. From the age of eight months onwards, the child can know that things exist in various forms. This helps in improving the memory capability of the infant at this stage. Therefore, this means that a child at this stage can remember symbols shown to him or her. This can draw the child closer to the existence of God. Therefore, the ability of adults to influence children is eminent. Such effects would have lasting consequences on the lives of children. Adults influence children to adopt a particular interpretation regarding the meaning of God (Korniejczuk 36). 2-6 years developmental stage In this stage of development, the child’s view is still influenced by his or her external environment and the element of curiosity begins to set in. At this stage, the child starts developing emotional, psychological and physical instincts, which directly arise due to external influence. At this stage of development, a child’s level of understanding and perception regarding the existence and the meaning of God is simplistic and basic (Bridges 34). This is the age that children start going to school. Children start attending preschool and elementary classes and as such, they come across the meaning of God in their lives. The child benefits from learning external environment, which is usually through formal and informal learning. The child is also at a stage where he or she begins valuing various physical activities in form of playing, walking, running, jumping and dan