The following is adapted from the work of professor James Fowler. For a fuller exploration, see this  article.

During this stage, the child is gradually developing the ability to think for her or himself and beginning to ask questions about things which earlier they took for granted, including their parents’ faith.  At this stage, children develop an intense desire and need to know how things really are.  They are fascinated by stories, rituals and traditions which show real people living out their faith in concrete ways.  They depend on authority figures, rules, and structure to assure them that reality is ordered and safe.

Literal faith is the first step toward a less naive and more critical attitude toward faith, although the older child’s ability to subject the content of faith to critical standards is still limited. In this stage, the child is likely to imagine God as a cross between a cosmic therapist and divine butler – someone who uses divine power and authority to create order and justice by rewarding good and punishing evil.  God’s role is like that of a parent, on whom a child relies for safety and protection.