Stage 0 – Primal Undifferentiated Faith (Ages Birth-2):  

The baby acquires experiences from the outer environment that either instill in him a feeling of trust and assurance from being comforted, living in a secure and stable environment, and a experiencing a sense of consistency and care from parents. 

These personalized experiences, according to Fowler, essentially translate into feelings of trust and assurance in the universe and harmony with the divine.  

Conversely, experiences of parental or environmental neglect and/or abuse at this stage of development, can result in the formation of feelings of mistrust and fear with respect to the universe and the divine, sowing the seeds for later doubt and existential angst.  

Stage 2 – Mythic-Literal Faith (Ages 7-12). 

Children at this stage have a belief in justice and fairness in religious matters, a sense of reciprocity in the workings of the universe (e.g. doing good will result in a good result, doing bad will cause bad things to happen) and an anthropomorphic image of God (e.g. a man with a long white beard who lives in the clouds). 

Religious metaphors are often taken literally thus leading to misunderstandings.  If these metaphors talk about promises and they do not come to pass in the world, then a person at this stage might feel cheated or disappointed in God.

Stage 4 – "Individuative-Reflective Faith" (Ages Mid-Twenties to Late Thirties).  

This stage is often characterized by angst and struggle as the individual takes personal responsibility for her beliefs or feelings.  

Religious or spiritual beliefs can take on greater complexity and shades of nuance, and there is a greater sense of open-mindedness, which can at the same time open up the individual to potential conflicts as different beliefs or traditions collide.

Stage 6 – "Universalizing" Faith (or "Enlightenment").  (Later Adulthood).  

This stage is only rarely achieved by individuals. A person at this stage is not hemmed in by differences in religious or spiritual beliefs among people in the world, but regards all beings as worthy of compassion and deep understanding.  

Here, individuals ”walk the talk” of the great religious traditions (e.g. "the kingdom of God is within you").  

One good example of this stage in the life of an individual is the life of Count Leo Tolstoy, who in his later years emphasized the importance of equality among people, asceticism in one’s style of living, and the practice of compassion for all (see, for example, his last novel, Resurrection, which caused him to be excommunicated from the Russian Orthodox Church).