Study: Most U.S. teens serious about religion

[truthpusher]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7019023/

Study: Most U.S. teens serious about religion
Kids are bolstered by beliefs, but their knowledge is thin
The Associated Press

Updated: 5:31 p.m. ET Feb. 23, 2005

(snip)

The four-year effort was conducted by 133 researchers and consultants led by sociologist Christian Smith of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Smith reports the full results in the new book “Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers” (Oxford University Press), written with doctoral student Melinda Lundquist Denton. The book will be published next week.

(snip)

Many were so detached from the traditions of their faith, says the report, that they’re virtually following a different creed in which an undemanding God exists mostly to solve problems and make people feel good. Truth in any absolute, theological sense, takes a back seat.

“God is something like a combination Divine Butler and Cosmic Therapist” who’s on call as needed, Smith writes. He says the trend reflects tendencies among teens’ Baby Boomer parents. The report speculates that poor educational and youth programs, and competition for teens’ time from school, sports, friends and entertainment also are part of the picture.


complete story:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7019023/

[fnottr]

1. does this mean the fundies will be losing their base?

We can only hope...

[xchrom]

6. no, in fact it's kind of bashing

parents who weren't that interested in religion -- it sounds like.
as though those kids raised in more ''biblicaly strict'' households
might know more.

i'm not comfortable with everything he's saying -- especially that ''truth'' business -- i'm not sure anyone has a grip on what religion is about in america right now.

[htuttle]

2. Given current course and speed,

The Enlightenment will have been 'reversed' within one or two more generations.

At least in the US.

[reprobate]

20. There will be no US in two generations.

In economics, education, science, whatever you choose, we are either falling behind or have already been outpaced by most of the world. In two generations we will be no more than a colony of whatever nation is leading at the time. Or more likely whatever combination of nations, like the european union, the latin american union, or the western pacific union.

In that future George W.Bush and his gang of neocons will be known as the destroyers of nations, including the US.

[BlueEyedSon]

3. It means public education is in the shitter

[Megahurtz]

4. All I worry about is

if this is really referring to the Christian fundamentalist movement. That could turn out to be dangerous.

[fnottr]

5. yeah, but

the article says while teens are saying they are religious, they really aren't very caught up in rigid dogma, which would seem to indicate they aren't going to be fundamentalists

[ECH1969]

7. It doesn't mean much

Some of the biggest drug using party animals I knew 35 years ago who could give a f*** about religion are now fundamentalists who pretend they were never like that or those that were say they found God and were saved.

[fnottr]

9. good point...

I mean, just take on good look at *

[rogerashton]

8. So, there is supposed to be something wrong with

An "undemanding God exists mostly to solve problems and make people feel good."

And there is some interesting reasoning, here. These students are detatched from "their" traditions in that they are following the example of their parents? What makes these ideas their parents did not care about "their" tradition anyway.

Did we elect somebody to decide what '"our" tradition is?

[xchrom]

12. indeed.

[Tempest]

10. More serious about religion, yet more having premarital sex

There's a huge disconnect between what they believe and what they practice.

[Kolesar]

16. Sexuality is "featured" in some Asian religions

Their temples feature depictions of sexual themes. I used "featured" because I could not think of a better word. I am no religious scholar. What a marked contrast with fundamentalism.

[reprobate]

22. Good point, BA. But understandable if you look at the basics of both.

The problem with monotheist religions that does not exist in the eastern philosophies is that the westerners have separated the body from the spirit, while the easterners still see the individual as a unified whole.

In my opinion, this dualism in the west is responsible for most of the problems we face, from the sick sexuality of the west (america and christianity in particular), to the destruction of the environment.

When you separate the body from the spirit you lose the spiritual connection with the planet around us and the people around us. The result is that we are alone in our bodies, with no feeling of connection to our fellow humans. This of course leads to preditory capitalism, Walmart, and the eventual destruction of the earths ability to support us.

We have separated ourselves from our spirituality and replaced it with religion, which has nothing to do with spirituality and everything to do with the power or the priesthood classes.

[Kolesar]

24. That sounds like Aristotle's view of humans that was adopted by the church

By "The Church", I mean the Church of Rome, that I sort of almost grew up in. There were three "individuals" existing inside each person, representing characteristics of our personalities. Hence, the person is separated from the body. A lot of Aristotle's theories became Catholic Church doctrine.

[truthpusher]

17. They are having pre-marital sex religiously. n/t

[mumon]

11. Ah, that DADBURN LIBRUL MEDIA AGAIN!

An entire chapter of the book examines Catholic youths, described as fairly weak “on most measures of religious faith, belief, experience and practice.” The problem is attributed largely to ineffective youth programs and “the relative religious laxity of their parents.”

Why is that a "problem?"

[xchrom]

14. it's not

i have lots of problems with this ''study''.
first i guess -- they are teenagers -- concerned about the things that teenagers have always been concerned with.

second faith is an adult space -- one that should be gained with time and maturity.
fundies in fact prove my point -- their immaturity and holding onto superstitions an unwillingness to grow up -- mature.

[THUNDER HANDS]

13. this actually is really really good news

There's nothing wrong with believing in God, especially if all you think of God as is someone who listens to your problems and maybe, sometimes helps out.

Not a god who wants to punish gay people and abortion rights supporters and who likes war.

[Mandate My Ass]

15. The gist of this article "they need to get rid of that 'feel-good god'

and get with Bushco's kill-them-all-and-let-god-sort-em-out God.

[depakid]

18. Piss poor methodoloy

The project involved a telephone survey of 3,370 randomly selected English- and Spanish-speaking Americans, ages 13-17, followed by face-to-face interviews with 267 of the respondents in 45 states.

The selection and response bias here are so overwhelming that it doesn't suprise me that the "researchers" haven't released a margin of error. It's pretty much irrelevant.

It also doesn't surprise me that this came out of North Carolina- or that the "mainstream" media are reporting it as the gospel truth....

[Placebo]

19. All of my friends couldn't care less about religion...

and I don't think that's a bad thing. :shrug:

[FlemingsGhost]

21. As about as serious as, say ... "Dubya" is about religion?

Actually, that seems about right.

[athenap]

23. I wonder...

how many of these kids are involved in church or church groups merely for the social aspect of it. The big megamall churches around here have youth ministries that are little more than after-school social hours for teens with a religious sorta overtone (although should you decide to question the party line, you get a healthy dose of peer pressure from your buddies). So they end up being a place to do homework, eat chee-tos, and play video games. The point being to get the church to become one's social safety net.

[The Zanti Regent]

25. I saw what Jesus did to my son

Jesus turned him into a hateful spiteful bigot. He couldn't wait to get out of high school and kill Arabs for Jesus. Well, I begged him not to go, but all I heard was "Jesus says I have to go for my President".

He went to Iraq. Got shot in the spine and died last Thanksgiving.

Dead at 19, my only child.

Fuck you, Jesus!

[Corgigal]

26. Well they better

because they will need all the prayer they can get when the draft board starts pulling numbers again.

[noonwitch]

27. They're serious about religion until they go to college and learn better

They get born again at Young Life or whatever, go to college, take classes where their viewpoints get challenged, and they moderate their views in light of the things they've learned, whether it be through science classes or some other curriculum. I wouldn't worry too much about the statistics, teens frequently go through religious phases, it's part of their personal development and their search for indentity (like in Erikson's stages of life).

For me, it was taking a religion class at a secular college, taught by a very wise professor. That class was what made me realize that although the Bible has much good to say, it is not infallible. It was written by men who were inspired by God, but still were humans, thus imperfect.

[0007]

28. Seriousness & Knowledge are two different things

Another fundie expert trying to make a case with 133 researchers dancing to the tune.