In The Faith - A Chronicle of the Christian Faith

While America is becoming a more diverse nation, at least 80 percent of teens still identify as Protestant, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Mormon or Jewish, with most teens adhering to their parents’ faith tradition, the report said.

(AP) – The majority of American teens believe in God and worship in conventional congregations, but their religious knowledge is remarkably shallow and they have a tough time expressing the difference that faith makes in their lives, a new survey says.

Still, the notably comprehensive National of Study of Youth and Religion concluded that “religion really does matter” to teens.

The research found that devout teens hold more traditional sexual and other values than their nonreligious counterparts and are better off in emotional health, academic success, community involvement, concern for others, trust of adults and avoidance of risky behavior.

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.

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p(small). Source: Associated Press © 2005 Associated Press

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National Study of Youth and Religion

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