Any opinions on why teenagers arent religious?

Question

Also, any suggestions on how to get'em in there? its for a religion paper, so, please help!

Answer 1

Yes, I have an opinion on why:
Did you ever see the Ad on tv, from the anti-drug folks: you see the egg in the frypan, and then they say this is your brain on drugs?
Well, now, thats just a joke on a teeshirt, and why? Because it was stupid and it was a lie.
Kids saw that ad, and then they remembered that last Friday nite at Joe's party, five or six of them got high and they are perfectly fine today.
Whats my point? They were lied to, and when you lie to a kid, do not ever expect that kid to listen to one single word to come out of your mouth again. Kids aren't stupid.
Okay, now with religion. Kids go to Sunday school, and whats written on the chalkboard?
Eve eating an apple, and God being furious about it. It ludacrist. Why the hell would God be so mad at someone for eating a damn apple? Well, to hell with a God like that, right?
If you don't listen to your parents and teachers, you're gonna go to hell and burn for eternity.
If you have sexual feelings for a boy, thats lust and you're gonna burn in hell, etc etc etc....
What in the world would anyone expect? Its no surprize to me that kids run like hell away from religion. Unfortunately, they dump God right along with the religion, but they think its this God who is being unfair, uncaring, and wants to burn them in a pit. I would run, too.

Kids need to hear the truth, not a bunch of lies.
And, if someone is gonna try to understand the Bible, and you start them out with blatent lies, they aren't gonna understand any of it. The whole thing will look like its contradicting itself, over and over. Its a damn shame, but you can't blame the kids. The blame belongs to pastors/priests/preachers who teach lies. And, Christ is coming back this time not to be crucified, but as a King carrying a rod of iron, and thats for correction. And, quess where He plans to visit first? Those pulpits where those lies are coming from. God does not appreciate his children being lied to, and the kids will not be held accountable - they will be taught when Christ returns - nope, its those liars who are gonna get it, and boy, are they ever gonna get it.

Answer 2

I wouldn't say that teenagers aren't religious, just that they express their beliefs and opinions in different ways. I am a teenager and I am very religious, despite the fact that some people think its weird that i truly enjoy going to and participating in church activities.

One reason that teenagers aren't religious is because they are trying to find and distinguish themselves and if they have been brought up religiously, than they think they need to find an identity for themselves outside of the church, to make them unique from their family and the things that they are identified with.

Being religious isn't cool. If you go to the average high school. You're weird to admit that you pray or you believe in god or that you even attend church.

Teenagers show their spirituality in other ways, many teens get involved in community service or become actively involved in many issues that concern them. They may come back to religion later in life and realize that religion gives people a home and a sense of grounding.

Some of my best friends go to my church, I have either met them there or met them and gotten to know them better there. I would never underestimate a teens spirituality, you can never really tell whats going on in their head.

Answer 3

Do you mean why they aren't into a particular religion, or just religious in general on the scale they might have seemed to be in the 1950's...

I think you'll find that teenagers are as spiritual as they ever were, but that perhaps many of them today are exploring options that are more relevant to their day to day lives than the religion of their fathers.

At the same time, there are many who are more rabidly, fanatically religious than at any time I can remember... perhaps the middle is just being eroded by the extremes.

Answer 4

Some are but many are turning away from the older, nonsensical doctrines.

I have no idea why anyone thinks they have the right to think up ways to "get'em in there".

Answer 5

I think it's due to the evidence of what they see, NOT matching up to what people say. Parents go to church and then come home and don't "practice what they preach" - also the TV Evangelists one after another being outed as fakes or crooks. It just does not ring true and kids are the hardest people on earth to fool 'cause we're more observant and aware than adults think. Remember that when YOU'RE a parent!

Answer 6

I'm not sure that teenagers are more or less religious than anybody else. Teens are capable of being idealistic one day and rebellious the next. I went through several religious periods -- first as a child, then as a teen and later as a young adult. I haven't been religious for about 30 years now.

Answer 7

I know many teens that are religious- perhaps you're looking in the wrong places. Most Protestant/Catholic churches of a considerable size will have a youth group made up of "religious" teens. However, many of these students won't describe themselves as religious, but as a member of their religion. Perhaps if you're trying to do research on the internet you should look for teens in a specific religion. Also, you could check out religious college websites.

Answer 8

we don't like rules,
we like to break the law and we don't want to believe we could go to hell because of what we do,
everything is a lot more multi-cultural, what should we believe,
to get more teenagers to be religious underage drinking must be allowed and some drugs to be taken,
many teens say that they don't believe in god because of all the bad stuff in the world ect... this is not true they just cant come up with a better reason

i'm assuming that your talking about 1st world counties

note* i am not religious, i have read the bible, but i don't believe in any religious beliefs, this is because there is so much controversy in the bible, i cant trust it, this does not mean i don't believe in a god of some sort

Answer 9

Most teenagers have an eagle eye for hypocrisy, probably because they are trying to make sense of things from their 'all knowing' experiences. Being honest and open about their questions concerning God instead of dismissing them with rules or scriptures would be a good start. As always, set a good example be someone they respect and trust with their opinions.

Answer 10

It's society and peer pressure that pulls teens away from religion. I know from personal experience. When I was 14 I became Agnostic (former Catholic). It wasn't until about a month ago (I am 23 now) that I found Islam, which I truly believe is the right path.

As-salaamu alaykum - Peace be upon you