Homework. Social media. Sports. Watching reality TV. Hanging out with friends. Family time.
The life of the American teenager is filled with a lot of activity. But is religion a part of that equation? According to the National Study of Youth and Religion, the answer is both yes and no…sort of.
A team of researchers led by a sociologist at the University of Notre Dame found that while American teens have a certain level of faith, organized religion doesn’t matter to many of them.
The study found that most teens believe in a god but don’t like talking much about their faith.
Grant Magazine decided to test those assumptions and talked to four sophomores who identify as being religious. They talked openly about prayer, connecting with values and why they believe.
Alden Davis, 16, Judaism:
“You could live a really amazing life but not really know it until you appreciate it. That’s what Judaism means to me. You can look at a tree and say, ‘Oh, that’s just a tree.’ Or you can think how it started as just a seed and now it’s 50 feet high and sustains animals’ lives. I like to pray in nature more than inside. It can be a very therapeutic thing. I pray for myself because I can live a happier life and a more appreciative life if I do. Just being thankful and being conscious. That’s what it’s about.”
Interview by Blue Midyett | Photo by Cassie Hill
Sagen Maharjan, 16, Buddhism and Hinduism:
“When I pray, I always think about my family first and then about my school. I think about how my family will have happy days and a happy life. When I go to a Buddhist temple, it really brings me peace. I started dancing in 2010. I just did group dance until this year. I started doing solo dance. I used to get really shy and mess up a lot. Now I always think like, ‘This is my stage and no one is looking at me and I am the only one here dancing.’”
Interview and photo by Finn Hawley-Blue
Anaïs Crim Parks, 15, Wicca:
“It reminds me to focus on really appreciating the earth and what it has done for the human race. If I’m too lazy to throw away something and I just want to litter, I’ll remind myself that would be really disrespectful to the thing that I praise, which is the earth. Also, that there’s other realms of things that exist around us and that you have to be respectful of them.”
Interview by Hunter Stewart | Photo by Finn Hawley-Blue
Khiarica Rasheed, 15, Christianity:
“Before games, I pray mostly for good health and no injuries and just so everybody will have a good game. I feel like if I didn’t believe in God, then I wouldn’t feel like myself. Me believing in God is just a way to know that everything is going to be all right no matter what type of struggle that I’ve been through. No matter how high I’ve been, no matter how low, it’s just the belief in Him lets me know that everything is going to be OK. No matter what.”
Interview by Jackie Rath | Photo by Finn Hawley-Blue
