RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT IN YOUTH:

How Relationships Affect Commitment

Kimberly Cardon

IS THERE A GOD?

Youth Who Believe in God90%

10% of youth do not believe in God

Of the 90% of youth who do believe in God, only 69% view themselves as religious(Roehlkepartain 341)

24% study sacred scripture

weekly

42% pray alone regularly

30%-50% participate weekly in organized religion

Ways Religious Youth Worship

(Roehlkepartain 341)

DISCUSSION POINTS

Does it matter if youth are religious?

Does it matter if youth believe in God?

Are there noticeable differences between religious and non-religious youth?

How can LDS youth internalize the Gospel?

What can parents and leaders do to help youth?

RELIGIOSITY MATTERS!

Positive Peer Interaction

Less Promiscuity Less Depression Less Drug and

Alcohol Abuse(Layton et al.)

HOW CAN PARENTS AND LEADERS HELP LDS YOUTH INTERNALIZE THE GOSPEL?

LDS Youth who have “internalized the Gospel avoid delinquency to a greater extent than those

who have not.” (Top et al)

COMMUNICATING WITH YOUTHHOW TO BE AFFECTIVE

Youth Centered Conversations

Hierarchal Converstaions

Youth talk more and parents listen more

Parents talk at youth

Youth seeks and receives understanding

from parent

Youth are expected to listen and not share

Conversation is open Conversation is not open to questions or

opinions

Parent and youth relationship is strengthened

Youth feel frustrated or distanced from parents

(Dollahite et al. 629)

PARENTS – SHOW YOU CARE!

By setting boundaries and limitations that youth and parents agree upon together, youth feel loved and cared for.

“The more a mother sets rules, monitors compliance, and dispenses appropriate discipline…the stronger [the youth’s] religiosity” (Top et al)

IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD –

LET LEADERS HELP

It’s powerful when the youth get similar counsel from different adults based on

religious principles and character values. That ‘second witness’ is so important during those years when youth are yearning for direction

and yet wanting to establish a sense of independence from Mom and Dad (Bergin).

GIVE YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES

Encourage youth to participate in wholesome youth groups, including church and other

school and recreational groups.

REMEMBER……bonds with youth leaders matter…. Family traditions that build faith matter. The time and effort and consistency parents give really matter. Youth need all these factors to help them anchor their faith. Testimony comes as a result of connection with the Spirit, but that connection is fostered by a hundred smaller connections that put youth in a place to be open and receptive to the Spirit (Bergin).

Works CitedBergin, M. Sue. "Anchoring the Faith of Your Teenager." Magazine.byu.edu. BYU Magazine, Sept.-Oct. 2011. Web. 04 Oct. 2012. <http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view>.

Bergin, M. Sue. "Families That Flourish." Magazine.byu.edu. BYU Magazine, Apr.-May 2012. Web. 04 Oct. 2012. <http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view>.

Doherty, William J. The Intentional Family: How to Build Family Ties in Our Modern World. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1997. Print.

Dollahite, David C., and Jennifer Y. Thatcher. "Talking About Religion How Highly Religious Youth and Parents Discuss Their Faith." Journal of Adolescent Research 23.5 (2008): 611-41. Web. <http://jar.sagepub.com/content/23/5/611.short>.

Dollahite, David C. "Presiding, Providing and Protecting." Magazine.byu.edu. BYU Magazine, June-July 2003. Web. 04 Oct. 2012. <http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view>.

Good, Marie, and T. Willoughby. "The Identity Formation Experiences of Church-Attending Rural Adolescents." Journal of Adolescent Research 22.4 (2007): 387-412. Print.

Laird, Robert D., Loren D. Marks, and Matthew D. Marrero. "Religiosity, Self-control, and Antisocial Behavior: Religiosity as a Promoted and Protective Factor." Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology 32.2 (2011): 78-85. Print.

Layton, Emily, David C. Dollahite, and Sam A. Hardy. "Anchors of Religious Commitment in Adolescents." Journal of Adolescent Research 26.3 (2011): 381-413. Web.

Roehlkepartain, Eugene C. The Handbook of Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2006. Print.

Top, Brent L., Bruce A. Chadwick, and Matthew T. Evans. "Protecting Purity." Magazine.byu.edu. BYU Magazine, June-July 2003. Web. 04 Oct. 2012. <http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view>.

Top, Brent L., Bruce A. Chadwick, and Matthew T. Evans. "Raising Righteous Children in a Wicked World." Magazine.byu.edu. BYU Magazine, June-July 1998. Web. 04 Oct. 2012. <http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view>.