Youth and Religion
by Geoffrey Biddulph

The findings of the new survey could not be more straightforward: the more your teenager goes to church and participates in church groups, the less likely he or she is to drink, smoke, do drugs, skip school and participate in other self-destructive behavior.

The survey involving 12th graders nationwide was performed by the National Study of Youth and Religion. The survey asked high school seniors how often they go to church and what churches they go to and then asked them how often they performed certain activities. I downloaded it at this web site:

https://www.youthandreligion.org/

The report included some very good news for Latter-day Saints: all those seminary classes and Scout troops and Sunday school meetings are paying off. LDS teenagers are much less likely to smoke, drink and do drugs than their peers, even their very religious peers from other churches.

This survey brings home to me a stirring truth: we are protecting our kids and investing in their futures by convincing them to get up and go to church every Sunday. We are adding extra layers of protection by encouraging them to go to seminary, join the Scouts and participate in other church youth activities.

All parents want the best for their kids. I don’t know any who deliberately drive through dangerous neighborhoods with their kids or tell them not to wear a bicycle helmet when cycling. I can’t remember the last time I heard a parent tell his child to be sure to try to cross a busy highway on foot.

Yet when it comes to behavior that is almost certain to improve the lives of our teenagers, like going to church every Sunday and seminary on a daily basis, some of us get careless. That’s a shame.

Of course, there are no guarantees. There are plenty of kids who go to church every Sunday and have perfect seminary attendance who succumb to all the temptations out there. Still, it is encouraging to hear that chances are much better your kids will be OK if you get them to church on a weekly basis.

The survey showed that among high school seniors who say they attend church at least weekly:

  • 82 percent said they have never been suspended or expelled from school (89 percent for LDS kids).
  • 43 percent said they have never smoked a cigarette (57 percent for LDS kids).
  • 49 percent said they had never gotten drunk (67 percent for LDS kids).
  • 70 percent said they had never tried marijuana (73 percent for LDS kids).
  • 55 percent said they never go to bars or nightclubs (74 percent for LDS kids).

The results are startling. The teenagers who rarely or never go to church are much more likely to have self-destructive behavior. For example, 61 percent of the 12th graders who never go to church say they have used illegal drugs in the last 12 months, compared to 39 percent of the kids who attend weekly or more. Eighteen percent of the 12th graders who never go to church say they never drink, compared to 29 percent of the kids who attend weekly (62 percent of LDS 12th graders say they never drink).

Kids who regularly go to church are less likely to say they have argued with their parents recently. An earlier study showed that the more often children do religious activities (praying, going to church, reading the scriptures) the more likely they are to enjoy spending time with their fathers. For example, 58 percent of youth who participate in religious activities five to seven times a week say they really enjoy spending time with their fathers. This compared to 37 percent for youths who do not engage in any religious activities.

In many cases, the survey showed that there is a big difference between kids who attend church weekly and those who go once or twice a month. For example, 49 percent of kids who attend church weekly say they have never gotten drunk, compared to 30 percent who attend once or twice a month. There was very little statistical difference between those who never go to church and those who attend once or twice a month. The same rule applied for marijuana use.

It was interesting to note there is a direct correlation between church activity and physical fitness. Forty-nine percent of the 12th graders who attend church weekly or more participate in sports on a weekly basis, compared to 35 percent of those who never attend. LDS 12th graders participated in sports more than any other group.

There are a few worrisome signs for LDS parents: teenage church members were more likely to skip school (37 percent) and to have vandalized property (20 percent) than kids in other churches.

But overall the results could not be more resounding: if you want your teenagers to avoid self-destructive behavior, take them to church on a weekly basis and encourage them to participate in church youth groups. I can’t think of a better investment.

2002Meridian Magazine.  All Rights Reserved.