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Eighteen teenagers jot down on colorful Post-It notes their one-word impressions of the eight religions listed on the poster boards in front of them. \u00a0Some show no reservations as they work their way quickly down the list, while others hesitate to put down their thoughts for fear of appearing intolerant or ignorant. \u00a0Is this a Bible study class? \u00a0No, it\u2019s just another monthly meeting of the Arizona Interfaith Youth Movement \u2013 a safe, inclusive gathering to which youths of all faiths are encouraged to come together in dialogue, games, and of course, food.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if I\u2019ve never heard of this religion?\u201d asks one of the teens. \u00a0\u201dThat\u2019s OK \u2013 just write down the first thing that comes to your mind,\u201d I reply. \u00a0As the Youth Director, I\u2019m pleased to see the seriousness which has settled over this group. They\u2019re sincerely giving this activity their full attention, as it is partly a challenge to their general knowledge as well as an opportunity to share the \u201ctruth\u201d of their religious beliefs. \u00a0The eight religions I randomly chose contain some familiar to all, but I\u2019ve also thrown in some lesser known beliefs as well: \u00a0Catholicism, Islam, Atheism, Sikhism, Christian Science, Buddhism<\/a>, Judaism, and the Church of Scientology. \u00a0The teens stick up their impressions on the poster boards, grab a water bottle or cookie, and then return to their seats. \u00a0I survey the range of words listed by each religion and ask for a volunteer to come up and read aloud the results.<\/p>\n I am somewhat surprised by the religion which has elicited the most negative comments from this diverse group.<\/p>\n According to the Pew Forum\u2019s 2008 US Religious Landscape Survey<\/a>, 83% of Americans identify themselves as belonging to an organized religion; however,<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026people not affiliated with any particular religion stand out for their relative youth compared with other religious traditions. \u00a0Among the unaffiliated, 31% are under age 30 and 71% are under age 50. \u00a0More than one-quarter of American adults (28%) have left the faith in which they were raised in favor of another religion, or no religion at all. \u00a0If change in affiliation from one type of Protestant Christianity to another is included, 44% of adults have either switched religious affiliation, moved from being unaffiliated with any religion to being affiliated with a particular faith, or dropped any connection to a specific religious tradition altogether.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n What accounts for this conflict within those of faith? On one hand, they identify themselves as being religious, even if it means they\u2019ve left behind the religion of their childhood, while on the other hand, as Americans age, they seem to leave organized religion behind them.<\/p>\n Is this search for spiritual fulfillment a trend which begins in youth? \u00a0As a Sunday school teacher at the Scottsdale Mosque for the past seven years, I\u2019ve observed the diversity in faith from kindergarteners all the way up to the high school seniors. \u00a0Depending upon their home environment, these kids either skip cheerfully into Sunday school or drag themselves reluctantly into their seats, testing the limits of the dress code (which stresses modesty) by tugging their T-shirts down to cover their bare midriffs or yanking the required head-scarf into place. \u00a0How much of their lessons will these teens remember when faced with the overwhelming secularism of their public school environment in which the age-old tensions of peer pressure and cliques rule the day? \u00a0<\/p>\n Religion remains a personal issue \u2013 rightly so \u2013 but is there a safe space for teens who are interested in exploring their faith beliefs? \u00a0A brief glance at the teen non-fiction aisle in any Borders or Barnes & Noble reveals the abundance of faith-based books aimed at teens. \u00a0From Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism \u2013 even a Wiccan guidebook \u2013 the variety is astounding. \u00a0So, teens are indeed seeking answers through the privacy and safety of books. But is this education encouraging them to leave their parents\u2019 beliefs behind as they discover other traditions? \u00a0<\/p>\n As our interfaith meeting continues, my son volunteers to read aloud the comments posted on the board under Islam \u2013 his own faith group. \u00a0\u201dViolent, weird clothes, brain-washed,\u201d his voice is subdued as he slowly goes through the impressions. \u00a0\u201dTourist? \u00a0Hey Mom, look, they think Muslims are tourists \u2013 that\u2019s pretty neat!\u201d \u00a0I walk over and read the note for myself \u2013 turns out he misread the word \u201ctourist\u201d \u2013 the correct reading is \u201cterrorist\u201d. \u00a0We briefly review the major tenets of each religion in order to correct misperceptions and reduce stereotypes. \u00a0Buddhism received the most positive comments by a landslide \u2013 even though only one of the kids knew a Buddhist<\/a> personally. \u00a0And which religion received the most negative comments? \u00a0No, it wasn\u2019t Islam \u2013 it was atheism. <\/p>\n Turns out that even if kids switch allegiance from one faith group to another \u2013 the thought of not living a life of faith scared them most of all.<\/p>\n (Photo courtesy Interfaith Youth Core<\/a> via flickr<\/a> under a Creative Commons license.)<\/i><\/p>\n