National Study of Youth and Religion

Soul Searching Statistics
Source: National Study of Youth and Religion, 2005, UNC - Chapel Hill
(U.S. Adolescents, Ages 13-17)
Latter-Day Saint
Conservative Protestant
Black Protestant
Mainline Protestant
Roman Catholic
Jewish
No Religion
Teen's Religious Affiliation:
Adherence to Parent's Religion
86% LDS
86% Evangelical
81%
68%
83%
75%
-
Teen affiliates with no religion
13%
10%
17%
17%
12%
18%
63%
Religious Service Attendance:
Teen attends Religious Services once a week or more
71% LDS
55%
41%
44%
40%
8%
-
Teen would attend if it were up to the teen
71% LDS
63%
48%
47%
40%
11%
12%
Teen attends with both parents
66% LDS
58%
36%
53%
53%
44%
-
Importance of religious faith in shaping daily life

- Extremely important
52% LDS
28%
31%
19%
11%
7%
7%
- Doubts about religious beliefs
8% LDS
18%
21%
16%
21%
22%
-
Views of God
..
84%
94%
97% Black Protestants
86%
85%
72%
49%
- Believes in a personal God, involved in everyday lives
76%
77% Evangelical
74%
69%
64%
44%
30%
- Believes God created the world, but not presently involved
7%
10%
13%
13%
17%
12%
15%
- Believes God is not personal, something like a cosmic life force
9%
8%
7%
13%
14%
33%
31%
- Believes God is not like any of three preceeding
8%
4%
5%
3%
4%
5%
7%
- Believes in a judgment day when God will reward some and punish others
85%
88%
91% Black Protestant
63%
67%
25%
33%
- Does not believe in God
0% LDS
1%
0% Black Protestant
2%
1%
5%
17%
Teens' religious beliefs:
- Believes in existence of angels
80% LDS
79%
76%
59%
58%
30%
33%
- Believes in Divine Miracles from God
73%
77% Evangelical
76%
59%
55%
21%
26%
- Believes in life after death
76% LDS
62%
50%
51%
45%
23%
24%
- Believes in demons or evil spirits
69% LDS
58%
48%
37%
28%
17%
22%
- Believes in psychics or fortune-tellers
0% LDS
5%
5%
4%
6%
3%
10%
Personal Religious Practices:
Made personal commitment to live life for God
69%
79% Evangelical
74%
60%
41%
21%
13%
Have had a spiritual experience that was very moving and powerful
76% LDS
70%
59%
64%
37%
45%
11%
Has received a definite answer to prayer
67% LDS
65%
61%
53%
42%
34%
18%
Taught religious education class
42% LDS
28%
22%
26%
15%
16%
-
Fasted or denied self something as spiritual discipline
68% LDS
22%
20%
25%
29%
49%
4%
Been part of a scripture study or prayer group
50% LDS
42%
35%
31%
17%
26%
-
Participated in a religious music group
49%
37%
52% Black Protestant
35%
18%
14%
-
Read a religious book (other than scriptures)
68% LDS
45%
29%
28%
22%
28%
-
Spoke about own faith in a religious service or meeting
65% LDS
42%
34%
33%
20%
21%
-
Practiced a weekly day of rest or Sabbath
67% LDS
40%
35%
27%
30%
25%
5%
Shared own religious faith with someone not of faith
72% LDS
56%
41%
51%
37%
58%
-
Prays once a day or more
57% LDS
51%
55%
32%
33%
9%
11%
Been confirmed or baptized
79% LDS
54%
53%
59%
41%
73%
-
Group Activities:
- attends Sunday School (or similar) once a week or more
62% LDS
36%
27%
25%
19%
22%
2%
- attended religious youth retreats, conferences (two or more annually)
64% LDS
42%
31%
46%
23%
30%
8%
- attended religious summer camp
82% LDS
54%
33%
53%
24%
50%
13%
- gone on a religious missions team or service project
70% LDS
35%
30%
45%
23%
26%
8%
Family Religious Climate:
- Family talks about God, the scripture, prayer daily
50% LDS
19%
27%
8%
6%
0%
4%
- Family gives thanks prior to meals
84% LDS
67%
79%
54%
45%
13%
18%
- Teen prays with one or both parents, other than at mealtimes or religious services
79% LDS
53%
56%
35%
36%
22%
11%
School Religious Climate:
- Openly express faith at school
58% LDS
56%
56%
43%
36%
36%
-
- Feel pressured or ridiculed for religious beliefs and practices
24% LDS
12%
6%
5%
5%
20% Jewish
-
Adults in Religious Congregations:
- Teens have adults (other than family members) with whom they enjoy talking or give encouragement
90%
84%
78%
84%
68%
92% Jewish
-
- Teens who have adults to turn to for support and/or advice
73% LDS
65%
68%
65%
53%
28%
-
- number of such adults
4.3 LDS
2.9
2.9
2.6
2.0
0.8
-
Teens Evaluation of Religious Congregation:
- Usually makes teen think about important concepts
81% LDS
70%
63%
58%
52%
59%
- Is usually boring to teen
14%
10%
14%
16%
20%
30%
- Is a warm and welcoming place for teen
85% LDS
80%
74%
82%
66%
85% Jewish
- Regular opportunities to become involved in services
96% LDS
84%
85%
82%
76%
83%
- Teens in congregation who are not hypocrites
79% LDS
67%
57%
60%
60%
64%
- Teen likes youth group
86%
93%
93%
85%
89%
100% Jewish
- Adults in congregation who are hypocrites
27%
21%
38%
30%
34%
10%
- Good experience talking with adult youth leader about a personal question or problem
48% LDS
30%
16%
32%
9%
6%
Evaluation of Religious Congregation (continued)
- Perceived priority of congregation's ministry to teens (parent report: "Very important priority")
96% LDS
75%
80%
56%
47%
32%
- Supportiveness and helpfulness of church for parent in trying to raise teen (parent report: "very supportive")
65% LDS
26%
26%
14%
13%
8%
- Is congregation a very good place for talking about serious issues, problems, and troubles?
65% LDS
52%
48%
38%
33%
40%
- Congregation does an excellent job in helping teens better understand own sexuality and sexual morality
84% LDS
35%
60%
53%
49%
37%
- Congregation has done an excellent job in teaching what teen wants to learn about his/her religion
47% LDS
31%
35%
24%
17%
26%
- Teen anticipate attending his/her present kind of congregation in 25 years
83% LDS
80%
74%
79%
73%
51%
Beliefs about Religion:
- Only one religion is true
67% LDS
46%
31%
26%
19%
9%
5%
- People should practice only one faith
59% LDS
59% Evangelical
57%
38%
40%
21%
25%
- It is O.K. for religious people to try to convert others
83% LDS
70%
54%
58%
43%
18%
32%
- Should accept teachings of faith as a whole, and not pick which tenets to believe
69% LDS
61%
64%
46%
45%
29%
35%
- For believers to be truly religious and spiritual, they must be in a religious congregation
60% LDS
35%
45%
27%
32%
20%
14%
- Teen includes practices from non-Christian (or for Jews, non-Jewish) religions to develop his/her spirituality
2% LDS
7%
7%
11%
11%
37%
11%
Source of Data: Soul Searching, The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers; Christian Smith; UNC Chapel Hill, March 2005, Oxford University Press

Christian Characteristics of Mormon Teenagers

The 2005 National Study of Youth and Religion published by UNC-Chapel Hill found that Church of Jesus Christ (LDS) youth (ages 13 to 17) were more likely to exhibit these Christian characteristics than Evangelicals (the next most observant group):
1. Attend Religious Services weekly
2. Importance of Religious Faith in shaping daily life – extremely important
3. Believes in life after death
4. Does NOT believe in psychics or fortune-tellers
5. Has taught religious education classes
6. Has fasted or denied something as spiritual discipline
7. Sabbath Observance
8. Shared religious faith with someone not of their faith
9. Family talks about God, scriptures, prayer daily
10. Supportiveness of church for parent in trying to raise teen (very supportive)
11. Church congregation has done an excellent job in helping teens better understand their own sexuality and sexual morality
LDS Evangelical
1. 71% 55%
2. 52 28
3. 76 62
4. 100 95
5. 42 28
6. 68 22
7. 67 40
8. 72 56
9. 50 19
10. 65 26
11. 84 35
So what do you think the motivation is for the Evangelical preachers to denigrate the Mormon Church? You would think Evangelical preachers would be emulating Mormon practices (a creed to believe, a place to belong, a calling to live out, and a hope to hold onto) which were noted by Methodist Rev. Kenda Creasy Dean of the Princeton Theological Seminary, as causing Mormon teenagers to “top the charts” in Christian characteristics. It seems obvious pastors shouldn't be denigrating a church based on First Century Christianity, with high efficacy. The only plausible reason to denigrate Mormons is for Evangelical pastors to protect their flock (and their livelihood).