Walking with God has positive impact on teens

A rather interesting article in today's Sydney Morning Herald describes the positive impact the being a Christian has upon teens. The survey found that teens with a belief in God has more social awareness and compassion for others.

Those teens who walk with God tend to have a big helping heart, too - Sydney Morning Herald

ALMOST a third of Australian teenagers do not have any religious beliefs, new research has revealed.

And academics from Monash University and the Australian Catholic University found those with serious spiritual and religious beliefs were likely to donate more money, participate more in their communities and be more concerned about their society than their non-religious counterparts.
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Researchers surveyed 1219 13- to 24-year-olds nationally. At least 47 per cent of those aged 13 to 17 identified themselves as Christians. About 15 per cent classified themselves as New Age and 7 per cent as having "other" beliefs.

Researchers found that active Christians rated helping others and social justice higher than other spirituality types and that teenagers serious about their spirituality were more likely to be volunteers. They were also more likely to be more generous when giving to charity.

Purposeful … Caitlyn Foster at the All Souls Anglican Church in Leichhardt,

where she voluntarily runs a Fair Trade stall selling products from India and South Africa.
Photo: Tanya Lake

Caitlyn Foster, 17, describes herself as an active Christian and voluntarily runs a stall for the Fair Trade organisation at her church every Saturday, selling products from India and South Africa. It turns over up to $800 a week. Profits go back to the people who make the products.
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A University of Queensland study found that moving away from traditional beliefs to "trendy", self-focused religions was not making young adults happier.

Sarah Price