The New Trend For Parents

In schools, the place where Americans first learned critical fundamentals and values of freedom, religion is separated from home life to school life. In the United States, 89% of public school teacher’s cannot lead a class in prayer, 36% can teach a class comparing religions in different countries, and only 23% can read from the Bible for examples of literature (citation). Without religious instruction in schools, students are not granted with the option to display their faith and practice their religion in a school setting. Despite the advantages, some Americans argue that teaching religion in public schools can be dangerous and harmful to students. Schools disapproving of students practicing

The practice of organized religion has been declining greatly since the mid 20th century, but the pace in which religion is dying is not constant in every western country. Ireland is the only country where most people attend a religious event weekly, on the other hand, less than ten percent of Scandinavians attend religious events. Organized religion is dying where it once was common in everyday life, which is bad news for church leaders who want to fill their seats. From 1945 to 1985 the percent of regular church attendees in Canada dropped in half, from 70% to 35%. Although people have stopped associating themselves with a religion, many of them still believe in a creator. Around 32 percent of America’s population attends church weekly, but 66 percent of Americans have no doubt that there is a God, and another 16 percent believe in a God but have doubts (Altemeyer 79). There is evidence that the recent rise of religious apostasy occurred because of backlash against the “Religious Right”, the christian fundamentalists that are known to be anti-homosexual. Many people are turned off by these beliefs and severed their already weak relationships with the church. Children are also not being taught religious beliefs because of parents who have left the faith. Parents have stopped

In some occasions, like Tearsa and John’s case, the child sees this as constraint. Tearsa and John were afraid to exhibit any of their doubts to their parents due to their parent’s authoritative ways. This was common to see that highly religious parents’ children would develop a belief that the religion was the most important thing, (Flor & Knapp, 2001). So the fears of rejection from their own parents were higher. When none of their doubts were confirmed or denied, this resulted in a rejection of the religion. This case especially occurs if the child blamed the religion for the perceived negative methods of childcare from their

Children should always have the chance to make a choice on what they think and not be judged by it. “It’s critical that children understand that there are multiple perspectives on all issues, and that they have a choice in how they think.” In fact, it is critical to children’s future that they have a choice in what they want to think. Some children don’t have multiple points of view, and cant make their own decisions at all. This is why it’s important for children and teenagers to know that they can think what they want to. Religious clubs could help children figure out what they can think. “It’s important for kids to be able to see multiple points of view, to reason things through, to have empathy and feelings of benevolence for their fellow human

Dean has written a disturbing yet thought-provoking book on the current religious state of America’s teenagers. The background research for this book was the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR). This was one of the largest studies ever of the religious views of teenagers. Dean says more American teenagers are embracing what she calls “moralistic therapeutic deism.” In other words, it’s a watered-down faith that depicts God as a “divine therapist” whose primary objective is to boost people’s self-esteem.

More adults and families raising children are adapting a secular, non-religious, lifestyle than ever before. As stated in Phil Zuckerman’s LA Times article “How Secular Family Values Stack Up,” there has been a dramatic increase in the percentage of American families who are raising their children without God. He also goes on to state that “23% of adults in the U.S. claim to have no religion, and more than 30% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 say the same.” In the same article he goes on to state that the parents that are raising their children in this lifestyle are having success and

First of all, I have never attended a Christian university. In fact, it is not after I had enrolled in this school that I come to learn that it is a Christian college. Having said that, it is my opinion that this is more of an online academic experience, as a consequence; I don’t think I would get the full Christian experience. With this in mind, every college provides clubs to join or activities for students to do around the campus, thus, allowing for student and staff interaction, which is a pivotal asset to obtaining the full Christian experience of this college.

It is up to parents to instill faith in their kids; this way children can turn to their religion in time of need. As Brandt says, "many [parents] are proud to be without religion whose children cannot afford their being without it" (194). However, in today’s modern culture, as Brandt adds, "Morality can survive without religion, it appears; children can be taught the importance of right versus wrong without benefit of religious training" (139). So, Americans are beginning to turn away from the church, and do not rely on the church as much as they did many years ago.

Clubs are an important aspect of college life: they allow students to experience new things outside their comfort zone and be part of the college communities. In addition, various clubs implements techniques that attract potential members. Looking closely, we see that some of these clubs employ concepts from sociology to

Growing up I was never an involved student. This is not to say that I didn’t try to join organizations in High School because I did. I joined Track and Field for a week and the Recycling Club for 2 weeks. My problem was never joining clubs it was feeling that I belonged to something valuable. This all changed my first semester at San Diego State when I co-founded a club that would be open to everyone. Our goal was to create an organization that made culture accessible to all students at State.

If everyone gets involved with at least one club, group, or organization, they will feel as though they are getting more out of their college experience. A large majority of these student organizations are free or very inexpensive to be a part of. A lot like volunteering, getting involved on campus helps bring people together, promotes personal growth, can encourage responsibility, and may possibly allow individuals to discover hidden talents that can change views of self worth. After all, the odds of good experiences coming from joining a student organization outweigh the odds of bad.

University is an exciting phase for undergraduate students as, for some, it marks the beginning of their independence and liberty. For those who recently moved out of their family homes and are left to fend for themselves, they are more likely to join groups. Clubs, associations, or organizations offer individuals with companionship and connections that they can only establish through group membership. However, it is necessary to consider that to “fit-in”, one would need to conform to the values and beliefs of the group.

A challenge I think I will face in college is adapting to the different life style. I will be on my own without my parents for first time in my life. This means no more delicious Indian food that my mom makes. I also will have no friends or anybody I know at first so I think I’ll be a little homesick. I anticipate myself joining several clubs to handle this challenge. Maybe I could participate in Greek Life or even do an intramural sports like basketball. I feel like if I join one of the many clubs that The University Pittsburgh or any other school offers, I can develop many friendships through it. I also feel like I’m going to be video calling friends and family much more frequently. I have a bunch of friends that I know I’ll miss dearly so

Raising kids in the twenty first century challenges parents more than ever. Culture calls out to kids, wanting to form them, while many parents want their kids to grow up with a biblical background and faith-based set of values. So how can a parent ride against the tide of culture to raise strong kids with strong faith? Church attendance certainly makes a different, but parents need to be parents, and they need to use the resources that we have available today.

Educators need to understand the impact of religion on the lives of their students. According to Gallup poll data, nearly 95% of teens believe in God and 86% believe that Jesus Christ is either God or the Son of God (Gallup & Lindsay, 1999 as cited in Ream, 2003). These and other similar statistics demonstrate the importance of considering religion when dealing with young people. Ream