It turns out that the faithful really can count their blessings. Many U.S. teenagers say that their religion has saved them from some bad behavior, including drinking, drugs and pregnancy. That's good news to parents, pastors and doctors, they say. The next mystery to divine is how.
Young people have some ideas.
Also, explanations are emerging from work by the Search Institute, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization in Minneapolis, and from a study to be completed this summer by University of Minnesota pediatrics Prof. Robert Blum. It's one of the things that make a difference in kids' involvement in risky behavior as well as all the good things we want for our kids. A large percentage of U.S. teenagers consistently describe themselves as religious. And in yearly Gallup Polls going back about three decades, the proportion of U.S. teenagers who said they usually go to weekly worship services consistently hovered at about half. And there's evidence that faith corresponds with healthier lives.