Forty-three percent say abortion should be illegal. More than 55 percent say they are not sexually active. But while there are many traditional, if not conservative, views toward religion and morals, there also is a push for tolerance regarding longstanding taboos, such as homosexuality. Judy Bowers, head of guidance and counseling at Tucson Unified School District, said she doesn't see increased tolerance toward gays, a lifestyle that most conservative religious leaders say is incompatible with Christianity - as a contradiction to an apparent trend of teens becoming more spiritual. Jesus was tolerant, not judgmental - and more religions are fairly tolerant as well, Bowers explained.
Tolerance can be a part of spirituality.
Morals are something teens want to be taught by adults. Nearly half of the teens surveyed said it is a high priority for them that the next president of the United States have high moral values. In Al Gore's acceptance speech at the Democratic Convention, he talked about being a moral person, a family person. Kids were real concerned about that. It was awful for kids to read about that.