Young people are showing little interest in God or questions of faith, new research has found
A majority of 16-19 year olds having a belief in some kind of higher power, and most say they pray. However a minority had any curiosity in finding out more about God, regardless of their particular faith background, the study shows.
No Questions Asked is based on extensive interviews with 16 young people in Luton and suggested that one reason for this apparent lack of curiosity was they saw questioning their beliefs a sign that they lacked faith. Others felt questions were incompatible with their desire to accept others of different faiths and backgrounds. They tended to describe faith as personal and were more comfortable in discussing the practical dimensions of faith, such as prayer, than in statements of belief.
Youthscape, a Christian young people's charity based in Luton which conducted the research, said the findings contribute to an important debate about how the Church can best engage with young people.
'They suggest that a "new apologetics" is necessary, demonstrating the practical value of faith while creating spaces that support young people to develop and articulate questions,' a statement said.
'We discovered a profound lack of questioning around God, faith and religion among the young people we spoke to,' said the charity's director of research Pheobe Hill. 'This poses new questions for those of us seeking to engage young people in conversations around these important topics, and a potential shift in perspective when it comes to the starting points and in-roads to open up discussions around faith.'
She added: 'Despite the lack of live questioning, the young people we spoke to all believed in some sort of higher power, and many had prayed at some point in their lives. They were passionately committed to the fair and equal treatment of all people, regardless of belief or religion, and demonstrated a sensitive and nuanced understanding of religion as a positive force which can be misrepresented by individuals. When given the space to talk about these topics, in the context of the interview, many of the young people commented on how positive an experience it had been, and asked if we would be back again. For some of them, it was the first time they had ever really thought about what they believed, and had been given the opportunity to discuss their beliefs openly without judgement.'
Chris Curtis, CEO of Youthscape said: 'Our culture and lifestyles are not only changing the deepest questions young people have about themselves, the world and God; they are squeezing out space for them to explore them at all.
'We shouldn't mistake lack of opportunity for lack of curiosity. I wonder if we, as the church, dare to create the kind of safe spaces where these journeys of exploration could thrive and come to life? Young people deserve deeper conversations and Youthscape wants to help the church live up to that challenge.'
