The teens are off to college!
I've heard now a number of times that this is a difficult time in their spiritual lives... that a lot of them (at least according to statistics) will lose their way and drift into non-belief.
Recently a friend of mine on a forum I frequent suddently announced that he was abandoning his faith and becoming agnostic. I was upset. Upon noting him (very briefly, and also offering myself as a shoulder to cry on, so to speak) and discussing his decision I came to realize that I am not worried about the teens in our church.
This young man lives in England, he is starting his second year in college. When he gave his reasons for losing his faith I realized that he was losing his faith because his Church failed him. We failed him; and to some extent he has failed himself. He lacked an education to back his faith. Don't get me wrong, he is intelligent, artistic and writes some of the best poetry I've ever read, but... when it came to God, Jesus, the Bible, and the baseless junk many atheists throw at us these days, he had no answers, no knowledge to defend his own faith.
It is sad. I am hoping he takes me up on my offer to discuss his decision, or at least some of the issues he felt caused him to abandon God. I may not have all the answers he needs or wants to hear, but I can point him in the right directions. Anyway, all this comes back to OUR teens: they are some of the most intelligent, centered and bible-knowledgeable young adults I've ever met. Their faith is based not just in emotion, it is based in their knowledge of our Lord, his creation, and his works.
