Youth Culture

Our youth love luxury, they have bad manners; contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise.

Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households.

They no longer rise when elders enter the room.

They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up their food and tranize their teachers.

They no longer rise when elders enter the room.

They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up their food and tranize their teachers.

- Socrates (470 -399 BC)

Average Youth Participants

Weird

Home School

Kid

Star Wars

Freak Boy

Christian Band Groupie

Facial Hair Guy

Super spiritual girl

The IT specialist.

The

“ I refuse

to leave”

individual

Overdeveloped Middle School girl.

The Bible Scholar

The

Catholic School Only Person.

Little Drummer Boy

AKA Rock Star.

The Event Addict.

The hoochie.

Smothered by Mother .

Middle School Cheerleader .

The forwarder.

The EO

FBI Parent Agent.

The Drama Queen.

The

Questioner.

The

All American.

BELOIT COLLEGE'S MINDSET LIST FOR THE CLASS OF 2011

The Soviet Union has never existed and therefore is about as scary as the student union.

They have known only two presidents.

For most of their lives, major U.S. airlines have been bankrupt.

Manuel Noriega has always been in jail in the U.S.

They have grown up getting lost in "big boxes."

There has always been only one Germany.

They have never heard anyone actually "ring it up" on a cash register.

They are wireless, yet always connected.

Thanks to pervasive headphones in the back seat, parents have always been able to speak freely in the front.

A coffee has always taken longer to make than a milkshake.

Smoking has never been permitted on U.S. airlines.

Faux fur has always been a necessary element of style.

The Moral Majority has never needed an organization.

They have never had to distinguish between the St. Louis Cardinals baseball and football teams.

DNA fingerprinting has always been admissible evidence in court.

They grew up pushing their own miniature shopping carts in the supermarket.

They grew up with and have outgrown faxing as a means of communication.

"Google" has always been a verb.

Text messaging is their email.

Milli Vanilli has never had anything to say.

Mr. Rogers, not Walter Cronkite, has always been the most trusted man in America.

Bar codes have always been on everything, from library cards and snail mail to retail items.

Madden has always been a game, not a Superbowl-winning coach.

Phantom of the Opera has always been on Broadway.

"Boogers" candy has always been a favorite for grossing out parents.

There has never been a "skyhook" in the NBA.

Carbon copies are oddities found in their grandparents' attics.

Computerized player pianos have always been tinkling in the lobby.

Non-denominational mega-churches have always been the fastest growing religious organizations in the U.S.

They grew up in mini-vans.

Reality shows have always been on television.

They have no idea why we needed to ask "...can we all get along?”

They have always known that "In the criminal justice system the people have been represented by two separate yet equally important groups.“

They have rarely mailed anything using a stamp.

Affluent troubled teens in Southern California have always been the subjects of television series.

They have always been able to watch wars and revolutions live on television.

They are not aware that "flock of seagulls hair" has nothing to do with birds flying into it.

Green tea has always been marketed for health purposes.

Small white holiday lights have always been in style.

They have always been searching for "Waldo."

Michael Moore has always been showing up uninvited.

Disneyland has always been in Europe and Asia.

Beach volleyball has always been a recognized sport.

Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss has always been the perfect graduation gift.

They have always "dissed" what they don't like.

BELOIT COLLEGE'S MINDSET LIST FOR THE CLASS OF 2011 Available at http://www.beloit.edu/~pubaff/mindset www.dscottmiller.com

KEY EVENTS

Discovery of Aids (1981)

Challenger Disaster (1986)

 Persian Gulf War I (1991) Oklahoma City Bombing (1995) 

Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989)

Soviet Union Dissolved (1991)

Free Elections in South Africa (1993) 

Columbine HS Massacre (1999)  Day of Terrorism (9/11, 2001) 

Watergate/ Nixon resigns (1973)

Nation’s Bicentennial (1976)

Columbia Disaster (2003)  Tsunami/ New Orleans (2005) 

Adolescence

is a relationship oriented world.

Adolescence

seek an illusion of independence from adults.

Adolescence

are struggling to establish identity/self-worth.

Adolescence

live in an information overload world.

Adolescence

struggle with the tension between head and heart.

Adolescence

are attracted to rebellion and rejection.

Adolescence

seek an idealistic world.

Adolescence

are attracted to risk – “Playing with matches syndrome”

Adolescence

desire a world of fun.

Adolescence

desire a world of fun.

have a large appetite for a world of fair play.

Top Games

WII SPORTS (for Wii)

Top Games

GEARS OF WAR (for Xbox 360)

Top Games

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. (for Nintendo DS)

Top Games

LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS (for Wii )

Top Games

RESISTANCE: FALL OF MAN (for PS3)

Top Songs

“ BLEEDING LOVE" by Leona Lewis

“ TAKE A BOW" by Rihanna

“ LOLLIPO" by Lil Wayne w/ Static Major

“ I KISSED A GIRL" by Katy Perry

“ DAMAGED" by Danity Kane

Where Today’s young people “are”

Hardwired to Connect The New Scientific Case for Authoritative Communities Commission on Children At Risk

The cause of this crisis of American childhood is….

A lack of Connectedness

close connections to other people

deep connections to moral and spiritual meaning

Now instead of being about caring for kids or what’s best for kids, they’re often more about what’s best for adults and keeping kids busy. I describe this as “systemic abandonment of the young” by the adults who are culturally charged with caring for kids. If kids don’t fit the pre-ordained boxes that adults control, they end up hurt, abused and left behind.

OMG: How Generation Y is redefining the iPod era

Most diverse generation in history

Religious youth are more self-aware

Religious youth are more active in politics and the community

But, STD’s, jobs, grades come before God

The “Class of 2011” Young Catholic They have had only one Pope, until very recently!

The Second Vatican Council is as ancient history as the Council of Trent. Therefore… The “Class of 2011” Young Catholic

They have no memory of the Latin Mass. The “Class of 2011” Young Catholic

Women have always been readers and eucharistic ministers at Mass. The “Class of 2011” Young Catholic

They have no idea what a biretta is. The “Class of 2011” Young Catholic

72% say they pray in a typical week.

48% attend a worship service at a church

35% attend Sunday school

33% attend youth group

32% participate in a small group

31% read the Bible

“ Unchristian”

(87%) judgmental

(85%) hypocritical

(78%) old-fashioned

(75%) too involved in politics

Spirituality of Millennial Generation

Believers, but not necessarily belongers to a particular church

Believers, but not necessarily belongers to a particular church

Emphasis on spiritual journey, versus organized religion

Emphasis on spiritual journey, versus organized religion

Their experience of Church is critical – meaning of the moment… “How is Jesus alive and meaningful today?”

Their experience of Church is critical – meaning of the moment… “How is Jesus alive and meaningful today?”

See Jesus as one who understands my suffering

See Jesus as one who understands my suffering

Focus on individual relationship with Jesus

Focus on discipleship vs. membership

Desire to know the transcendence / power of God

Desire for a real and personal experience of faith

Desire for a real and personal experience of faith

Use of all of the arts and nature to discover God

Faith Identity

August 29, 2005:

Which best describes you.

32% 24% 3.3% 9% 51% 55% 11% 8 % 2.2% 4 % Web Survey Spiritual, but NOT religious Religious, but NOT spiritual Religious and Spiritual NOT spiritual and NOT religious Don't know

National Study on Youth and Religion

This study focused on 13-17 year olds to:

Research the shape and influence of religion and spirituality in the lives of U.S. adolescents.

2. Identify effective practices in the religious, moral, and social formation of young people

3. Describe the extent to which young people participate in and benefit from the programs and opportunities that religious denominations are offering to their youth.

Purpose of Study:

Religion has a significant presence in the lives of many U.S. teens today. Finding #1:

Contrary to many popular assumptions and stereotypes, the character of teenage religiosity in the U.S. is extraordinarily conventional . Finding #2:

Religious education is failing – if by that we mean helping people understand what they believe. Finding #3:

“ Many teenagers know abundant details about the lives of favorite musicians and television stars or about what it takes to get into a good college, but most are not very clear on who Moses and Jesus were .” -Dr. Christian Smith

17 year old, white Catholic boy from Wisconsin: “ My religious beliefs, what’s good and bad, like you know, if you kill or rape someone, I think you’re screwed, give up on life ‘cause it’s over .” Then he added, “I’ll never stop being Catholic, even if I stop believing in God, I’ll still be Catholic .”

15 year old conservative Protestant Hispanic boy from Texas: “ I’m sure God exists and like, helps people and answers their prayers, that’s pretty much it.” [Do you believe in Jesus?] “ Ah, yes…I think (little laugh). I don’t know, I don’t know .”

Most U.S. teens have a difficult to impossible time explaining what they believe , what it means, and what the implications of their beliefs are for their lives. Finding #4:

17 year old mainline Lutheran boy from Colorado: “ Uh, well, I don’t know, um, well, I don’t really know. Being a Lutheran, confirmation was a big thing but I didn’t really know what it was and I still don’t. I really don’t know what being a Lutheran means.”

“ Indeed, it was our distinct sense that for many of the teens we interviewed, our interview was the first time that any adult had ever asked them what they believed and how it mattered in their life.” -Dr. Christian Smith

Regardless of the denomination, most U.S. teens are “Moralistic Therapeutic Deists” Finding #5:

15 year old Hispanic conservative Protestant girl from Florida: “ God is like someone who is always there for you, I don’t know, it’s like God is God. He’s just like somebody that’ll always help you go through whatever you’re going through . When I became a Christian I was just praying and it always made me feel better .”

14 year old Jewish girl from Washington: “ I guess for me Judaism is more about how you live your life. Part of the guidelines are like how to live and I guess be happy with who you are , ‘cause if you’re out there helping someone, you’re gonna feel good about yourself , you know?”

14 year old white Catholic boy from Pennsylvania: “ ‘ Cause God made us and if you ask him for something, I believe he gives it to you. Yeah, he hasn’t let me down yet. God is a spirit that grants you anything you want , but not anything bad.”

16 year old white mainline Protestant boy from Texas: “ Well, God is almighty, I guess [yawns]. But I think he’s on vacation right now because of all the crap that’s happening in the world , ‘cause it wasn’t like this back when he was famous.”

A God exists who created and orders the world.

God wants us to be good and fair.

Central goal of life is to be happy and feel good about oneself.

God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life, except when needed to resolve a problem.

Good people go to heaven when they die.

The Creed of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism

Highly religious teens appear to be doing much better in life than less religious teens. Finding #6:

“ At the very least, what appears to be clearly not true is the idea that the religious teenagers are essentially no different from non-religious teenagers.” -Dr. Christian Smith

“ Catholic teenagers, who represent nearly one-quarter of all U.S. teens, stand out among the U.S. Christian teenagers as consistently scoring lower on most measures of religiosity .” -Dr. Christian Smith

* This question was only asked of teens who attend Mass more than twice a year. U.S. CP MP BP RC J LDS NR Made a personal commitment to live for God. 55 79 60 74 41 21 69 13 Shared own religious faith with someone not of faith 43 56 51 41 37 58 72 -- Youth Group participation rate (involved in YG/YG available) 52 64 64 44 32* 41 75 -- Only one religion is true 29 46 26 31 19 9 67 5 Okay to practice religions besides own 51 36 59 40 58 78 36 70 Evangelization: “people should leave everyone else alone” 43 27 39 42 55 75 15 66 Okay to pick and choose beliefs without accepting whole faith 46 36 53 34 54 71 31 62 Believers need to be involved in a religious congregation 32 35 27 45 32 20 60 14

Baylor Religion Survey

America’s

Four Gods

Authoritarian

Benevolent

Critical

Distant

Type B: Benevolent God Type A: Authoritarian God Type D: Distant God Type C: Critical God Believe that God is Angry low high high Believe that God is Engaged

America’s

Four Gods

Authoritarian 31.4 %

Benevolent 23.0 %

Critical 16.0 %

Distant 24.4 %

America’s

Four Gods

Authoritarian

Benevolent

Critical

Distant

American Black Protestants’

Four Gods

Benevolent 12.0 %

Critical 20.0 %

Distant 0 %

American Catholics’

Four Gods

Benevolent 28.2 %

Critical 18.6 %

Distant 29.2 %

The Catholic Church in America

Catholic Identity defined by:

Attendance at Mass

How Important is the Church to You Personally

Locus of Moral Authority

23 23 38 36 44 52 56 44 44 56 53 44 Can you be a GOOD CATHOLIC without this? Percentage saying yes 1987 1993 1999 2005 Without believing that Jesus physically rose from the dead Without believing that in the Mass, the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus Without donating time and money to help the poor Without obeying the church hierarchy’s teaching regarding abortion

60 58 65 66 51 61 68 67 66 73 72 75 57 57 62 70 77 73 76 Can you be a GOOD CATHOLIC without this? Percentage saying yes 1987 1993 1999 2005 Without donating time and money to help the parish Without obeying the church hierarchy’s teaching on divorce and remarriage Without their marriage being approved by the Catholic church Without obeying the church hierarchy’s teaching on birth control W/out weekly church attendance