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UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI DOW JONES HIGH SCHOOL MINORITY WORKSHOP SUMMER 2002

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JULIAN QUINTANA / MONTAGE STAFF

A SENSE OF BELONGING: UM Students meet at the Baptist Student Union to discuss religion.

Young Audience Finds Solace in Religion, Prayer
Mainstream or not, faith has place in heart of youth


By SANA AHMED
Boca Raton Community High

An earth-shattering "Oh my God!" erupts from painted bright red lips in a crowded mall.  The phrase is heard so often that it has lost its meaning.

For some, God is a word used to express surprise and bewilderment. For others, God  has a much deeper meaning.

According to barna.org, which investigates cultural trends, 56 percent of teens feel their religious faith is  important in their life.

 ãWhen trouble comes up, people go to find religion,ââ said Zachary Mandler, 15, of Palmetto High in Miami-Dade. ãIt's a comfort to them."

While most of Zacharyâs friends practice mainstream religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam, these religions donât appeal  to everyone.

One nonconformist is Stephanie Palacino, a junior at Varela High in Dade.

She adopted Buddhism because of her belief that all living beings have feelings. After nine months of studying and practicing Buddhism, she now meditates daily.

MARSHA HALPER / COURTESY OF THE HERALD

SHARING THE FAITH: Karim Shuman joins other students in prayer at Nur-Ul-Islam Academy in Cooper City.

ãChristianity wasn't working because of what I personally believe in,ä Stephanie said.

 According to the barna.org survey, only 47 percent of American teens  follow Christian religions.

Stephen Sapp, a professor and chair of religious studies at the University of Miami, said alternative religions appeal to teensâ rebellious nature.

ãThey provide teens with a sense of belonging during a time in which many adolescents are trying to figure out who they are,ââ he said. Despite the appeal of nontraditional religions, Sapp added, mainstream religions have value.

 ãReligion cannot be so easily dismissed,ä he said.

Indeed, more than half of teens surveyed by barna.org agree that if people are generally good, they will earn a place in heaven ö a  pillar of traditional religious belief.

April Whitmore, an intern at the University of Miami's Baptist Student Union, said some teens find mainstream religions have a strict theology and that these religions ãdon't provide a real sense of faith for them.ä

ãTraditions within ordinary religions probably make some teens feel like their religion doesn't have anything to offer them; that their religion is dead,ä Whitmore said.

But Whitmore doesn't see her faith as just a religion. Through praying and reading the Bible, she believes she has a close relationship with God; a relationship that isn't harsh.

ãI consider what God would want me to do,ä she said.