BGD aspects in religion

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How does religion influence adolescent development? Religion certainly plays an important part in the lives of many Americans, including adolescents, and it is one avenue through which adolescents can learn a moral code. I've learned in my Middle/Secondary Education adolescent development class that the majority of research suggests that religion has a positive effect on adolescent behavior. In addition to protecting against harmful behaviors (sexual activity, delinquent behavior, drugs, etc) religiosity also promotes positive, pro social concerns. Being spiritual shields one from depression, increases the tendency to help others, increases psychosocial health, and enhances life satisfaction. 

Religious parents tend to expose their children to religion. Jacqueline and her siblings practice as Jehovah’s Witnesses under her grandmother. Georgiana is extremely pious, and, despite her mother’s idea that the children be able to explore religion on their own, the grandmother encourages the children to attend Kingdom Hall. After her mom leaves, Georgiana intensifies their religious education, structuring their lives around bible study, services, and trips to proselytize to neighbors. I really became interested in how Jacqueline began to question her own religion like how in Gunnar, she sees an alternative example of morality- one in which people, rather than the institution of the church, come first Religion is great and I don’t know where I would be without my faith, but I believe that at some point or another we all have to venture out beyond what we are introduced to in order to find our unique beliefs. One really good class I took at Upstate is Comparative Religion. If anything it helped me to understand other religions, have respect for them, and realize that we all aren’t so different after all. Religion literally just gives us a path to follow and for adolescence who are just beginning to understand life in general, I think a class like that would be good. What do you think? Adolescents who have a close relationship with their parents usually remain in the faith in which they were raised, maintaining their parents’ religion. Rejection of parents’ religious values is often symptomatic of a strained parent-adolescent relationship, so if anything the course would just help them be more aware and even less prejudice. 

One of my favorite quotes from the book comes from “What God Knows” on pg 124. Growing up, I never understood why we prayed for people… I may not fully understand a lot about my faith even today but I’m learning everyday. The poem says, “We pray for my grandfather ask God to spare him even though he’s a nonbeliever.” Overall, I really liked this book. It made me find a new appreciation for poetry as well because I became excited to read to figure out the plot rather than reading poetry trying to figure it out in general. What do you think about poetry and whether or not the style of this book is effective? 

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