Kevin Christensen Posted August 27, 2010 Share Posted August 27, 2010 Interesting article about US trends, teenagers as Fake Christians, instead following a what a commentator calls "fuzzy moralistic theraputic deism."http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/08/27/almost.christian/index.html?eref=rss_latest&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+rss/cnn_latest+(RSS:+Most+Recent)The exceptions? From the article:In "Almost Christian," Dean talks to the teens who are articulate about their faith. Most come from Mormon and evangelical churches, which tend to do a better job of instilling religious passion in teens, she says.No matter their background, Dean says committed Christian teens share four traits: They have a personal story about God they can share, a deep connection to a faith community, a sense of purpose and a sense of hope about their future.Kevin ChristensenPittsburgh, PA Link to comment
scooby Posted August 27, 2010 Share Posted August 27, 2010 Some interesting comments here: "Fuzzy moralistic therapeutic deism" is a refreshingly truthful description of the very unfortunate do-what-feels-good type of thinking. The bit about Mormons is kind. Link to comment
mfbukowski Posted August 28, 2010 Share Posted August 28, 2010 As always, it appears the bottom line is a "testimony"- a personal experience and connection with God.I think the confusion may be between "self esteem" which is actually rooted in pride- the sense that I deserve to feel good about myself regardless of how I act because nothing is "really wrong" vs those with a personal experience of God and a true sense of one's divine potential regardless of the fact that we sometimes do not measure up to that potential. Link to comment
CV75 Posted August 28, 2010 Share Posted August 28, 2010 "fuzzy moralistic theraputic deism."Reminds me of Alma 18:5, "Now this was the tradition of Lamoni, which he had received from his father, that there was a Great Spirit. Notwithstanding they believed in a Great Spirit, they supposed that whatsoever they did was right..." Link to comment
Daniel Peterson Posted August 28, 2010 Share Posted August 28, 2010 I used this book for part of one of my recent Education Week lectures.It's very interesting, and I may well write my next "Mormon Times" column on it. Link to comment
Calm Posted August 28, 2010 Share Posted August 28, 2010 "If your church can't survive without a certain number of members pledging, you might not want to preach a message that might make people mad," Corrie says. "We can all agree that we should all be good and that God rewards those who are nice."An observation that would be familiar to most LDS. Link to comment
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