Three out of four young adults in India and other developing countries pray at least once a day, says a new international study, overturning popular perception that youngsters are not as religious as their parents or grandparents.
The comparative study conducted by German non-profit organisation Bertelsmann Foundation surveyed 21,000 individuals across 21 countries, including India, and found that teenagers and young adults are quite religious.
However, the study points out that there are large differences between individual countries and among the various denominations. Whereas young adults in Islamic states and developing countries in particular are deeply religious, young Christians in Europe especially are comparatively unreligious.
Do you think faith is a good way to beat stress?
3 Comments
July 12, 2008 at 9:45 am
The highly demanding requirements of modern lifestyle have put mankind in a very stressful environment. Day by day our life is getting more and more distressed, restless and devoid of pleasure, peace and happiness.
We do not think that faith is a good way to beat stress after so much health revolution studies by experts. (We take here ‘faith’ as religious faiths as it follows the conclusion of the survey, German non-profit organisation Bertelsmann Foundation). Being unreligious, one can defeat stress by changing his or her lifestyle.
A young adult’s stress occurs for several reasons such as illness, bereavement, loneliness, emotional conflict, discrimination, financial problems, insecurity, drug abuse, broken love affairs, examination failures, etc. Simply religious faiths or praying can not help a stressful teenager or young adult to beat stress. If his stress is severe, he should need counseling and proper environment to cope with the situation.
One can beat stress by doing meditation, yoga, workouts, swimming, playing, dancing, walking, reading, enjoying any musical concert, movie, recreational facilities at a park, etc. These all are alternatives to defuse stress and to optimize a sound health and mind.
Due to limited wisdom and impulsive behaviours – most students kill themselves (take recent upsurge of student suicide cases) for several reasons, failing to cope with the stressful behaviours or situations. Can a faith (pray or any religious activity) help the students to chuck out these self-inflicted injuries?
The survey is relative. We could not come to a conclusion that modern young adults are more religious. The survey conclusion is based on the habit of praying by the young adults. One’s praying does not mean that he or she is religious. Some young adults pray just for family tradition. Even praying is a mental relaxation tip for some young adults more than a sign of religious beliefs or being believer in God. The minds of today’s young adult’s are more questionable.
The young adults in developing countries and Islamic states are more religious. How much is it true? However, the Islamic student fundamentalism or any other religion’s fundamentalist activities (young adults) prove it a little. It is a bare truth that the young adults in Islamic states, mostly the females could not come out of their religious shackles.
Religion or faith in beliefs becomes a matter of politics in various social aspects and manipulation of mind of young adults to elders. So, how can we say faith is good for anyone to beat stress!
July 12, 2008 at 10:23 am
god is a power, god is almighty, god is supreme authority of all. every generation is learning this from their previous generation. in india we even prey the stone as god. this our 5000 year old culture. im not a specticle. i will not say believe in god is wrong. but in todays world even in the past the most ugly games were played in the name of god. people like to kill animal in the name of god. this is called ‘bali’ in hindu culture and ‘kurbani’ in islam. i dont think one will find god by killing some other. and hindu killed muslim, muslim killed christian in the name of god, in the name of religion. or people are using the name of god as the most profitable business. this couldnot be a way. to believe in a super power as a constructive way is not bad. but now a days god is no more a power of mind.
July 14, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Firstly People sometime hide behind mask of religion and work politically ,illegally for their sake,for some little profit.But they dont know that with thier doings others get affected too specially our new age coming generation.If in today’s world parents dnt give proper teachings to their children then children face some kind of problems like mental illness,suicide etc.Improper education make one weak from his innerself.Same way in this way too and then they get negative impact of these happenings around him.Well one talk about religion then other say he is fanatic but its all about teachings there good points,its about faith.One cant say that one can be healthy by yoga music etc.and u say so then take this is mind too..why u do yoga?.why u listen to good music?.why?Only because u like it.At the back of mind we have some faith that by doing so we feel relaxed,thats the faith.Thats the positive energy you are giving to yourself and our activity because of which you are feeling relaxed.If one dont believe in God then atleast u believe in good energy and bad energy isnt it?Where in our country we all going to westernise ourselves and thiking praying and all is wasteage of time on same way western people coming to our country to find something.They call it as Nirvana,Moksha many words.Why this is so?only because they have faith.even sceintists believe in Good and bad energies.then why arnt we?I want to say..some call God or some call Faith both are good energies.Only we have our diffrent perspectives.if this is not so then i ask why u people believe in your lucky charm.why u take depression medicines.?its only because u have faith in that thing that with this u will feel relax.its better for ur health.so let us come on..accpt that..in your words only..faith is the good way to beat sress.its the support we having 24X7.