Soul Searching, Part 5- A Balancing Act

While much of the evidence considered thus far in the book Soul Searching presents a very positive image of the attitudes of teenagers towards religion, there are limitations. Almost all teens have a negative perception of people who are "too" religious that they want to avoid. This idea probably coincides with the popular stereotypes of fundamentalists who's entire life is based around a literal reading of certain misinterpreted passages of scripture (taken from the original manuscripts themselves as recorded by King James in 1611, no doubt). However, in attempting to avoid this stereotype many teens therefore push religion to the background of their lives and downgrade its importance. Somewhere there is a balance to be found. My personal opinion is that this balance will be easier to achieve when we in the more conservative elements of Christianity become willing to actually engage and confront the "challenging" aspects of our faith that are so often submerged underneath fundamentalist rhetoric. A more open-minded faith makes it easier to acknowledge the importance of faith in our lives and at the same time avoid drinking the cool-aide.