Soul Searching

In innumerable discussions and activities dedicated to better understanding and helping teenagers, one aspect of teenage life is curiously overlooked. Very few such efforts pay serious attention to the role of religion and spirituality in the lives of American adolescents. But many teenagers are very involved in religion. Surveys reveal that 35% attend religious services weekly and another 15% attend at least monthly. 60% say that religious faith is important in their lives. 40% report that they pray daily. 25% say that they have been "born again." Teenagers feel good about the congregations they belong to. Some say that faith provides them with guidance and resources for knowing how to live well. What is going on in the religious and spiritual lives of American teenagers? What do they actually believe? What religious practices do they engage in? Do they expect to remain loyal to the faith of their parents? Or are they abandoning traditional religious institutions in search of a new, more authentic "spirituality"? This book attempts to answer these and related questions as definitively as possible. It reports the findings of The National Study of Youth and Religion, the largest and most detailed such study ever undertaken. The NYSR conducted a nationwide telephone survey of teens and significant caregivers, as well as nearly 300 in-depth face-to-face interviews with a sample of the population that was surveyed. The results show that religion and spirituality are indeed very significant in the lives of many American teenagers. Among many other discoveries, they find that teenagers are far more influenced by the religious beliefs and practices of their parents and caregivers than commonly thought. They refute the conventional wisdom that teens are "spiritual but not religious." And they confirm that greater religiosity is significantly associated with more positive adolescent life outcomes. This eagerly-awaited volume not only provides an unprecedented understanding of adolescent religion and spirituality but, because teenagers serve as bellwethers for possible future trends, it affords an important and distinctive window through which to observe and assess the current state and future direction of American religion as a whole.

Paul, a divorced father, wants to back out of his child care arrangement and spend less time with his children. Nathan has been lying to his wife about a serious medical condition. Marsha, recently separated from her husband, cannot resist telling her children negative things about their father. What is the role of therapy in these situations? Trained to strive for neutrality and to focus strictly on the clients' needs, most therapists generally consider moral issues such as fairness, truthfulness, and obligation beyond their domain. Now, an award-winning psychologist and family therapist criticizes psychotherapy's overemphasis on individual self-interest and calls for a sense of moral responsibility in therapy.

"Girl Power lives! Written when the author was sixteen and updated to address the concerns of today's teens, Soul Searching brings girl power to the printed page by offering young women a clear path to self-discovery and empowerment. Through fun quizzes,insightful exercises, and provocative statistics, Sarah Stillman guides young women through the complex maze between adolescence and adulthood. While fashion magazines, television programs, and websites emphasize the superficial and foster insecurities, Stillman directs teen girls to a healthy place where a strong sense of self and direction take center stage. With updated sections on safe cell-phone use, social media, cyber bullying, health, and gender, as well as updated resources throughout, Soul Searching is a must-read for teenage girls"--

Science has learned to understand the soul, and can track souls through this life and beyond. A specialist unit of the South African police is using a Soul Tracker device in a harrowing search for a serial killer. As Tracker Ruth Hicks and her partner Franklin Banks race to find the killer before the next victim dies, the case becomes frighteningly personal. They begin to question the morality of their methods. When one's soul can incriminate them before birth, can there ever be justice? Who can be trusted with the power to look inside the soul? This science fiction novel by South African author Stephen Embleton has been likened to a mix of Minority Report and Silence of the Lambs, with unique ideas all its own. The thrilling story features a serial killer, new and disturbing technology, and an ancient secret society. And flying cars!

Why do newspapers carry horoscopes? How many people believe in telepathy? Surveys show that more and more people believe in paranormal religion. This study outlines the battle between material and spiritual versions of the cosmos to explain why we cling to powers and plans greater than our own. It throws out a challenge to all mystical attitudes, questioning the existence of a soul separate from the body.

For over two centuries, scientists have denied or ignored the possiblity of an afterlife. Now, however, research has taken an unexpected turn, finding compelling evidence of the existence of life after death and the human soul. This beautifully written, well documented book compares ancient Jewish teachings, and contemporary research on the subject of the afterlife. It is a fascinating, valuable, and insightful contribution to Jewish literature.

Soul searching that inevitable question, Why was I born? Where am I going? Why do I do the things I do? Is there a reason for my being here or just another human being trying to find my way through this entangled maze? So many puzzling questions without answers. My mind tells me that I am not here just to take up space. What then am I here for? Is it something I must contribute? It is mind boggling and I need answers. So I search my soul and delve into the deepest recesses of the mind and come up with life goes on with or without answers. One day a light will shine and reveal all that is puzzling to the mind. There must be a greater purpose than just to fill up space and populate the world. There are those who destroy and others who enlighten. Where do I fit into this puzzle? What layers of experience brought me to this point in my life? I am still soul searching, gathering information from the past to the present. When will it reveal itself to me? My time is running short and I wont be satisfied until I get some answers.