The Burr in the Burgh

A new survey conducted of teenagers in Australia shows that most view God as a "butler," someone to be called on when a need arises. This sounds strikingly similar to the moralistic, therapeutic deism which Christian Smith describes in his book Soul Searching : The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers . I blogged about this a few months back. See here.

The thing is, I don't believe teenagers are all that unique in this regard. I think most American adults also believe that these are the basics of Christianity:

• God loves you.
• God wants you to be nice.
• God wants you to be happy.
• God is there to help you when you have a problem.

What a far cry this is from tomorrow's Gospel lesson from Mark 8. See here.

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