Religion and Youth Suicide

Teen suicide is a uniquely painful reminder of how difficult being a teenager can be. LOGOS has just come across a 2003 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that identified Wisconsin, Alaska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Nevada as states with inordinately high rates of teen suicides. These findings remind us why we are committed to working with our youth…being a teenager is tough…in fact, it can be deadly for some.

At the same time, we are reinforced in our efforts as a Christian ministry by a story in the American Journal of Psychiatry (December 2004) that summarizes a very interesting study. Researchers discovered that religious affiliation is associated with less suicidal behavior and may even provide a protective effect by creating increased moral objection to suicide and a lower aggression level in affected individuals. At LOGOS, we are obviously convinced that a life that includes religion has many benefits and is consistent with God’s intentions for us…now we see that religion has effects that can even be assessed in secular terms. We have always known that, “God is good.” Now we even have a way to measure it.