A recent study found that young people between ages 13 and 24 who said they were spiritual or religious were happier than those who said they were not spiritual or religious. Sponsored by the Associated Press (AP) and MTV, the report showed that 80 percent of those who said they were religious said they were happy compared to only 60 percent of those who said their faith was not important to them. “If you believe God is helping you, then everything else isn't as important and you can trust that there's somebody there for you no matter what,” Molly Luksik, a 21-year-old from Chicago, told the AP. “Just going to church and everything … it's very calming, and everyone is nice.” About 75 percent of the young people said that God affected their happiness while 90 percent surveyed said their happiness was partially controlled by them. “I think you do have control over how you are going to feel on a particular day,” said David Mueller of Lockport, N.Y., a 20-year-old college student who attends an evangelical Christian megachurch called The Chapel. “When it comes to events in your whole life, it's already somewhat laid out for you. You can stray off to another path. But where God wants you to go, you are going to get there,” he said.
Cheri Fuller and Cindy Lamb Curry 
Marilyn Hickey 
Charisma Staff 
