YOUNG Christians disagree with their Churches' moral teachings and believe sex outside wedlock is morally acceptable.
A survey of social attitudes among teenagers of all faiths found that, while most young Muslims accepted their religion's values, Christians did not. The findings represent a further blow to the Church of England, which is struggling to keep younger worshippers.
Eighty-two per cent of young Anglicans reject life-long marriage and believe divorce is acceptable. Among Roman Catholic teenagers, 85 per cent dismiss their Church's teaching that sex outside marriage is wrong.
In comparison, 42 per cent of Muslims believe divorce is wrong and 49 per cent say sex should be confined to marriage. Half the young Roman Catholics thought abortion was wrong and 31 per cent of Anglicans. Most Muslims (58 per cent) were against abortion.
The research was conducted by the Rev Prof Leslie Francis, of Bangor University, and was published yesterday in The Fourth R For the Third Millennium, a book on religious education. Questionnaires were completed by 15,000 children, aged between 13 and 15, asking them to state their religious affiliation and their attitudes to personal, family and social teachings.
Prof Francis said: "These are highly disturbing findings for Christians. They demonstrate a significant gap between traditional Church teaching on major moral issues and the beliefs of the younger generation."