Youth

A Pagan mother in North Carolina is upset that her son received a Bible while at school, claiming the school has no right to give her son religious texts – Christian, Pagan, or otherwise.

Ginger Strivelli, a practicing Pagan, was upset when her son brought home a Bible he received at his public middle school, North Windy Ridge in the city of Weaverville. But what made her more upset was that school officials refused to apologize, reported the Asheville Citizen-Times.

Jackie Byerly, principal at the school, said the Bibles were not “handed out,” but were simply made available for students to take one if they wished. The Bibles were brought to the school by Gideons International, who left an open box of Bibles in the school's front office. more >>

After Nicole Weider had been modeling in Hollywood for a number of years, she got to meet Gisele Bündchen at a Victoria’s Secret photo shoot.

She recalls telling her how pretty her hair was, only to have Bündchen tell her that it was just extensions put in for the shoot. As the shoot progressed some of the photographers called Weider over to look at the pictures on the screen.

She was shocked to see that as the pictures would come up they would Photoshop and retouch them in real time – making the models’ noses thinner, or touching up parts of their body on the screen. more >>

Alex Boles, a Tennessee teacher, has admitted to writing “stupid” on an eighth grade student’s face earlier this December, and is now being investigated for other possible inappropriate incidents.

Boles taught math at Allons Elementary School in Livingston, Tenn., and while he was teaching a class Dec. 6, the educator wrote “stupid” backwards on a student’s forehead so he could read it in the mirror. Soon after Overton Country Schools director Matt Eldridge found out, Boles was put on suspension for his actions.

“It was during class and, of course, that’s not the appropriate way to joke with any of them,” Eldridge told ABC News. more >>

The current generation has faced growing numbers of young people leaving the Church before adulthood. Even after being raised Christian, huge numbers of youth are not staying faithful to their religion once they reach adulthood.

The Barna Group has conducted comprehensive research on young Christians who “drop out.” Inside its book, You Lost Me: Why Young Christians are Leaving Church … and Rethinking Faith, the research group details youth departure from faith.

The research was administered between 2007 and 2011 and included national public surveys, interviews, and examinations from about 1,300 people aged 18-29 who were once involved in church activities. more >>

A new poll shows that Barack Obama has gained high approval ratings among Twitter’s young adult liberals but lost ground among middle-aged adults and recent graduates.

Obama’s approval rating is 69 percent among Twitter users, according to a Wednesday Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. The president’s Twitter approval rating is in stark contrast with his national approval rating of 43 percent as well as his 47 percent rating on Facebook.

However, the poll reveals that Twitter could well be rebranded as a playground for Obama’s base. More than one in 10 Twitter users (13 percent) self-identify as a liberal Democrat. Only 8 percent identify as a conservative and 6 percent self-identify as tea party conservatives. more >>

Three Girl Scout troops at a Christian school in Louisiana have disbanded in protest of a policy of inclusion for transgenders.

The incident began last month when a mother in Denver tried to get her 7-year-old son admitted into a local Girl Scout troop. The mother insisted that he lived like a little girl, but the transgendered child was initially not allowed into the troop.

Unhappy with the decision, the mother called a press conference to protest, causing the Colorado chapter to review its decision and emphasize its practice of inclusion. more >>