Majority of Teens - Almost 72% - Believe in the Message of Easter, According to an American Bible Society Study; Majority Believe Jesus Will Return to Earth to Judge Good and Evil - But Not in Their Lifetime.

NEW YORK, March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Most American teenagers, some 71 percent, believe in the message of Easter, that Jesus rose from the dead and will return to Earth to judge good and evil, compared to 11 percent who do not, an American Bible Society study has found.

The study found a little more than 17 percent were "not sure."

When asked, however, if they thought the end of the world was near, the majority (61.5%) said they do not, while almost 14% said they did. Almost one-fourth of those surveyed (24.5%) said they were not sure. The majority (45.5%) do not believe that the Jesus will return and the world will end in their lifetime, compared to almost 14% who answered "yes" to this question. Almost 41% were not sure.

The results were part of a survey conducted by the American Bible Society to provide a snapshot of youth perceptions of the message of Easter and Jesus' return to judge good and evil. The survey is part of an ongoing emphasis by the Bible Society to reach out to American youth with the message of the Bible that can change their lives and to discover their religious inclinations and beliefs.

A random sample of 1,000 males and females from across the country, ages 12-17, participated, evenly split by gender and age. The interviewing took place from February 17 through 23, 2005. Each wave of the survey consisted of a minimum of 500 completes in the contiguous 48 states.