Problems associated with early sexual involvement are well documented. A number of antecedents of early sexual involvement have been identified. Conservatives have called for greater involvement in religious activities, and a return to moral and religious values, to prevent early sexual involvement. Religion seems to play a greater role in the lives of those living in rural areas. Therefore the purpose of this study was to determine whether differences in religious identification and involvement were related to differences in sexual behavior among a sample of rural youth. High school students from a single rural school district (n=330) completed a 87 questionnaire which elicited demographic information, as well as information related to several health behaviors, including sexual behavior. Religious "involvement" was measured by student report of their frequency of attendance at religious services (never, 1/2 times per year, once per month, 2/3 times per month, once per week, more than once per week). Religious identification was measured by student response to the question "How religious do you consider yourself to be?" (extremely religious, religious, somewhat religious, not religious). Sexual behavior variables included whether students had participated in sexual intercourse (ever, in last year, and in last month), number of sexual partners, e.g. persons with whom they had participated in sexual intercourse (ever, last year). Data were analyzed using chi-square, with separate analyses for males and females. Results for females indicted that frequency of attendance at religious services and degree of religiosity was not independent of participation in sexual intercourse ever (p=.02, p=.004), participation in sexual intercourse in the last year (p=.02, p=.001), participation in sexual intercourse in the last month (p=.03, p=.01), multiple sexual partners (more than one) ever (p=.01, p=.001), and multiple partners in the last year. Results for male were nonsignificant (p>.05) for all comparisons. For females attendance at religious services was not significantly related to participation in sexual intercourse, but religious identification was significantly related to all sexual behavior comparisons, with the more religious less likely to have participated or to have multiple partners. For males, neither religious attendance or identification was found to be related to sexual behavior. Thus, involvement in religious services and self-identification as a religious person may be significant factors in delaying sexual involvement of adolescent females. Religion seems to be of little importance in influencing male sexual behavior.