educationAs an alternative to Religious Education considered by many education authorities as compulsory within the curriculum, would it be more appropriate to study belief systems celebrating the benefits of comparative cultures? Moreover, as it is widely held that there is a tenuous link between religious teaching and moral guidance, should moral teachings be centred on our current understandings of the moral zeitgeist i.e what is contemporary accepted as the standard of morality?
I believe it’s important for children to learn about the religions of the world. So insofar as RE exposes children to the wide variety of religions and their importance both historic and socio-political, I have no issue with it (of course, as long as atheism is covered as well…).
But if RE ends up being a form of indoctrination, then it should definitely be pulled and replaced with with something more secular.
RE should be part of a Critical Thinking Class. It should cover everything under the umbrella of supernatural to understanding, statistics and dissecting adverts.
Can you educate someone in something of which there is no knowledge? Religion should be reduced to an analysis of power in politics and history classes. It also comes up of course in philosophy where it has failed to establish a case in the mainstream and should remain little more than a discussion point. There is however a case for the analysis of religion in a comparative sense, but this seems to be little more than a form of inoculation for children. Perhaps a necessary one.
On morality, a word I hesitate to use, the link is more than tenuous, it’s non-existent. The study of philosophy in general and the various ethical frameworks should empower children to make informed choices in relation to personal action.
Religion should be taught partially in literature classes, and partially philosophy classes. Of course, not a single one religion, but at least the most widespread ones. It should be taught by a secular instructor who does not try to indoctrinate children/students into his own system of beliefs.
Morality should probably be taught from young age in some sort of “thinking” class (philosophy really), together with critical thinking and etc.
And I don’t think supernatural should be studied in schools as “another alternative possibility”.
I disklike the idea of stduying religions in schools except it would be always explicitly noted that they (religions) were one of the ways old people explained the world.
I’m sure there’s no ethics in Old Testament, and doubting it’s a good idea to use religions to teach ethics. Religions should be studied only as a historical subject.
All content is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.