religous education homework help

religous education homework help

Exploring the Significance of Religious Education in Contemporary Society

1. Introduction to Religious Education

Religious education seeks ways in which members of the current generation can receive an orientation to our socio-religious context. The subject should concern itself with religious beliefs, religious and moral values, religious norms and behaviors. The focus of the subject ought to be on why we are the way we are, what heritage we have inherited, and ultimately on the implications of our colonial past. Although the public relations aspect of the subject, promoting understanding and tolerance, is imperative, it is not the only need to be addressed by educators. An obligatory aim of the subject is to inform on those beliefs that still play a role in our society. Only with an informed orientation towards previous religious experience (even one based on ignorance) can one adopt an open attitude for the various religious, cultural, and belief interpretations available. Just as in the field of denominational religious education, one should democratize the voices in the classroom, allowing every learner the right to represent and debate his own spiritual worldview. This article discusses some of the key aims for the teaching of religious education and explores its significance for education in contemporary society. Based upon the crucial and formative nature of religion in society and culture, combined with the principles of inclusivity and diversity, the authors discuss the instrumental importance that religious education enterprises in the various educational levels and years of study. Moreover, the article demonstrates the extent to which aspects such as cultural literacy, non-discrimination, silencing, moral development, and national unity contribute to the significance of religious education.

The study of the role that religious education plays in the contemporary context is significant and relevant for four general reasons. First, the increasing globalization within contemporary society renders it important to explore the profile of our society with its mixed population of “believers.” In South Africa, this sort of diversity is extensive, hence our focus on this country. It means that we cannot avoid the question of religious education because a large portion of our population has religious convictions that span over several religious traditions. This is also the case in Western Europe where “religious history,” which had been seen as a fossil of the past, has now become important once again. It is expected of students of religious studies to understand the role that religion plays in the world in which we live. Second, an understanding of the contemporary educational system is part of an examination of our social system. If religious education is important, it should occupy a crucial central place in our educational system. If we are unable to integrate this subject into our educational system, we might have to conclude that religious education has only a temporary place in our educational institutions. It will be useful to have indications regarding the future of our society. By looking at religious education in classroom contexts, it becomes part of a broader range of discussions regarding the relevance of a multicultural approach within certain subjects (and in this case about the relevance of religious education in state schools).

2. Theoretical Foundations of Religious Education

The significance of religious education derives from the expectations associated with the upbringing expressions of an individual’s spiritual dimension. Defining religious education today cannot omit the area of religious education today, which concerns the relations between religious people of different faiths, their cooperation, and ecumenical work. The necessity of reforms in religious education resulting from this area is confirmed by the fact that it constitutes the main postulate of the Catholic Church towards religious education. It becomes an appropriate form of education in a pluralistic and multicultural society. Jan Paweł II in the encyclical “Dominicae cenae” emphasizes that “every child has the right to an education based on cultural traditions, from which are excluded limits, misunderstandings, or contempt for anyone” (Pawel II, Encyclical on the Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church, DMA). The experimental attempt to determine the theoretical basis of religious education led to the appearance of the first program assumptions for postulates which should have been implemented in teaching about various religions, mentioned by different encyclopedias, concepts, and educational strategies at that time.

Philosophical and ideological attitudes to religion determine various approaches to the organization of religious education (RE). Therefore, the various aspects of understanding religious education are the result of theoretical assumptions arising from the considerations of religiosity and religious education by various scholars. Langeveld believes that philosophical and ideological attitudes to religion determine the understanding and significance of religious education. In this way, we can look at religious education as a means of shaping a measure of responsible human life, educating openness to the world, people, and phenomena, as a means of dialogue and understanding of others and themselves. In teaching about faith, religious phenomena, and culture, simply religiously reciprocal dimensions have a significant personality-forming task.

3. Role of Religious Education in Promoting Cultural Understanding

Religious education can be a tool to engage faith communities since faith is so central to many people’s identities and may encourage faith leaders, educators, and parents to collaborate with schools. Instead of seeing it as a hindrance to learning, integrating cultural diversity and deep diving into the importance of different faiths, cultures, and traditions could enrich the school environment. Religious and cultural festivals could be used as starting points for dialogue and reflection, exploring customs, food, dress, and values which can be invaluable learning experiences.

In Northern Ireland, a project called The Sharing Education Programme involves schoolchildren of Catholic and Protestant backgrounds working, playing, and conversing with each other. This initiative has helped foster intergroup friendships and cultural awareness. Research into the programme stated, “It is clear that the cross-community component of [the programme] is perceived as being of great benefit. From a minority of perspectives, positive aspects related to personal/cultural/social development were also suggested. Processes such as reconciliation and the building of intercommunity trust are dependent upon greater levels of engagement, mutual understanding, future cooperation, and respect among schoolchildren.”

One of the key ways this can be done is through offering parent and teacher outreaches. This strength of religious education teaching is seen in many real-life case studies and examples. In Catholic and Anglican schools in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a joint project has been set up between youth representatives of different religious traditions that allows students to talk, question, and understand what is involved in walking in the shoes of those of another faith.

In contemporary society, one of the key roles of religious education is to develop a greater cultural understanding among different faiths and traditions. It can bring into awareness the worldviews, customs, and rituals of others, clarifying misunderstandings and assisting in bridging cultural gaps. When religious education has a broad, open, and inclusive approach to the traditions studied, and the teaching staff are reflective and aware of their own views and beliefs, it can foster interfaith dialogue and communal harmony.

4. Challenges and Controversies in Religious Education

The major controversies surrounding religious education in the major receiving countries and territories of immigration are now largely fixed and are relatively stable both for countries that are new receivers and those that have dealt with issues of religious and cultural diversity for over a century. Despite the relatively extensive – but certainly not universal – provision of religious education, its form and location are fiercely disputed. For instance, in Belgium, Germany, France, The Netherlands and Switzerland, the question is not should religious education take place, but what form should it take and by whom should it be taught. In the UK, it centres on what elements of religious instruction should take place in schools and by what means.

There are numerous challenges involved in religious education. Many states are quite unprepared, at the educational level, to deal with religious plurality in their schools and many people – even people of deep faith – are suspicious of the way religions are taught, flinching at possibilities such as brainwashing and indoctrination. The “defensive” and pedagogical challenge is often exacerbated by a variety of ethical dilemmas that have constitutional and social repercussions such as the rights of parents, the status of children, social cohesion and civil order. This section presents the main contentious issues in the field of religious education in contemporary, diverse societies from a variety of perspectives.

5. Innovations and Best Practices in Religious Education

Yet the true essence of religious education itself can be found at a highly macro level: debates and the perceptions of a future in religious education exist in the realm of academic and professional research and practice. The activities and recommendations of groups such as the Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority (ACARA) consist of many submissions, critiques, and ongoing interviews, at the center of which lies defensiveness around the worth but also the threat of religious education. Towards 2050, religious education is set to diversify and change. It is expected that the importance of interfaith relations and experiences of care – particularly chaplaincy and school well-being initiatives – will become more and more significant as earning, learning, and the impacts of global tensions are felt at deeper levels. It is from these areas that religious education might one day re-emerge at the forefront of global policymakers’ agendas.

In an ever-innovating sector such as religious education, contemporary advancements and methodologies are constantly being made, challenging traditional viewpoints. Currently, various initiatives are aimed at enhancing the relevance and effects of religious education. For example, there have been small steps towards developing religious pedagogy in line with interfaith education and engaging with the trends of school chaplaincy and student wellbeing. It has been possible to design religious education courses and textbooks featuring the support of the religious groups they represent, such as those released by Australian publisher Pearson, which describes the ‘Discovering Religion’ series as a “series for developing students’ knowledge, skills, and understanding about religion and belief.”