ST.

COLUMBAN COLLEGE
Pagadian city

A Companion to the Philosophy of Education

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Grabriel Moran
MAEd-1

Submitted to:

MISS FRANCIS MAY SORIANO VALMORIDA

Submitted by:

MRS. EVELYNNEPOMOCENO DEPIO-MAGBARIL

October 6, 2018
Abstract

Religious education is an area that has struggled throughout the past century to become an
academic discipline or at least a topic worthy of academic discussion. The topic, of course, is not what
has struggled; various groups at different times in several places have tried to establish a field of
religious education. Given the inherent complexity of this task, the difficulties of development are
perhaps not surprising. Some people, however, think that a field of religious education is
impossibility. The skeptics come from both sides: religious people who doubt the value of being
linked to education, and educators who doubt that religion is compatible with education. On the
religious side, one can distinguish between those relatively few people who simply reject education
and those people who believe that a religious life is irreducibly particular. That is, a Christian
education or a Muslim education makes sense to this latter group, but a religious education would be a
vapid generality. On the educational side, some people think that education and religion are
contradictories, that education is the modern world's replacement of religion. Other people in
education think that religion is a topic worthy of study but that the term "religious education" suggests
involvement in the practice of a religion. They might acknowledge the academic legitimacy of
"religious studies" in the university while opposing religious education in a high school.

These multiple objections to the existence of religious education cannot be answered here at
the beginning. In the final section of this chapter I propose what might be an academically and
religiously defensible concept of religious education. My starting premise is that as a practical matter,
religion touches the lives of a majority of people in the United States and throughout the world. As a
part of the philosophy of education, religion's relation to both philosophy and education has been and
continues to be an important question. Education in the twentieth century did not succeed in replacing
religion.

While it is possible to propose a logical and comprehensive meaning for "religious

education," the idea will not succeed unless it emerges from the actual use of this expression by
people who have some commitment to what they are doing under that rubric. Thus, much of this
chapter is an attempt to gather up the shards that are entitled "religious education." While many of
them may be lacking in logic, that is less important than the fact that a conversation has occurred or is
taking place inwhich religious education is what people are looking for. It is crucial to follow the
words and to ask in each setting how that meaning of "religious education" may fit into the overall
puzzle. In this chapter I cannot survey all uses of "religious education" in the English-speaking world
and the approximate translations of "religious education" in other languages. I concentrate on two
main strands of the story, one in the United States and the other in England. After that I point out
some further variations in other countries as well as the use in United Nations documents. Only then
do I try to piece together the whole puzzle.
Introduction

In secular usage, religious education is the teaching of a particular religion (although

in the United Kingdom the term religious instruction would refer to the teaching of a
particular religion, with religious education referring to teaching about religions in general)
and its varied aspects: its beliefs, doctrines, rituals, customs, rites, and personal roles.
In Western and secular culture, religious education implies a type of education which is
largely separate from academia, and which (generally) regards religious belief as a
fundamental tenet and operating modality, as well as a prerequisite for attendance.
The secular concept is substantially different from societies that adhere to religious law,
wherein "religious education" connotes the dominant academic study, and in typically
religious terms, teaches doctrines which define social customs as "laws" and the violations
thereof as "crimes", or else misdemeanors requiring punitive correction.
The free choice of religious education by parents according to their conviction is protected
by Convention against Discrimination in Education
Religious education is controversial worldwide. Some countries, such as the United
States, do not publicly fund religious education nor make it part of compulsory schooling. In
other contexts, such as the United Kingdom, an 'open' religious education has emerged from
Christian confessionalism that it is intended to promote religious literacy without imparting a
particular religious perspective. This kind of religious education has drawn criticism because,
it is argued, there is no neutral perspective from which to study religions and any kind of
compulsory schooling is likely to impact on the formation of a student's religious identity.
Since people within a given country often hold varying religious and non-religious
beliefs, government-sponsored religious education can be a source of conflict. Countries vary
widely in whether religious education is allowed in government-run schools (often called
"public schools"). Those that allow it also vary in the type of education provided.
People oppose religious education in public schools on various grounds. One is that it
constitutes a state sponsorship or establishment of whatever religious beliefs are taught.
Others argue that if a particular religion is taught in school, children who do not belong to
that religion will either feel pressure to conform or be excluded from their peers. Proponents
argue that religious beliefs have historically socialized people's behavior and morality. They
feel that teaching religion in school is important to encourage children to be responsible,
spiritually sound adults
In Christianity, catechesis refers to the religious instruction of children and
adult converts.The Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints (LDS Church) provides religious education for the youth and adults in 145 countries.[4]
In traditional Muslim education, children are taught to read and sometimes speak Arabic and
memorize the major suras of the Qur'an. Many countries have state-run schools for this
purpose (known as Madrasah Islamiyyah in Arabic; meaning "Islamic school"). Traditionally,
a settlement may pay a mullah to teach children. There is a historic tradition of Sufi mullahs
who wander and teach, and an ancient tradition of religious universities. However, the study
of Islam does not suffice. Students must pass the state mandated curriculum to pass.
Religious scholars often serve as judges, especially for criminal and family law (more rarely
for commercial law).
Pertaining to Jewish religious education in a secular society, Michael Rosenak, an
Israeli philosopher of Jewish education, asserts that even when non-religious Jewish
educators insist that the instruction of Judaism is not only a religious matter, they agree that
“the religious factor” was very important to its culture before secularism dawned on society,
and that “an understanding of natural history and literature requires a sense of historical
Jewish sensibility.

Body

The Settlers High School will, where possible, make provision for important holy
days in regard to the setting of examinations and tests, to ensure that learners are not
prejudiced by their attendance at religious observances.

Religious observances may be conducted on the school premises and during activities
provided that it is conducted on an equitable basis and that attendance by learners and
members of the staff is free and voluntary.

In terms of the Act, the governing body has the mandate to determine the religious
observances of the school. As the vast majority of the learners are of the Christian faith, the
governing body has approved Bible readings and Christian singing at ceremonies, assemblies
and meetings.

The intrinsic value of other religious groups shall however be respected and
opportunity shall be given to them to participate at assemblies as well. As it is logistically
impossible for the school to cater for all religious groups’ requirements, a suitable alternative
must be provided by the parents of the affected learners.

This policy, therefore, makes allowance for meetings of religious societies or groups,
as well as the provision of religious instruction by religious bodies and other accredited
groups outside the formal school curriculum on school premises, provided that opportunities
be afforded in an equitable manner to all religious bodies represented in a school, that no
denigration or caricaturing of any other religion take place, and that attendance at such
instruction be voluntary. Persons offering Religious Instruction would do so under the
authority of the religious body, and would not be required to be registered with the South
African Council for Educators. 

The Seaview clubhouse is the designated area for the observance of Friday prayers by
the Muslim boys. A parent committee is responsible for arranging the Imam and any other
requirements. Boys apply annually for permission to attend prayers and a register of signing
out and in is kept at reception.
 Teaching should, at all times, engender a sense of acceptance, security, and respect
for learners with differing values, cultural backgrounds, and religious traditions. 

Educators must ensure that all, irrespective of race, creed, sexual orientation,
disability, language, gender, or class, feel welcome, emotionally secure, and appreciated. 

As an educational programme, Religion Education requires the training, commitment,

and enthusiasm of professional educators. The teaching of Religion Education in schools is to
be done by appropriately trained professional educators registered with the South African
Council of Educators (SACE). Representatives of religious organisations who are registered
with SACE could be engaged, and as with other learning areas, occasional guest facilitators
from various religions may be utilised, provided that this is done on an equitable basis. Such
guest facilitators need not be registered with SACE, since they and the class remain under the
authority of the teacher. Religious organisations are therefore encouraged to explore ways in
which schools, especially poorly resourced schools and those in remote areas, could also have
access to such guest facilitators.
 
The teaching of Religion Education must be sensitive to religious interests by
ensuring that individuals and groups are protected from ignorance, stereotypes, caricatures,
and denigration. Professional educators will have to develop programmes in Religion
Education that serve the educational mission of public schools in a democratic South Africa.
Curriculum 2005 and the Revised National Curriculum Statement for Schools (Grades R -9)
assumes that any educator, regardless of his or her personal religious orientation, is called
upon to teach in a pluralistic public school in which pupils can be expected to belong to
different religions. If called upon to do so, professional educators must accommodate this
reality, in an impartial manner, regardless of their personal views. However, the utilisation of
teachers in a school is managed by the school, and as with any other learning area, should
take account of the interests, capabilities and sensitivities of each teacher.
 
The outcomes identified for Religion Education fit with the competences required of
all teachers in public schools. The Norms and Standards for Educators [7] require all teachers
to have the skills, values and attitudes related to a Community, Citizenship, and Pastoral
Role. This includes the responsibility to practice and promote a critical, committed, and
ethical attitude towards developing a sense of respect and responsibility towards others.
Religion education is therefore not the mere technical transmission of factual information; its
comprehensive role is demonstrated in the teacher’s reflexive, foundational, and practical
competency to facilitate learning by:
 Reflecting on ethical issues in religion, politics, human rights, and the
environment.
 Knowing about the principles and practices of the main religions of South
Africa, the customs, values, and beliefs of the main cultures of South Africa,
the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
 Knowing about ethical debates in religion, politics, economics, human rights,
and the environment.
  Understanding the impact of class, race, gender, and other identity-forming
forces in learning.
 Showing an appreciation of, and respect for, people of different values,
beliefs, practices, and cultures.
 Being able to respond to current social and educational problems with
particular emphasis on the issues of violence, drug abuse, poverty, child and
women abuse, HIV/AIDS, and environmental degradation.
 Demonstrating caring, committed, and ethical professional behaviour and an
understanding of education as dealing with the protection of children and the
development of the whole person.
 
There is legitimate concern about the widespread religion illiteracy found among
teachers, who call for and deserve the support that will enable them to deal with religion in
the classroom. Teachers do need access to textbooks, supplementary materials, handbooks,
guidelines for teaching methods and student assessment, and in-service training, that will
allow them to build and sustain their professional competence and recognition as teachers in
the subject. Guidelines and resources will be made available to assist teachers in dealing with
issues of religion in the classroom, and religious organisations will be requested to assist in
the training of teachers. In view of the serious backlog of trained religion educators, this
aspect is also to be addressed in training serving teachers for the implementation of the
Revised National Curriculum Statement.
 
Notwithstanding the difficulties, many teachers have already found creative ways to
integrate the study of religion. Some have focused on the term religion as an example of how
concepts are formed in society more generally. In other cases, teachers have found creative,
sensitive, and educationally responsible ways to include religious materials and perspectives
in other learning areas, and the value of religion has been recognised for the teaching of
themes in history, world history, language and literature, including the teaching of sacred
texts as literature, art and art history, music, health education, and even science education.
 
Teachers can be assisted in developing effective teaching methods for Religion
Education. International guidelines for meeting the challenges and avoiding the pitfalls of
teaching Religion Education are available, which encourage teachers to adopt as a basic
principle the distinction between teaching and preaching. A Religion Education lesson
requires the same pedagogical standards of clarity of purpose, communication, interest, and
enthusiasm, that represent effective teaching in other areas of the school curriculum.
 
Some teachers will adopt a cognitive approach to the subject, preferring a method of
elucidation, designed to clarify the meaning of religious beliefs and practices in their
contexts. In this method, pupils not only learn about the variety of religions, but they are
enabled to make free and informed choices about religion in their personal lives. Other
teachers may emphasise the more affective dimensions of the subject, and adopt an
interactive approach to teaching that attempts to involve pupils in an exploration of the
meaning and significance of religion.
 
Since Religion Education must be facilitated by trained and registered teachers,
Higher Education Institutions are called upon to provide appropriate training for prospective
teachers by introducing suitable courses in the study of religion and religions as part of
teacher education programmes. Such teacher education programmes in the study of religion
and religions should be of two types:
 General basic training in the study of religion, with attention to both content
and teaching methods, applicable to all prospective and serving educators in
both the GET and FET bands; and
 Specialised training for Religious Studies teachers in the FET band.
 
With Religion Education as part of a formal, examinable learning area of the
curriculum[8], cooperation between universities and schools goes well beyond training
teachers. The academic community can help to advise on the coherence and integrity of the
study of religion as a field of study, where, as in any field, differences in theory and method
can be found. Greater interest and involvement in teacher education by departments of
Religious Studies is necessary to translate the study of religion into a viable academic
programme.
 
Learning about religion, religions, and religious diversity serves important
educational outcomes. The National Qualifications Framework has articulated a vision for
education in South Africa in support of a prosperous, truly united, democratic, and
internationally competitive country with literate, creative, and critical citizens leading
productive, self-fulfilled lives in a country free of violence, discrimination, and prejudice.
This statement of educational purpose calls for the empowerment of pupils through literacy,
creativity, and critical reflection.
 
The Revised National Curriculum Statements of Curriculum 2005 understand literacy
to include cultural literacy, ethical literacy, and religion literacy; creativity to include
developing capacities for expanding imagination, making connections, and dealing with
cultural difference and diversity; and it understands critical reflection to include comparison,
cultural analysis, ethical debate, and the formulation and clarification of values. These
capacities are captured in the outcome statements and assessment standards of the
curriculum, and are obligatory for all pupils.
 
Religion Education provides a programmatic focus for some of these educational
outcomes. The Learning Area statement for Life Orientation directs that pupils should
develop the capacity to respect the rights of others and to appreciate cultural diversity and
different belief systems. In the Foundation Phase, pupils may learn about the differences and
similarities in symbols, diet, clothing, sacred space and ways of worship of a range of belief
systems, while in the Intermediate Phase this is taken further through learning about values,
festivals, rituals, customs and sacred spaces of different belief systems. In the Senior Phase
they learn about how spiritual philosophies are linked to community and social values and
practices. Opportunities and possibilities for further development of the principles and
practices related to religion education are also found in other learning areas.
 
Conclusion

Can any comprehensive and consistent pattern for religious education be drawn from
this confusing array of meanings? Religious groups throughout the centuries have all trained
their members in the practices of the group. A general name for these particular exercises
could be "religious education." But every religious group today faces the challenge of a
modern culture and the critical mindset of modern education.
The critical study of religion could be called "religion education," similar to the way we
speak of science education, art education, or mathematics education. A dichotomy could be
imagined between the closed, "subjective" world of a religious group's discipline and the
secular world's "objective" attempts to explain religion and religions.

In practice, however, there is tension and overlap rather than a total separation
between these two forms of education. Most religious groups today make an attempt to come
to terms with modern tools of education. The struggle around particular issues by particular
religious groups can obscure the fact that the major religious traditions are not functioning in
encapsulated, "subjective" worlds. Religious educators not only in the secular schools of
England but in most religiously affiliated schools are exposing students to a diversity of
beliefs and a search for intelligible answers.

Anyone who assumes that only indoctrination happens in these classrooms is simply
not acquainted with those schools, students, and teachers. From the other direction, an
educator need not be a member of a religious body to be able to teach religion. But neither
should it be supposed that a schoolteacher's ability to be fair to evidence is hindered by being
a practicing member of a religious body. Someone can teach political science even if he or
she is a registered Democrat.
Someone can teach ethics while being a firm adherent of utilitarianism. The tension
may be greatest in religion but some experience of participation in religious activity should
help a teacher in explaining religion. The teacher's relation both to the material and to the
students is not captured by the word "objective." The teacher has to imagine what it is like to
see the world as a Hindu or a Muslim or a Christian does.

I am suggesting that there is a healthy challenge that operates in both directions.

While there are great risks for a religious group to open its intramural education to the tools
of modern psychology, the critical study of history, archeology, and anthropology, a religious
group today that tries to avoid modern education can survive only by turning increasingly
inward. A Christian education or a Buddhist education cannot ultimately be successful in the
twenty-first century without some interreligious conversation and a dialogue with secular
culture. The challenge to modern education is less obvious but just as real. When modern
education is equated with rational explanation, much of what is valuable in humanlife can be
overlooked or explained away. The religious life of a people involves interiority, puzzling
symbols and paradoxical uses of language. Anyone who tries toteach religion in a classroom
has to pay great attention to the ambiguities of interpretation. A religion teacher needs a wide
range of linguistic, historical, artistic, and philosophical skills. Understanding always
involves comparison, so the phrase "comparative religion" is usually redundant.

The peculiar assumption in the literature of the United States, and echoed elsewhere,
is that "teaching religion" is equivalent to indoctrination and proselytizing.
This assumption raises questions not just about "religion" but about "teaching." If to teach
religion means to tell people what to think, what does teaching history, literature, or ethics
mean? An academic exploration of how to teach religion in private, religiously affiliated and
state schools would be a worthwhile contribution to the classroom teaching of every subject.
For the individual, religious education is a process that begins at birth and continues
throughout life. At a very early age, a child is immersed into a set of religious or quasi-
religious practices. Parents or guardians have an ineluctably large part in how anyone takes
up a stance toward a religious way of life. What goes on in school should not be a denial of
the religion that students bring with them. But the classroom, from the first grade on, should
be a place where every question is allowable and a student learns to think critically about all
phases of life. There should be an increase of criticism as a student moves from primary to
secondary to tertiary schools but nonetheless a continuity in the teaching of religion. If this
school form of religious education is successful it should prepare students to take up an
intelligent and freely chosen attitude to religious participation in adult life. From then into old
age, a balance of activity and continued critical study should be available for every person.

  Our country has sufficient expertise and energy to meet the challenge of developing a
distinctively South African approach to Religion and Education. As a matter of priority, we
must deploy our intellect, imagination, talent, and human capacity in the work of creating and
sustaining the relationship between Religion and Education.
 
Religion can contribute to creating an integrated educational community that affirms
unity in diversity. In providing a unified framework for teaching and learning about religion,
religions, and religious diversity, this policy on Religion and Education does not suggest that
all religions are the same. Nor does it try to select from different religious traditions to try and
build a new unified religion. The policy is not a project in social or religious engineering
designed to establish a uniformity of religious beliefs and practices. The policy does not
promote religious relativism, religious syncretism, or any other religious position in relation
to the many religions in South Africa and the world. By creating a free, open space for
exploration, the policy demonstrates respect for the distinctive character of different ways of
life.
 
Like the public school, the policy on Religion and Education is designed for diversity.
As we overcome the entrenched separations of the past, we are finding new ways to celebrate
our different linguistic, cultural, and religious resources. We must move decisively beyond
the barriers erected by apartheid; beyond the shields provided by ignorance of the other,
which invariably breeds suspicion, hatred and even violence. It is time for all people of
goodwill to know and understand the diversity of religious and other worldviews that are held
by their fellow citizens. Every child has the right to quality education in this most important
area of human development and social relations. By working together, everyone involved in
education - teachers and pupils, principals and administrators, trade unions and professional
associations, parents and communities - can benefit from the inter-religious knowledge and
understanding cultivated through Religion and Education.
 
Our policy for religion in education, therefore, is designed to support unity without
uniformity and diversity without divisiveness. Our public schools cannot establish the
uniformity of religious education in a single faith or the divisiveness of religious education
through separate programmes for a prescribed set of faiths. Neither course would advance
unity in diversity. In any event, as we have established, our schools are not in the business of
privileging, prescribing, or promoting any religion. Schools have a different responsibility in
providing opportunities for teaching and learning about our religious diversity and our
common humanity.
 
Although the goal of unity in diversity must be achieved within the formal learning
programmes of the curriculum, our policy also has clear implications for the role of religion
in the broader life of a public school and even private school. In particular, our policy
clarifies the role that might be given to Religious Observances, and to Religious Instruction.
This policy for Religion and Education upholds the principles of a cooperative model for
relations between religion and the state, by maintaining a constitutional impartiality in the
formal activities of the school, but encouraging voluntary interaction outside of this.

Literature Cited:
See also 3 THE JUDAIC TRADITION; 4 THE EDUCATIONAL THOUGHT OF AUGUSTINE; 22
MORAL
EDUCATION; 26 AESTHETICS AND THE EDUCATIVE POWERS OF ART; 29 CHURCH,
STATE, AND
EDUCATION; 38 SEX EDUCATION

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