Religious Education

There is a lot of discussion on educational blogs about teachers and teaching as we transition to the Obama administration in the United States. One area I haven't heard much discussion about is our approach to religious education. This topic and the goal of religious harmony seems important in the wake of terrorist events based on religious extremism. Dr. Charlene Tan (2008) described the problems of religious education in the plural society of Singapore and argues for a suitable alternative to current practice. While her article is based on experiences in Singapore, I believe they are relevant to other plural societies.

In the United States, the controversial Supreme Court case of Abington School District v. Schempp ruled against the teaching of religion in favor of teaching about religion in public schools. Tan identifies problems with this approach:

Given the informational and emotionally detached treatment of religion under the phenomenological approach, it is questionable whether this approach is effective in bringing about moral conviction in the students (p. 185)

Tan also suggests that current approaches typically produce religious tolerance based on ignorance and fear rather than an appreciation of different faiths (p. 186).

So what is a suitable alternative? Tan argues for what she calls Spiritual Education, which aims to "help students acquire insights into their personal existence which are of enduring worth, attribute meaning to their life experiences, and value a non-material and transcendental dimension to life" (p. 186).

"There is a close relationship between [Spiritual Education] and religion as the search for a wider framework of meaning for [Spiritual Education] usually leads one to explore religious beliefs and practices" (p. 187).

Is moral development and religious harmony an aim of education?

References

Tan, C. (2008). The teaching of religious knowledge in a plural society: The case for Singapore. Interational Review of Education, 54, 175-191.