Fellowship of fate and fellowships of faith: religious education and citizenship education in Europe1

Abstract

In this paper the relationship between religious identity and engagement in citizenship is examined from an educational point of view. The Dutch systematic theologian Erik Borgman refers to the development of European citizenship as a project of ‘fellowship of fate’: we will need to rediscover a common vision on humanity for Europe as fellow human beings, living in similar urban and multicultural contexts. This issue is both of a (religious) educational and a theological nature. The main research question is: How can we coexist as fellows of fate and at the same time consider ourselves as participants to particular fellowships of faith? This question is addressed by reference to the latest developments in the field of religious education theory and practice, generally acknowledged as a field with a longstanding tradition of vision and discernment.