‘Knowledge about Religions’ and Analytical Skills in Religious Education: Reflections from a Norwegian Context

Bengt Ove Andreassen

doi:10.26529/cepsj.676

Abstract

Religious education appears in many different models and varies between educational systems and national contexts. Theoretically, religious education is usually divided into confessional and non-confessional models. However, as several researchers have pointed out, the non-confessional models can be ‘marinated’ in confessional religion. In most national contexts, regardless of the model on which it is based, religious education is intended to serve the promotion of social cohesion by way of promoting knowledge and understanding of the new multi‑religious world. However, in official documents and scholarly literature, there is a taken-for-granted relationship between ‘knowledge of religion’ and such general aims. In the article, critical questions concerning this relationship will be raised.

Highlights

Religious education appears in many different models and varies between educational systems and national contexts
V teoriji religijsko izobraževanje običajno delimo na nekonfesionalne in konfesionalne modele, vendar so – kot izpostavljajo številni avtorji – lahko nekonfesionalni modeli ‘marinirani’ v konfesionalni religiji
Na katerem temelji religijsko izobraževanje, je to v večini nacionalnih kontekstov namenjeno podpori družbene kohezije na način, da promovira znanje in razumevanje novega multireligijskega sveta

Summary

Introduction

Religious education appears in many different models and varies between educational systems and national contexts. Based on examples from Norwegian RE, I will critically discuss what ‘knowledge about religions’ is and argue for the importance of analytical and interpretative skills in RE.

Results

Conclusion