Abstract
A key challenge for educational provision in the Republic of Ireland has been the need to develop appropriate approaches to religious education that are effective in terms of meeting the needs and rights of students in a democratic pluralistic society. At the centre of such discussions, although rarely explicitly recognised, is an attempt to grapple with the question of truth in the context of religious education. This paper argues that religious education, in attempting to engage with this evolving context, is challenged in two trajectories: (a) by approaches that operate from the presumption that objective truth exists and (b) by approaches that are sceptical of any claim to objective truth. It will be argued that proposals, such as those offered by active pluralists, to deal with religious truth claims in religious education are limited in terms of their capacity to adequately treat such claims and the demands that these carry for adherents. This paper argues for a hermeneutical treatment of the context for Catholic religious education in the Republic of Ireland, which is considered under the following headings: (1) irruptions from the periphery, (2) the theological matrix, (3) the status of religion, and (4) the position of students and teachers in religious education classes. From this it will be suggested that promoting religious education as a hermeneutic activity allows for a respectful engagement with competing truth claims.
Highlights
This paper argues that two trajectories are operative in religious education in the Republic of Ireland: (a) approaches that operate from the presumption that objective truth exists and (b) approaches that are sceptical of any claim to objective truth
It will be suggested that proposals such as those offered by active pluralists in response to religious truth claims in religious education are limited in terms of their capacity to adequately treat such claims and the demands that these carry for adherents
It seeks meaning in both texts and life itself as it unfolds historically. This hermeneutical process of interpretation and understanding clearly further supports the idea that school communities, especially Catholic school communities, are best understood as interpretative communities. This hermeneutical context has challenged religious education in the Republic of Ireland in two directions: (a) approaches that operate from the presumption that objective truth exists and (b) approaches that are sceptical of any claim to objective truth
Summary
This paper argues that two trajectories are operative in religious education in the Republic of Ireland: (a) approaches that operate from the presumption that objective truth exists and (b) approaches that are sceptical of any claim to objective truth These directions are sometimes caricatured as denominational approaches versus multi-denominational, though increasingly non-denominational, approaches. An approach rooted in epistemological and hermeneutical pluralism which recognises the existence of contrary truth claims is called for Such an approach is shaped by and responsive to the contemporary context for religious education in the Republic of Ireland which is considered through a Catholic lens under the following headings: (1) irruptions from the periphery, (2) the theological matrix, (3) the status of religion, and (4) the position of students and teachers in religious education classes. From this it will be concluded that promoting religious education as a dynamic hermeneutical activity allows for a respectful engagement with competing truth claims and calls for a more considered attention to the hermeneutical task of religious education in detraditionalised and pluralised contexts
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