The Significance of Religious Education in Local Primary Schools (Specific Reference to Christianity)

Abstract

In the contemporary context of studying religious education in a secular society, the process such as individualization makes it harder for children to get the opportunity to learn from religion in an organized way. At school young students can learn in an orderly and beneficial way from religion. However, we hardly know how they are making progress on this subject and what the significance of their participation in this subject really is. Currently, religious education at primary schools in Western Europe has evolved into a subject that seeks to support students to develop their religious identity. From a socio-cultural perspective, religious education aims to support students to develop their religious identity by giving them the opportunity to participate at religious practices. Religious tradition such as Christianity involve religious practices such as praying, gathering, taking care of the fellow men, dealing with life and death, or the interpretation of religious stories. In these practices the reality that surrounds us is related to the transcendent reality of God the only reliable tool that is use in their study is the bible. Here religious people use concepts like God, creation, nature, redemption, or eternity, and strategies as interpretation, symbolization or imagination. From this perspective, progress in religious education refers to participation at religious practices in a more expert way. The aim of this research is to get a clear view on the significance of studying Christian Religious Education (CRE) in primary school by gathering all the available evidence and the influences this education has had on the way they live their lives, communicate with the secular world and to bring to light factors that help to explain this significance. Is there any benefit of religious education in schools? And how does it affect the child? Are the implications positive or negative? What is the progress of these students? To be more precise, what are the learning effects in Christian religious education of these students at the various levels of the primary school regarding their understanding of religion? And secondly, which factors are enhancing and which are diminishing this progress? Contents