Place Of Religion In Education Research Articles

Religious Issues in Russian Schools: Legal View

In different countries of the world the place of religion in education differs. In most of the European countries teaching of religion in public (or state-funded) school exists in one form or another. In Russia religious education can be received by the student at his or her own discretion or at discretion of the parents in the religious educational establishment. Education in public (state and municipal) organizations engaged in educational activity has a strictly secular nature. This principle is implemented in the Russian legislation and practice is most visible in disputes arising at the crossroad of religion and education as resolved by Russian courts. The most disputed issues concern the regulation of school uniform and the teaching of subjects ‘Fundamentals of Religious cultures and secular ethics’ and ‘Fundamentals of spiritual and moral culture of Russian nations’ as a compulsory subject in public schools. The court practice on the issue keeps developing, but it's analysis shows that the secular nature of education in Russia is not so undoubted as it may seem.

The Place of Religion in Education: A Contemporary Nigerian Perspective

The Nigerian society has been plagued by persistent religious conflicts alongside the problem of insecurity for some time now. This is not a new development, but it has worsened since the last five years with the emergence of the Boko Haram Islamic group. This group claims to be responsible for most violent activities in the northern part of the country for the past few years. Judging from the nature of their activities, Boko Haram, an Arabic phrase which literally means that “western education is forbidden”, is among other factors, largely rooted in religious intolerance. The challenges posed by this group since 2010 have defied all logic and rationality, leaving Nigerians with deep concerns for the unity of their country in the present era. Why has religion, albeit a formidable unifying element, become an instrument of various kinds of menace, destruction of lives and properties? It appears to have even caused many to wonder about the quality of education and expertise of the Nigerian polity and governance. It must also be noted that most of these problems with Boko Haram have their roots in the northern part of the country which is predominantly Islamic in religion. Religion has been awfully misrepresented and used as an excuse for all kinds of evil. This paper examines the place of religion in education from the perspective of the contemporary Nigerian society. It also explores how religion can still be used as a paradigm for restoring the sanctity and dignity of education, promote its morality and actualize its objectives in the society. The paper furthermore summons religious leaders to devise significant ways, such as interfaith dialogues and activities to enhance a sustained education in the country.

Religion, education and conflict in the Republic of Ireland

The place of religion in education in the Republic of Ireland generates significant conflict between groups promoting different agendas. Such conflict, however, is not peculiar to Ireland and it is also to be found in most countries. Contexts vary enormously and in Ireland the issue takes a very particular shape. This is because the vast majority of schools in the primary sector are under denominational patronage, that is, they are sponsored by Churches or religious bodies. This article examines two documents where conflicting demands regarding the relationship between education and religion are given especially explicit, pronounced and elaborated expression.

Religion and education in Ireland: growing diversity – or losing faith in the system?

This paper examines the evolution of the state-supported denominational education system in Ireland in the context of increasing social diversity, and considers the capacity for incremental change in a system of institutional pluralism hitherto dominated by a single religion. In particular, we examine challenges to the historical arrangements emerging in two recent contentious issues: cuts in special funding for Protestant secondary schools and proposed diversification of the patronage of primary schools, revealing pressures on the dominant role of the Catholic Church and on the privileged place of religion in education. We identify a shift towards a more varied pluralism, or greater ‘diversity of schools’, in which multi- or non-denominational schools now feature more prominently, rather than towards either a secular system or privileged recognition of religious schools. These developments entail a change in the historical balance of religious equality and freedoms: from leaning more towards collective religious freedom and equality among religions, to tilting more towards individual religious freedom and non-discrimination. Yet the limited possibilities of incremental change are suggested by delays in changes of patronage, and the emerging balance displays continuing tensions between individual and collective freedom, clustered around ‘diversity in schools’: the integration of religion in the curriculum, religious instruction in the school day, and the accommodation of children and teachers of other beliefs in religious schools.

English Catholics and the Education of the Poor, 1847–1902 by Eric G. Tenbus (review)

Reviewed by: English Catholics and the Education of the Poor, 1847–1902 by Eric G. Tenbus Roseanne McDougall S.H.C.J. English Catholics and the Education of the Poor, 1847–1902. By Eric G. Tenbus. [Perspectives in Economic and Social History, No. 5.] (Brookfield, VT: Pickering & Chatto. 2010. Pp. viii, 209. $99.00. ISBN 978-1-848-93038-4.) Historian Eric Tenbus illustrates the dawning of Catholic social consciousness and its coming to fruition in the English political arena over the course of the nineteenth century by casting the struggle to maintain and strengthen the integral place of religion in education as a battle. Major efforts were expended on behalf [End Page 368] of the Catholic poor, especially in view of their parents’ right to exercise freedom of conscience in their children’s education. Early chapters sketch the complex context of English Catholicism, Catholic attitudes, and main obstacles toward Catholic education for the poor. The Catholic Poor School Committee, with its grants and inspections, became the vehicle through which education for the poor was realized. Tenbus illustrates harmful consequences of the 1870 Education Act and attempts of Catholics to bring about change; he notes the particular role played by Archbishop Henry Manning of Westminster. In later years Cardinal Herbert Vaughan founded the Voluntary School Association; energized the Catholic voice to an unprecedented level; and designed a suitable compromise with Anglicans, the Irish Party, and Catholic politicians. Vaughn’s efforts led to the Education Act of 1902 and restored the strengths of Catholic and Nonconformist education for the poor. This carefully crafted research describes the three groups of Catholics and notes the diversity of the Oxford converts and those associated with them. Thus, the old Catholics, the Oxford converts, and the Irish Catholics composed a variety of socioeconomic classes, with religious perspectives from the ultramontane to a less Roman view. However, despite diverse viewpoints, Catholics shared a common passion: education for the poor. The early chapters show careful scholarship, drawing upon images of battle (for religion in education) and a growing Catholic social consciousness (as illustrated in increased political involvement) to demonstrate that Catholics could be a feisty lot capable of applying hard-won assertiveness in the political realm and exercising political muscle on behalf of education for the poor. The analysis of needs enables the reader to understand why legislation was necessary. Examples, beyond the necessity of adequate funds and qualified teachers, include irregular school attendance due to the “call of the factories” and the need for adequate boys’ education in view of the superior education provided to girls by teaching congregations of well-prepared sisters. The Catholic “philosophy” of education at the time is also articulated. Tenbus is to be commended for the detailed presentation of research in chapter 5 on Catholics’ response to the Education Act of 1870 and in chapter 7 on subsequent Catholic involvement that brought about the Education Act of 1902. This documentary history draws upon a plethora of sources; it displays an imaginative, constructive view in developing a new interpretation, demonstrating how Catholics built their political coalition over the course of the century. The author is kind to his subjects. The gentle approach leads this reader to wonder how the backgrounds of the Education Committee’s Home Secretaries James Kay-Shuttleworth (served 1839–49), who had firsthand experience in working with the poor, and Ralph Lingen (served 1849–69), who had a proclivity for economics, influenced the turn of events. Might education of the poor for Nonconformists have taken a different turn if Kay-Shuttleworth’s health condition had not led to his premature resignation? [End Page 369] This book draws attention to the interaction and collaboration that took place over the century among laity, the clergy (led by the bishops), and religious congregations of sisters and brothers; it also documents the importance of the three Catholic teacher training colleges and their advocacy against the Revised Code. Although Catholic education for the poor was the issue, a stronger, more aware, more united, and more vocal Catholic citizenry was the outcome. English Catholics and the Education of the Poor, 1847–1902 makes a significant contribution to Catholic intellectual history. It well deserves a place...

The Perspectives of the European institutions concerning the place of religion in education

Samenvatting Dit artikel brengt de hedendaagse ontwikkelingen in beeld van Europese organisaties met een focus op hun visie op religie en onderwijs. Aandacht wordt met name geschonken aan de Raad van Europa en de Europese Unie, maar ook aan de OSCE. Deze organisaties faciliteren de geregelde dialoog met kerken en geloofsgemeenschappen ten aanzien van hun bijdrage aan democratische processen, sociale cohesie en burgerschap, waarbij ook de eigen agenda van deze religieuze gemeenschappen aandacht krijgt. Het artikel richt zich in het bijzonder op de plaats en de rol van religie in het onderwijs zoals die expliciet tot uiting komt in de rapporten van de Raad van Europa wanneer de religieuze en levensbeschouwelijke dimensie van interculturele dialoog en intercultureel onderwijs, democratische burgerschapsvorming en onderwijs gericht op mensenrechten in het geding is. Ook de Europese Unie is duidelijk gecommitteerd aan de dialoog met geloofsgemeenschappen, daarbij rekening houdend met de verschillen die bestaan in de respectieve natiestaten met betrekking tot de relatie van kerk en staat. Het aspect van religie in het onderwijs is om die reden veel meer impliciet in vergelijking met de Raad van Europa.

Contestable beliefs in education: fairness and/or neutrality?

This article is the final paper in the symposium which took place at the British Educational Research Association conference in September 2011 and, subsequently, at the American Educational Research Association conference in April 2012, where my report Doing God in education was debated. It constitutes a response to the points made by the other four participants in the symposium. Doing God in education was a sustained critique of humanist responses to the place of religion in education as exemplified in publications emerging from the British Humanist Association. This article first defends, then develops that critique by responding to Richard Norman’s rejoinder, arguing that the root problem lies in humanist attachment to neutrality and its epistemological implications. The article then goes on to respond to Michael Hand’s criticisms of my use of the concept of worldview and his claim that I confuse this with conceptual schemes. Accepting that there is some substance in this criticism I offer a more precise understanding of my use of the term worldview. The article concludes with further reflections on the implications of my position for some current debates about religion and education.

Special issue: Trevor Cooling’s Doing God in education

In 2010 the UK think-tank Theos commissioned Trevor Cooling, Professor of Christian Education at Canterbury Christ Church University, to write a report on the place of religion in education. Coolin...

What’s in a worldview? On Trevor Cooling’s Doing God in education

In Doing God in education, Trevor Cooling aims to defeat what might be called the marginalising view of the place of religion in education. I am sympathetic to this aim; but I think Cooling conflates two different arguments, predicated on two different concepts marked by the term ‘worldview’, and that only one of the arguments is plausible. The first argument assumes that worldviews are theories of the meaning of life and contends that learning in all areas of the curriculum bears on the credibility of rival worldviews, including religious ones. Study in any discipline can prompt reflection on wider questions of meaning and purpose. It is therefore important to give explicit attention to worldviews in education. This seems broadly right. The second argument assumes that worldviews are conceptual schemes and contends that, without initiation into a worldview, ‘children cannot think at all’. While it may be true that having a conceptual scheme is a condition of the possibility of experience, it is highly implausible to suppose that religions qualify as worldviews in this sense. So Cooling’s second argument poses no threat to the marginalising view.

Worldviews, humanism and the (im)possibility of neutrality

Cooling identifies two starting-points from which to approach the question of the place of religion in education. He calls them ‘the Argument from Fairness’ and ‘the Argument from Objectivity’. He attributes both of them to humanists and to me personally. He says that he accepts the Argument from Fairness, but rejects the Argument from Objectivity, which he takes to be at the heart of more particular disagreements between humanists and religious believers. I point out that his attribution of the Argument from Objectivity to me and to others rests on a misunderstanding. I suggest that the Argument from Fairness is in fact a shared starting-point from which humanists and religious believers can debate the contentious practical issues, but it needs to be detached from his contestable claims about the inescapability of worldviews and the impossibility of neutrality. I find a good deal to agree with in what he says about the importance in education of deeper reflection on beliefs and values. I suggest, however, that his positions on collective worship and on religious schools cannot be reconciled with the Argument from Fairness.

Building a nation: religion and values in the public schools of the USA, Australia, and South Africa

Although the systems of public schools differ among Australia, South Africa and the USA, all three countries recognize that religion plays a significant role in determining values. All three countries have written constitutions but only South Africa and the USA have a Bill of Rights that protects persons’ exercise of religious beliefs. In Australia, the place of religion in education has largely been shaped by state legislatures, administrative regulations and interpretations of the national constitution. In the USA, the long tradition of religious values being represented in public education has been severely restricted over the past 60 years, resulting in artificial judicial lines being drawn between private religious expression and government expression. However, even private expression can be prohibited if it interferes with the educational mission of a school. South Africa had a long tradition of Christian religious practices in government schools under apartheid. However, the post-apartheid 1996 Con...

Rationalism and its opposition to a degree in divinity at the University of Melbourne, 1905‐1910

There have been a number of studies of church‐state relations and the place of religion in education in nineteenth and early twentieth century Victoria. However, these studies, including J. S. Gregory’s authoritative Church and State, offer no significant discussion of Rationalism. This is somewhat surprising, since Gregory’s influential earlier discussion of church, state and education up to 1872 had included a few paragraphs on Rationalism. It is even more surprising that it was overlooked in Gregory’s later and larger study, which extends to the early twentieth century, since Rationalism was by then a much more powerful force. A consequence of this omission, together with the general shift of scholarly interest away from the church‐state issue, is that little is known about Rationalism and its approach to church‐state relations in the period when, arguably, it was a force to be reckoned with. This article helps correct this omission, first, by examining the development of Rationalism in Victoria up to the early 1900s, and second, by exploring its successful campaign against the Protestant attempt to install a divinity degree at the University of Melbourne.

The Place of Religion in Education

(1984). The Place of Religion in Education. British Journal of Religious Education: Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 55-57.

Diversity in Curriculum in Religious Education in Catholic Schools in Australia

Summary The 1970s has been a period of significant change in the types and styles of religious education in Australian schools, both government and independent. 1 The current diversity in approach is not known widely nor is it widely recognized for its educational significance. This article sets out to consider the variety of approaches to religious education for senior classes in Catholic schools in Australia. Perspectives on the developments in this context could also have some relevance for interpreting the theory and practice of religious education in other settings. 1Following a series of Ministerial Inquiries into the place of religion in education in the government schools in each state during the 1970s, some state Departments of Education have initiated curriculum development projects in religious education – Tasmania, 1972 (terminated 1974); South Australia, 1974; Queensland, 1975; Western Australia, 1978. In addition, in both Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, Higher School Certifica...

For discussion of The Place of Religion in Education for Democracy∗∗

for discussion of The Place of Religion in Education for Democracy∗^∗

The place of religion in education

The place of religion in education

The place of Religion in Education

(1984). The Place of Religion in Education. British Journal of Religious Education: Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 55-57.

The Place of Religion in Education

The Place of Religion in Education

Book Notes

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The Essential Place of Religion in Education. Charles E. Rugh , Laura H. Wild , Frances V. Frisbie , Clarence Reed , Amos B. West

The Essential Place of Religion in Education. Charles E. Rugh , Laura H. Wild , Frances V. Frisbie , Clarence Reed , Amos B. West