Religious education as a subject in the curriculum is often the subject of controversy. This is not surprising. The interest in the arts and the humanities has faded, whereas the popularity of the natural sciences has grown. The value of studying religion, along with philosophy, literature, art, music, and history is being challenged.
With religious education there is an additional obstacle. The very notion with which religious education is associated, that is, the concept of ‘religion’ is regarded by many with suspicion. Religion has come to be associated with prejudice, intimidation and threats, and religious education obviously suffers as a consequence.
I am a religious educator, and have been for over three decades. For me, religious education is a fundamental and integral part of the holistic formation of the individual. In my view, by its very definition and nature, religious education contributes to the development of human beings, particularly by supporting and enabling their personal search for meaning.
I am not saying religious education is the only subject in the curriculum that supports such an exploration. But I do believe that the search for meaning is at the basis of every area of learning.
Religious education provides this support by referring to ancient and living belief systems for its content. This it does not only at the level of facts but also at the level of ethics and values.
Having been a religious educator for so long, I feel I can speak from experience. A religious education that is offered well enhances harmony between the various fields of learning and the faith perspective.
Since it is an academic subject within an academic context, it necessarily seeks inter-disciplinary dialogue, and works together with other fields of knowledge. This is a healthy process, both for religious education and for the other subjects as well, which often tend to discount the transcendent and spiritual aspects of human beings and of humanity.
Through interdisciplinary dialogue, religious education in schools not only helps individual students connect different areas of knowledge but also networks with the whole educational activity of schools, making it immensely important.
Schools provide the best context for this networking. Learning takes place across the curriculum, each subject giving its own contribution.
Along with other subjects, religious education has been known to promote spiritual, moral, cultural development, citizenship, personal, social and health education, sustainable development, as well as to promote practical skills, such as the skill of communication, information technology, working with others, problem solving, thinking skills, creativity, education for racial equality and community cohesion.
Religious education contributes to the development of human beings, particularly by supporting their personal search for meaning
Religious education is also known to create links to employment, vocations and work-related learning, particularly through its focus on individual sense of purpose and aspiration in life, but also through its development of spiritual and ethical issues linked to the world of work.
Speaking from experience, there are various reasons why religious education should be retained in our schools, and why students and parents should opt to be educated in this field should it become an option.
I would divide the different objectives for taking religious education into three:
• For reasons of personal development: to provide a space where young people may think about life’s big questions; to support their personal search for truth and meaning in life; to equip young people to speak about religion and belief; to help students develop a healthy self-esteem and relationship with others, creation and the Absolute; to cater for the spiritual, religious, and moral dimensions of students; to develop their academic status; to help students form their own personal worldview; to empower them to face the challenges of life; and to discover their role in the society and in the community where they belong.
• For reasons of cultural understanding: to provide students with opportunities to learn about the spiritual, religious and cultural legacy of their people, of their country, and of the whole of humanity; and to improve the religious literacy of the students, so that students not only understand where they come from, but also comprehend the background of other individuals and communities from within other traditions.
• For reasons of cultural integration. Religious education is meant to equip students with knowledge, skills and attitudes that foster respect and dialogue between people and peoples.
Religious education helps students understand and critically appreciate the responses to fundamental questions about meaning in other Christian denominations as well as in the major world religions.
Religious education is the only subject that gives students the opportunity to air differences and to express doubts and reservations in a safe environment, to enquire about the significance and value of cultural symbols, and to fathom some of the implications of the creeds, codes and cults that have arisen over the centuries.
To be concluded
Pauline Dimech is a full-time lecturer at the University of Malta’s Faculty of Education and Faculty of Theology. She has been a religious educator since the 1980s, and obtained a PhD in Systematic Theology from Durham University, UK, with the support of a scholarship under the MGSS.