Was religious education during your school life a positive or a negative?
I remember having to attend religious education classes at school and finding the subject of little interest. Maybe that was just me. But a Monash University expert wants religious instruction is replaced with religion classes that “foster social cohesion and intercultural understanding”.
Many government schools provide religion classes in the form of church-based ‘religious instruction’. These classes segregate students into faith-based groups in which they receive instruction in the beliefs and practices of one religion.
Dr Jennifer Bleazby, senior lecturer in the school of education culture and society at Monash University, says that form of religious education can indoctrinate students by encouraging them to uncritically accept beliefs that are not well supported by evidence, or beliefs that are controversial.
In a recently published research paper, she calls for education leaders, policy makers and legislators to seriously re-evaluate the place of religious education in government schools.
“Not all approaches to religious education are problematic. Classes aimed at ‘general religious education’ or worldviews education can foster religious literacy, intercultural understanding, positive attitudes towards minorities, and also combat extremism. This approach to religious education can help to alleviate social divisions, social alienation and the extremism associated with post-truth problems.”
What’s your view on religious education at schools? Should it be broad based or faith based? Or not part of the curriculum?
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