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Rationale |
Teaching About Religion |
in support of civic pluralism |
Suitable studies about religion can help to prepare young people for living and working as citizens in a religiously diverse nation. |
Why a View to Diversity? |
At its best, teaching about religion can foster in students a sensitivity that enables them to deal comfortably with the religion domain and with the religious diversity they will encounter in their lives. It can promote mutual understanding and tolerance, overcome the stereotypes that lead to prejudice and discrimination, and develop the kind of empathetic and respectful demeanor that allows for mutual civic cooperation among the citizenry. |
A secular approach to education and an academic outlook oblige that the general curriculum for study about religion also encompass teaching about nonreligion. |
What about Nonreligion? |
Public schools have a responsibility to address and not ignore the nonreligion complement to religion. Students cannot acquire an authentic academic picture of any history and social studies domain by way of skewed presentation. Yet, most studies about religion evidence that problem. In general, textbooks and curricula inform youngsters about religion(s) while skirting and/or disregarding the nonreligious worldview. This may at first glance seem quite natural. However, the omission distorts history and privileges the religious worldview. It perpetuates ignorance of nonreligious worldview(s), giving students the impression of nonexistence or calling such into question. This omission has important civic consequence. How can one acquire a demeanor truly respectful of liberty of conscience if only religious worldviews and traditions are acknowledged as being meaningful? Young people need to learn to deal sensitively with a range of religious differences in the citizenry that includes an absence of religious belief and outright disbelief. They can and should overcome cultural stereotyping of nonbelievers and develop a openness that allows for dispassionate hearing of these (as well as multiple religious) points of view as they may come across them in the public realm. Recognition of the nonreligious worldview belongs in objective educational considerations of religion. As public schools teach dispassionately about religion, they can teach about the nonreligious worldview, too. Not only is such a suitable topic of instruction, but an academic outlook on religion obliges that the curriculum encompass it. A distorted understanding cannot be an accurate understanding. Whether by intention or not, there are missing puzzle pieces. It is up to fair-minded educators to provide them. Corrections and comments invited. [last modified: 4/30/01] Author: Mynga Futrell, Ph.D. |