STRAND ONE: Values education within a broad religious framework.
The term 'values education' in many schools is broadly interpreted to include issues such as
bullying, discrimination, tolerance and social justice - yet this needs extending. Pupils need
intellectual space to explore different approaches as a means of evaluating ethical issues. Values
education should both be theoretically based (including the difference between Divine Command
Theory, Natural Law, Proportionalism, Situation Ethics, Utilitarianism, Emotive
Ethics and Virtue Ethics) and also issue related. Children may be aware that different
religious denominations have different attitudes to some key moral issues, but without
understanding the underlying theoretical positions, they will not be able to compare,
contrast and evaluate the differences effectively.
Specific issues to be covered, at pre-determined age groups, might include racism,
crime and punishment, abortion, euthanasia, medical ethics, genetic engineering,
just war thinking, social justice issues, relationships, sexuality (including
homosexuality), business ethics and the issue of animal rights and environmental ethics.
Young Australians will have to grapple with the complexities of these issues when they
enter the adult world and they need to be given the intellectual tools to engage with
today's or tomorrow's problems at a level that goes beyond the superficial or emotive.
STRAND TWO: An appreciation of the Bible and Christian tradition (including the
tradition of the individual school.Biblical Studies has been neglected in schools
yet the Hebrew and Christian scriptures underlie much great literature. Without an
understanding of these scriptures, it may be difficult to fully appreciate Shakespeare,
Dante and much European literature and history as well as a great deal of art and classical music.
Biblical education would include detailed examination of selected stories from the Hebrew
scriptures and the New Testament. Children need understand how God has been seen to be
at work within human history within the monotheistic traditions. The Scriptures are central
to the faith of all Christians, Muslims and Jews and underpin many of the values in
Australian society. The main stories in the Hebrew scriptures (The Old Testament)
need to be understood as they represent defining moments in Israel's understanding
of God. In some cases, different interpretations found within varying religious groups
are significant today (for instance the story of Abraham who is looked to by Christians,
Jews and Muslims - albeit in different ways).
The Christian Gospel narratives need to be introduced and examined with progressive
understanding as pupils move through the school, with particular stress on these stories
from Prep. to year 8. A spiral approach is needed so that students return to
the stories at progressively higher year levels. The level of understanding at age
6, 10 and 17 is not the same in Science, English or Mathematics - nor should it be the
same in the religious arena. Stories such as Jonah and the whale, Jacob and the
many coloured coat, David and Goliath or Samson are delightful for Years 1 and 2 but
frequently, even if these stories are taught, the level of understanding rarely
progresses beyond these levels.
If Biblical stories are to have any relevance to young people their complexity must
be explained and evaluated. These stories are complex and sophisticated so it is
essential that students appreciate the 'depth grammar' involved and that 'truth' may be
communicated through story without all stories necessarily being literally true. Metaphor,
analogy, symbol and art are important in appreciating recent Biblical scholarship hence
the need for a spiral approach in the curriculum returning to the stories at different stages
in the educational process.
Australia's roots lie in the Christian tradition and an insight into this tradition
together with its doctrines, creeds and places of worship is suggested. Contrasts
between Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Uniting Church
views need both exploring and understanding. Within denominational schools,
stress may be placed on particular features of the tradition - for instance Catholic
schools stress the teaching of the Church, the Catechism and Sacraments. Some young
Australians may never have even entered a Church and may not appreciate the significance
of its many features and layout. It may also be considered desirable have knowledge
of key figures in Christian from St. Francis, Aquinas, John of the Cross, Thomas More,
Teresa of Lisieux, Mary MacKillop, Martin Luther King to Nelson Mandela.
STRAND THREE: To introduce young people to central areas in Philosophy of Religion.
This includes arguments for and against the existence of God; an understanding of God's
omnipotence and omniscience; what it means to talk of 'Eternal Life'; the philosophic
problems raised by the idea of survival of death and the problem of evil and innocent
suffering. The holocaust can be dealt with in an intellectual framework which provides
a broad understanding of the challenge presented by innocent suffering for many
religious believers. The challenge of Ivan Karamazov (in Dostoyevsky's 'The
Brothers Karamazov') against God could be contrasted with the position of Job. Ivan
Karamzov rejects God because he maintains that a world where innocent children have
to suffer is not a world that can be justified - no matter what the final aim of
creation may be. After tragedies such as the holocaust, Pol Pot's regime in Cambodia,
Rwanda, Bosnia or even the Port Arthur massacre, young people cannot fail to be
aware of the tension between belief in a wholly good and all powerful God and
the undoubted reality of evil. They need to be given the opportunity to
think through the consequences of this tension in an intellectual framework that
takes the issues seriously whilst also encouraging freedom of thought.
The issue of truth should be examined with young children moving from a very concrete,
black and white understanding to an increasing appreciation of the sophistication of
the issues raised. Issues of truth underlie discussions in science, history,
English and many other subjects and the curriculum should help to make these links
and to begin to question whose truth is being proclaimed. In the teenage years, the
curriculum can help pupils think through the challenges posed by feminism and
postmodernism as well as the broad assumption of meaninglessness which underlies
some of contemporary society
STRAND FOUR: To help young people to become familiar with the main World Religions.
Australia is now a multi-cultural society with a wide variety of religious traditions.
Our country is set in the Pacific basin and has trading links with countries with
widely different belief systems. A real appreciation and understanding of
alternative faith perspectives is vital as this may be a necessary pre-cursor
to tolerance and acceptance of the position of others. R.E. should provide children
with an understanding of the beliefs of the main world religions and an empathy for what
it means to belong to these religions - in particular Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and
Buddhism as well as the sophistication of aboriginal beliefs. The cultural heritage that
accompanies these religious movements also needs study. Too often, young Australians
have scant understanding of the religious perspectives of others and therefore do not take
them seriously. It is all too easy to teach world religions badly - as will be made clear below.
Part of the task of teaching world religions should be to minimise the degree
of prejudice held by pupils. A survey undertaken through NSW schools by the Australian
Catholic University revealed considerable evidence of prejudice. Pupils aged 18 were
interviewed in 1995 and the following percentages said that they would be unwilling to
live next to the groups named below:
Criminal background 52.1%
Asians 20.8%
Buddhists 6.3%
Homosexuals/Lesbians 20.8%
Elderly people 12.5%
Unemployed 10.4%
The level of prejudice increased after two years study for the NSW 'Study of Religions'
papers - this may reflect on the way the material is presented and any school will have
to be sensitive to this. Prejudice is often based on poor information and a lack
of understanding and a sound curriculum, sensitively applied, should seek to minimise
these reactions. To teach, for instance, World Religions by looking at 'festivals'
is a very poor way to approach the subject. Studying the festivals which mark
Saints days in Latin America or Spain is unlikely to provide a great deal of insight
into the complexities and intellectual depth of Catholicism!
On some occasions in the past, Australians have often neglected Aboriginal religious and
cultural heritage and a more nuanced approach needs to be attempted at different
stages in the school emphasising the Aborigine understanding of the transcendent and
aspects of their religion (such as care for the environment and spirituality) from
which all Australians can learn. It must be accepted that it is not easy to give a
real understanding and appreciation of aboriginal culture. Sensitivity and skill
will be needed to help children to understand the complexity of aboriginal culture
as well as the difficult social problems they face today and the challenge to chart a
constructive way forward. There are no simple answers and the challenge may well
be to help children obtain a developing understanding of the complexity of some
of the issues that racism raises including issues of social justice, economic
welfare, employment, etc..
STRAND FIVE: To provide children with an appreciation of the value of stillness.
The Affective approach seeks to redress the imbalance when education solely
stresses the cognitive. In the 1970s, some Philosophers of Education stressed
the idea of 'Rational Autonomy' as an educational aim, but emphasis on this
alone can develop the rational side of human nature at the expense of the
emotional and affective, closing people off to religious possibilities.
Religious education touches on issues of life and death, God and evil, sexuality
and relationships, marriage and divorce in a way unmatched by other disciplines.
However religious education does not simply transmit knowledge, but also explores
the implications of the central claims for each individual. This can give an alternative
perspective to materialism and help students to gain inner confidence and to
recognise the value of silence, gentleness, compassion, concern for others and
persona responsibility as well as achievement, success, recognition and
reputation. Many young Australians' lives are filled with noise (CD player,
video, television, computer game and so forth) making the ability to be still more
important than ever. Through this, they may come to know themselves and
to find peace an increasingly valuable part of their lives.
Australia is an increasingly secular and materialist society where a laissez-faire
attitude is accepted and where almost anything is permitted provided it does
not hurt others. Life for both adults and children is increasingly frenetic.
There is a tendency to want to 'keep children busy' as this avoids them getting
into mischief. 'The devil makes work for idle hands to do' may be implicit in many
teachers thinking. However a central dimension of religion is that it affects an
individual's subjectivity and that time is needed for silence and reflection. The word
'meditation' has acquired an unfortunate aura and there is no suggestion that this
should be introduced into the curriculum but it is essential that the spiritual side
of pupils at is taken seriously. In Britain, stillness is a compulsory part of
the National Curriculum from Years 1 to 11.
