Pros and Cons - Debbie Newman, Ben Woolgar 2014

Religious teaching in schools
Section F. Culture, education and sport

This entry looks at the teaching of religious studies (RS) as a subject rather than the existence of religious schools. Some countries, such as France, believe that religion has no place within state education. Other countries, such as the UK, offer RS, but allow parents to remove their children from the classes. A definition would need to clarify whether the debate was about instruction in one particular religion, or whether it was the study of all religions as a subject, or both.

Pros

[1] Religion has been so important to history — and is so important to a vast number of people alive today — that it clearly merits its place as an academic subject alongside History and Literature. In fact, the increasing secularisation and scientific progress of the world make it doubly important that the spiritual side of humanity is not ignored.

[2] Religious teaching can cover many faiths and denominations, outside specifically denominational schools (e.g. Roman Catholic), so it need not be discriminatory against minorities. In the UK, much of the teaching is analysis of the history and beliefs of different religions rather than instruction in any one set of doctrines.

[3] Religious teaching is the only framework for students to discuss morals and morality. That they should form a code of morals is clearly a useful benefit to responsible adulthood. In many Western democracies, the entire legal system is founded on the basis of Christian morality, so whether or not the theology is accepted, the morality of that religion is still considered ’right’ in those countries. Generally, all faiths aim to improve society and to alleviate injustice.

[4] In increasingly multicultural, multifaith societies it is important to understand each other’s religions in order to foster tolerance and respect. Traditions and practices can be mischaracterised by bigots, and RS can help to protect against this.

[5] Religious Studies can expose young students to ideas that they have not, and would not otherwise, have come across. A teenager may be encouraged, for example, to find out more about Buddhism and may ultimately decide to follow this religion. Education should be about opening up the world of human existence to enquiring minds, not deeming some ideas as inappropriate to the classroom. If a child comes from a strongly atheist home, school may be their only chance to understand people of faith.

Cons

[1] A large number of people also happen to regard religious belief as unimportant or wrong. Religious history, where relevant, can be taught as part of a History syllabus, but religious and spiritual discussion should be entirely optional, the choice of the student or the student’s family, and conducted outside school. Too many people regard religion as irrelevant to have it imposed on everyone.

[2] Even if religious teaching covers all faiths, it discriminates against the nonreligious. Usually, however, it is focused largely on a small number of faiths or even the one relevant to the majority of its students; this is clearly unfair on the minority who may have another faith.

[3] Just because the law is based on religious morals does not mean that it needs to be studied in that context. Atheists can have a moral code. Morals should be discussed in school, as should the law, but in a modern setting dealing with citizenship.

[4] Tolerance is not promoted through knowing the names of religious festivals and clothing. Taking religion out of schools and asking all pupils to be treated equally regardless of their faith is a better way to encourage respect in a multicultural society. It concentrates on the similarities between all students rather than highlighting their differences.

[5] The danger is not that a child will not find their destined religion (religions are good recruiters of the eager and impressionable), but rather that they will be brainwashed into religious belief by a dynamic, religious teacher. Children should be free of indoctrination at school and RS provides too easy an avenue for bias to come through.

Possible motions

This House believes that religion has no place in our schools.

This House would keep schools secular.

Related topics

Churches in politics

Disestablishment of the Church of England

God, existence of