Religious education

Education is a means whereby traditional and cultural knowledge is passed on to the next generation; continuous monitoring is necessary to ensure that prejudice and misunderstanding are identified and removed from what is taught. This is particularly true in the case of religious education seen in the light of ecumenicism. Christian education which extends beyond the Church and involves both social action and spirituality is seen as a process which frees rather than limits. This is particularly true of less formal educational methods emphasizing justice, freedom, human rights and dignity and which meet the need for change.

Since the Christian believes that God wills the salvation of every person, then each person should be assisted in growing to his full stature in Christ and to fully develop his gifts for the service of others. Education should therefore be open to all, whatever race, religion, sex or social group; and education without religious belief as a basis is lacking in an essential element.

A classroom approach to teaching of religion threatens that religion with subversion; no religion could survive on classroom teaching alone. The scriptures of particular religions tend not to refer to teaching of religion as such but to teaching of the way of life, and such education is the job of the community rather than the school. Despite the similarities among religions there can be no "standard", homogenous, religious education in which all the various religions are included. This is quite different from the teaching of other subjects, where emphasis is on clarity, rationality and a dispassionate approach to evidence.