Connections Quarterly Winter 2018 - World Religions | Page 5

T EAC H I NG AB O UT R ELI G I O N S A S D I V E RS I T Y E D U C ATI O N
Developing Intellectual Awareness
bias based on race, gender, and sexual
orientation, and yet religion is a crucial part
of identity for many people. Religious identity
is also the target for bias, hatred, and violence
in our society. Learning about religion has
an abundance of benefits for students. The
study of religion helps improve intellectual
understanding and critical thinking about so-
cial issues. There are spiritual practices from
the world religions that can support the
psychological and emotional well-being of
a growing population of highly stressed and
over-committed young people. Most of all,
learning about religions is fundamental for
helping young people become more ethically
responsible citizens in a multi-religious world.
Many school administrations are leery about
offering world religion courses because
they do not understand the difference be-
tween an academic and a devotional ap-
proach to the study of religion. Religiously-
affiliated and secular schools express some
nervousness that world religions courses
might press students to accept a particu-
lar religious worldview or denigrate others.
Rather than imposing the acceptance or
denial of any particular religious belief or
practice, a well-trained religion teacher will
seek to develop awareness of various reli-
gions. They will also help students develop
critical thinking skills for interpreting sacred
literature and understanding the role that
religion plays in our world. When the study
of religion is conducted with an academic
rather than a devotional approach, world
religion courses do not compete or inter-
fere with a school’s religious commitments,
nor do they alienate students who come
from non-religious backgrounds or profess
a non-religious worldview. Indeed, religion
should be studied with the same intellec-
tual care and responsibility as any other
academic subject. 2
I teach about world religions full-time at
Westtown School, a Quaker day and board-
ing school in West Chester, PA. I also serve
as a consultant, on behalf of the Center
for Spiritual and Ethical Education (CSEE),
for schools that are interested in launch-
ing or enhancing world religions courses.
Additionally, I lead the CSEE virtual depart-
ment for religion teachers, a platform based
on a series of conference calls intended to
provide invaluable networking, resource
sharing, and collegial support. In this short
piece, I seek to address some of the common
concerns which make schools apprehen-
sive about offering world religions courses.
I also seek to share what I believe are the
most compelling reasons for why schools
should be teaching about world religions.
If the integrity of world religion courses is
safeguarded by employing teachers who
understand the value of using an academ-
ic approach to the study of religion, what
might be some of the benefits of these
2. For more information about guidelines for ethically and intellectually responsible pedagogy for religious studies
education, see: Charles C. Haynes and Oliver S. Thomas. Finding Common Ground: A First Amendment Guide to Religion and
Public Schools. Nashville, TN: First Amendment Center, 2007; American Academy of Religion Guidelines for Teaching about
Religion in K-12 Public Schools in the United States. April, 2010; and Diane L. Moore. Overcoming Religious Illiteracy: A Cultural
Studies Approach to the Study of Religion in Secondary Education. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
Continues on page 4
CSEE Connections

Winter 2018
Page 3