Philosophical approaches to the teaching of religion in schools

This chapter examines the philosophical issues related to the teaching of religion in schools. It begins with the early work of Ninian Smart who made comparisons between the methods used by the sciences and the methods used by religion and showed possible compatibilities. Elmer Thiessen discussed the thorny issue of indoctrination and exempted religious education from the charges made against it, in part because the criteria for defining indoctrination do not work in this case. Thomas Groome offered a shared praxis approach, allowing pupils and teachers to dialogue in a search for knowledge. The Humanist contribution defined religion in a reductionist way and sought to influence debate in England and Wales. Andrew Wright argue that children need to be equipped with the tools of religious literacy, and then to explore religion for themselves. The chapter ends with an assessment of these different contributions