Context

The religious and spiritual dimension of human life remains a powerful force. At an individual level in this country, whilst certain forms of religious expression such as Church attendance may be on the decline, more selective and exploratory approaches especially among the young are certainly not. Talk of increasing secularization has been very much a West European phenomenon; viewed globally, with well over three quarters of the world’s population asserting religious allegiance, religion is anything but on the decline. Indeed, it remains a potent force in society both for good and sometimes for ill.

In the UK the educational case for RE in the curriculum has been well argued for many years. However, over several decades it has had to contend with prevailing liberal/secularist assumptions that its subject matter is withering, with RE a mere remainder from another century. Recent events have shaken such assumptions

The growth in this country of Islamic self-consciousness, in its majority expression of asking for an end to discrimination and for its religious culture to be taken seriously and in its distorted form exemplified by 7/7, poses a considerable challenge to wider society. In response, it is easy for anti-discriminatory approaches to concentrate on race and ethnicity, but to fail to recognise the strength of religion as a key defining feature. Until the predominant culture fully recognises and appreciates the seriousness with which Muslims treat their faith, Muslims will continue to feel alienated. Whilst the issue is perhaps most starkly evidenced by Islam, other minority groups are affected and some still are. Christians too are looking for more deliberate attention in schools and colleges to deeper questions of meaning and purpose in both personal and social life and to religion’s part in them.

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