There are many indications that prove that religious education, and the religious discourse to a large extent, have reached a critical crossroad. Demands for a non-religious common ground in society is having a strong...There are many indications that prove that religious education, and the religious discourse to a large extent, have reached a critical crossroad. Demands for a non-religious common ground in society is having a strong impact on how conventional religious education is perceived. Further, the harsh criticism on the legitimacy of religious from humanistic and atheistic circles also points to the fact that religious education needs to be re-evaluated. The paper takes critical look at religion both as a historical and cultural phenomenon and as a construct of the human imagination. Based on this it aims at addressing the question： Can religious education be justified if the aim of education is to educate to reality？ The question will be answered by stating an argument that views religious education as an exercise in a healthy use of the human imagination as an intellectual reference, emotional nest, and the mind＇s eye. This argument will be analysed and debated and conclusion will be drawn.展开更多
文摘There are many indications that prove that religious education, and the religious discourse to a large extent, have reached a critical crossroad. Demands for a non-religious common ground in society is having a strong impact on how conventional religious education is perceived. Further, the harsh criticism on the legitimacy of religious from humanistic and atheistic circles also points to the fact that religious education needs to be re-evaluated. The paper takes critical look at religion both as a historical and cultural phenomenon and as a construct of the human imagination. Based on this it aims at addressing the question： Can religious education be justified if the aim of education is to educate to reality？ The question will be answered by stating an argument that views religious education as an exercise in a healthy use of the human imagination as an intellectual reference, emotional nest, and the mind＇s eye. This argument will be analysed and debated and conclusion will be drawn.
