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RE teachers put their faith in philosophy

The use of philosophy in teaching religion in secondary schools is on the increase because teachers feel it "plugs gaps" and makes religion more credible, a new report claims. It also says that some teachers are uneasy with fundamentalist aspects of religion.

The report's author, Graeme Nixon, who lectures in Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies at the University of Aberdeen, discovered that where once philosophical methods were used implicitly, they are now an explicit feature in the RE classroom.

Nixon said one school inspector claimed philosophy was a fad being used to "sex up" the subject and make it more credible.

"My response was, great, that's great for the subject," he said. "RE has been the Aunt Sally of the Scottish curriculum for long enough, and if it does get taken seriously and fulfils the Curriculum for Excellence criteria for critical thought, then power to it."

The Church of Scotland said Nixon's findings were "unsurprising". Jeanne Neal from the Association of Christian Teachers Scotland said philosophy's rise has been noted, but argued that teaching religion in a non-confessional way is what has given the subject more credibility, not philosophy. She added that Christians have nothing to worry about.

"Christian teachers find no threat from this approach as it develops critical thinking and a more understanding and respectful attitude towards reflection on personal belief and behaviour," she said. "Although this is a more secular society, in my experience, students in recent years have been much more interested in existential questions than they were even five years ago."

Full story at the Sunday Herald.