Religious Studies

The department is committed to engendering an ecumenical  spirit in our multi-racial, multi-cultural society. We value the religious background which some of our pupils bring to their study of religion. We also recognise the validity of the non-religious viewpoints represented by many of our pupils and their parents.

There is a middle path to be trodden by those engaged in work such as ours. On the one hand there is clearly no place for religious instruction of the kind which claims to know and impart a ‘truth’ which implies condemnation of all views at variance with its own. On the other hand we must offer pupils something more substantial than a flabby pluralism which simply acknowledges a diversity of views and beliefs, and leaves them indifferent to all.

If either of these two unacceptable extremes is to be avoided then it is essential that we adopt a critical approach. Within the general aims of the syllabus pupils should be encouraged to acquire knowledge so as to avoid forming opinions on the basis of ignorance. They should be enabled to achieve an understanding of religious belief and practice which is both critical and sympathetic. The development of the ability to respect others’ beliefs and to acknowledge valid differences between viewpoints is an important part of their intellectual development.

However, Religious Studies goes beyond this. If one is to regard religion as a proper and essential area of study then there is an implicit assumption that the formation of beliefs is an essential part of human development. By encouraging an open and tolerant approach we are not encouraging pupils to be mere spectators in the world of religion, philosophy and ethics. We should be encouraging them to begin the quest for meaning, and nurturing in them the desire to embrace valid and coherently expressed values which will form the foundation for their adult lives.

The study of religion should enable students, in conjunction with their other studies and life experience, to explore and understand what it means to be truly human, and on that basis to be critical of all religions and non-religious philosophies in so far as they fail to enable the realisation of true humanity. We need to confront pupils with the fact that we cannot live with integrity without making value judgements, and that we should examine our own judgements and those of others who may hold different beliefs. Religions deal with matters of ultimate human concern, and it is in exploring these matters that  we encounter the immanent and transcendent reality which we call God.