Journal article
Public school religion education and the 'hot potato' of religious diversity
Journal of Religious Education, Vol.57(3), pp.26-37
2009
Metrics
82 Record Views
Abstract
<p>Religiously marked intercultural conflict is on the rise in Australia (HREOC, 2007; Dreher, 2006). In addition, intolerant and religiously discriminating sentiment has re-emerged in Australia's debate on migration (Schech & Haggis, 2001; Cratchley, 2007). However, inter-religious education as a remedy is not a high priority. Independent and governmental reviews recommend intercultural and interfaith education to address ignorance and intolerance (Erebus, 2006; HREOC, 2004). Australia appears more focused on the development of values and citizenship courses which assume shared heritage and promote uniformity ( Halafoff, 2006). In public education, religious diversity is a 'hot potato' — no one wants to touch it.<br />In stark contrast, some European and British approaches see multi-beliefs education as a potential tool for social cohesion (de Souza et al, 2006; Weisse, 2007). This article explores the social benefit claims of multifaith world religion and beliefs studies and Australia's reticence to examine their potential.</p>
Details
- Title
- Public school religion education and the 'hot potato' of religious diversity
- Creators
- Cathy Byrne - Macquarie University
- Publication Details
- Journal of Religious Education, Vol.57(3), pp.26-37
- Identifiers
- 1824; 991012821543502368
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Business, Law and Arts; School of Business and Tourism
- Resource Type
- Journal article