David Lewin
The death of religion in Scotland?
The death of religion in Scotland?

The death of religion in Scotland?

In the recent publication of census data, we learned that, for the first time, the majority of people in Scotland say they are not religious. For many of us this is no surprise, and perhaps no great shakes, but it does raise interesting questions about the extent to which public policy, especially around education, ought to take account of the rise of the ‘nones’ (those who identify as non-religious).

When it comes to schooling, the issues are complex, and bound up with the history and culture of the nation. But every generation can question the prevailing order of things: Should there be faith schools? Should schools be required to offer religious observance, or time for reflection? What should Religious Education (RME/RMPS) look like?

Over recent years I have been focusing on this last question by exploring what curriculums in RE should look like. I have been leading a project called After Religious Education (AfterRE) that seeks to reimagine RE for more diverse and inclusive times. Although the context of the AfterRE project is RE in England, the issues are much the same north of the border: how can RE take account of the diverse range of religious and non-religious perspectives? What should be the foundation for RE?

The project proposes a framework for thinking about RE in this context. While I think this framework is important and useful, we could also think more radically about the future of RE by conceptualising RE in more explicitly academic terms: as a subject that is based on the academic study of religion.

This academic approach to religion is itself relatively new, in comparison with the long-established traditions of theology and philosophy that it is often associated with. It approaches religion as an object of scholarly study, coming at it as an ‘outsider’. I call it a ‘radical’ approach because for many, religion can’t really be understood from the outside: we need to get a sense of the inwardness of religion in order to really understand it (sometimes called the insider/outsider problem). While there is probably some truth to this observation, I believe the long-term future of RE depends on some kind of intellectual and academic credibility.

While questions of spiritual and/or existential formation are vitally important to education, they are not owned by RE; teachers and students explore the meaning of life and death right across the curriculum, from reading poetry, to thinking about infinity to understanding lifecycles. RE is a place for many educational reflections of the nature of religion(s), so let’s establish this important subject in a discipline able to respond to contemporary issues and social changes.

David Lewin is Senior Lecturer in Education (academic profile here). He is part of the management committee of the Scottish Teachers Association for Religious and Moral Education and the project lead for After Religious Education.

David has published some papers on this topic for those who wish to delve deeper: