Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Dealing with Religion in Education in Post-religious and Post-secular Times

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Religious Education in a Post-Secular Age

  • 360 Accesses

Abstract

In the broad picture, institutionalised education represents the memory of society as well as aspirations for the future. Through educational policy and curricula, certain values and a stock of knowledge are employed in socialisation of new generations of citizens. The aim is to instil in students the qualifications and competencies they need for maintaining and developing the same society in the future. With education being such a key institution, it seems appropriate to assume that the place and role of religion in education tells something important about the role of religion in society. Historically, education used to be a religious enterprise, and then it became secular. The question raised in the title is what the concept of a post-secular society may contribute to the understanding of religion in education.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    I have developed this more in Skeie, G. 2020.

  2. 2.

    For more detailed information about legal aspects of this, even in various countries, see the report underlying Martínez-Torrón and Durham, 2012: http://www.iclrs.org/index.php?blurb_id=975&page_id=3 (Downloaded 15.01.2020).

  3. 3.

    Finland, another Nordic country is different in this respect, with a parallel system run by the state Ubani, M. & Tirri, K. 2014. Religious Education at Schools in Finland. In: Rothgangel, M., Skeie, G. & Jäggle, M. (eds.) Religous Education at Schools in Europe. Göttingen: V&R Unipress /Vienna University Press.

  4. 4.

    I have developed this in Skeie, G. 2019a. Moral Commitment and existential issues in religious and worldview education. In: Alma, H. & Avest, I. T. (eds.) Moral and Spiritual Leadership in an Age of Plural Moralities. London: Routledge.

  5. 5.

    Translation of the Danish and Norwegian curriculum texts are done by the present author.

  6. 6.

    I have developed this somewhat more together with Kirsten Grönlien Zetterqvist: Zetterqvist, K. G. & Skeie, G. 2014. Religion i skolen: her, der og hvor-somhelst? Norsk Pedagogisk Tidsskrift, 98, 304–315.

References

  • Alberts, W. (2006). European Models of Integrative Religious Education. In M. Pye, E. Franke, A. T. Wasim, & A. Ma’sud (Eds.), Religious Harmony: Problems, Practice, and Education. Berlin: Walther de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alberts, W. (2011). Religous Education in Norway. In L. Franken & P. Loobuyck (Eds.), Religious Education in a Plural, Secularised Society. Münster: Waxmann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aldenmyr, S. I. (2012). Moral Aspects of Therapeutic Education: A Case Study of Life Competence Education in Swedish Education. Journal of Moral Education, 41, 23–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andreassen, B.-O. (2013). Religion Education in Norway: Tension or Harmony between Human Rights and Christian Cultural Heritage? Temenos, 49, 137–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, D. P. (2019). The Great Antagonism That Never Was: Unexpected Affinities between Religion and Education in Post-secular Society. Theory and Society, 48, 39–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beckford, J. A. (2012). SSSR Presidential Address: Public Religions and the Postsecular: Critical Reflections. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 51, 1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berglund, J. (2014). Swedish Religion Education: Objective but Marinated in Lutheran Protestantism? Temenos, 49, 165–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • BrÃ¥ten, O. M. H. (2014). New Social Patterns: Old Stuctures? How the Countries of Western Europe Deal with Religous Plurality in Education. In M. Rothgangel, R. Jackson, & M. Jäggle (Eds.), Religious Education at Schoools in Europe. Göttingen: V&R unipress.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buchardt, M. (2014). Religious Education at Schools in Denmark. In M. Rothgangel, G. Skeie, & M. Jäggle (Eds.), Religious Education at Schools in Europe. Part 3: Northern Europe. Göttingen: V&R unipress and Vienna University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cumper, P., & Mawhinney, A. (2015). Collective Worship and Religious Observance in Schools: An Evaluation of Law and Policy in the UK. An Ahrc Network Report. Arts and Humanities Reserch Council.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cumper, P., & Mawhinney, A. (Eds.). (2018). Collective Worship and Religious Observance in Schools. Oxford: Peter Lang.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cush, D. (2011). Without Fear or Favour: Forty Years of Non-confessional and Multi-faith Religious Education in Scandinavia and the UK. In L. Franken & P. Loobuyck (Eds.), Religious Education in a Plural, Secularised Society. A Paradigm Shift. Münster: Waxmann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, D., & Miroshnikova, E. (Eds.). (2013). The Routledge International Handbook of Religious Education. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ergas, O. (2014). Mindfulness in Education at the Intersection of Science, Religion, and Healing. Critical Studies in Education, 55, 58–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ergas, O. (2019). A Contemplative Turn in Education: Charting a Curricular-Pedagogical Countermovement. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 27, 251–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer-Høyrem, S. (2016). Sekulariteter og postsekulariteter. Din: tidsskrift for religion og kultur, 2, 48–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Furseth, I. (2018). Religious Complexity in the Public Sphere: Comparing Nordic Countries. Cham: Springer International Publishing: Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grelle, B. (2006). Defining and Promoting the Study of Religion in British and American Schools. In M. De Souza, G. Durka, K. Engebretson, R. Jackson, & A. Mcgrady (Eds.), International Handbook of the Religious, Moral and Spiritual Dimensions in Education. Dordrecht: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haakedal, E. (2001). From Lutheran Catechism to World Religions and Humanism: Dilemmas and Middle Ways through the Story of Norwegian Religious Education. British Journal of Religious Education, 23, 88–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Habermas, J. (2006). Religion in the Public Sphere. European Journal of Philosophy, 14, 1–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holst, C., & Molander, A. (2015). Jürgen Habermas on Public Reason and Religion: Do Religious Citizens Suffer an Asymmetrical Cognitive Burden, and Should They be Compensated? Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 18, 547–563.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Husebø, D. (2014). Tros-og livssynsfag i Skandinavia—en sammenligning. Norsk Pedagogisk Tidsskrift, 98, 364–374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hyland, T. (2010). Mindfulness, Adult Learning and Therapeutic Education: Integrating the Cognitive and Affective Domains of Learning. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 29, 517–532.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hyland, T. (2015). McMindfulness in the Workplace: Vocational Learning and the Commodification of the Present Moment. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 67, 219–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iversen, H. R. (2006). Secular Religion and Religious Secularism. Nordic Journal of Religion and Society, 19, 75–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iversen, L. L. (2012). Learning to be Norwegian. A Case Study of Identity Management in Religious Education in Norway. Münster: Waxmann Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kühnle, L., Schmidt, U., Jacobsen, B. A., & Pettersson, P. (2018). Religion and the State: Complexity and Change. In I. Furseth (Ed.), Religious Complexity in the Public Sphere: Comparing Nordic Countries. Cham: Springer Nature and Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lied, S. (2009). The Norwegian Christianity, Religion and Philosophy Subject KRL in Strasbourg. British Journal of Religious Education, 31, 263–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loobuyck, P. (2015). Religious Education in Habermasian Post-secular Societies. In M. Rectenwald, R. Almeida, & G. Levine (Eds.), Global Secularisms in a Post-secular Age. Boston: Walter de Gruyter Inc..

    Google Scholar 

  • Lövheim, M., & Lundby, K. (2013). Mediated Religion Across Time and Space. A Case Study of Norwegian Newspapers. Nordic Journal of Religion and Society, 26, 25–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martínez-Torrón, J., & Durham, W. C. (2012). Religion and the Secular State. In K. B. Brown & D. V. Snyder (Eds.), General Reports of the XVIIIth Congress of the International Academy of Comparative Law/Rapports Généraux du XVIIIème Congrès de l’Académie Internationale de Droit Comparé. Dordrecht: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mclennan, G. (2010). The Postsecular Turn. Theory, Culture & Society, 27, 3–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nash, R. J. (1999). Faith, Hype, and Clarity: Teaching about Religion in American Schools and Colleges. New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Natsis, E. (2016). A New Discourse on Spirituality in Public Education. Confronting the Challenges in a Post-secular Society. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, 21, 66–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niemi, K. (2015). Comparing Clementines and Satsumas: Looking at Religion in Indian Schools from a Nordic Perspective. Religions of South Asia, 9, 332–355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niemi, K. (2018). Drawing a Line between the Religious and the Secular: The Cases of Religious Education in Sweden and India. Journal of Beliefs & Values, 39, 182–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2018a). Education at a Glance 2018: Indicators. Paris: OECD Publishers.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2018b). The Future of Education and Skills—Education 2030. Paris: OECD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osbeck, C., & Skeie, G. (2014). Religious Education at Schools in Sweden. In M. Rothgangel, M. Jäggle, & G. Skeie (Eds.), Religious Education at Schools in Europe. Part 3: Northern Europe. Göttingen: V&R unipress and Vienna University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osmer, R. R., & Schweitzer, F. (2003). Religious Education between Modernization and Globalization: New Perspectives on the United States and Germany. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plesner, I. T. (2013). Religion and Education in Norway. In D. Davis & E. Miroshnikova (Eds.), The Routledge International Handbook of Religious Education. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rothgangel, M., Jackson, R., & Jäggle, M. (Eds.). (2014a). Religious Education at Schools in Europe. Part 2: Western Europe. Göttingen: V&R unipress and Vienna University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rothgangel, M., Jäggle, M., & Schlag, T. (Eds.). (2016). Religious Education at Schools in Europe. Part 1: Central Europe. Göttingen: V&R unipress and Vienna University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rothgangel, M., Skeie, G., & Jäggle, M. (Eds.). (2014b). Religious Education at Schools in Europe. Part 3: Northern Europe. Göttingen: V&R unipress and Vienna University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schreiner, P. (2014). Religious Education in Europe. In M. Rothgangel, T. Schlag, & F. Schweitzer (Eds.), Basics of Religous Education. Göttingen: V&R unipress.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sikka, S. (2015). What is Indian ‘Religion’? How Should It be Taught? In L. G. Beaman & L. V. Arragon (Eds.), Issues in Religion and Education. Leiden: Brill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skeie, G. (2006). Is There a Place for Youth in Religious Education? In D. Bates, G. Durka, & S. Friedrich (Eds.), Education, Religion and Society. Essays in Honour of John M Hull. London and New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skeie, G. (2019a). Moral Commitment and Existential Issues in Religious and Worldview Education. In H. Alma & I. T. Avest (Eds.), Moral and Spiritual Leadership in an Age of Plural Moralities. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skeie, G. (2019b). Organiserte fellesskapsorienterte aktiviteter i skolen. Et religionsdidaktisk perspektiv pÃ¥ ritualer og ritualisering. Din: tidsskrift for religion og kultur, 2, 18–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skeie, G. 2020. Religious Education Research—Does it Prepare us for the Future? In I. Ter Avest, C. Bakker, J. Ipgrave, S. Leonhard & P. Schreiner (Eds.), Facing the Unknown Future. Religious Education on the Move (pp. 47–72). Münster: Waxmann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skeie, G., & BrÃ¥ten, O. M. H. (2014). Religious Education at Schools in Norway. In M. Rothgangel, M. Jäggle, & G. Skeie (Eds.), Religious Education at Schools in Europe. Part 3: Northern Europe. Göttingen: V&R unipress and Vienna University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skolverket. (2018). Curriculum for the Compulsory School, Preschool Class and the Leisure-Time Centre 2011 (Rev. 2018). Stockholm: Skolverket.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. Z. (2004). Relating Religion: Essays in the Study of Religion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sporre, K. (2013). Value Conflicts and Faith Based Schools—In Contemporary Sweden. Nordic Journal of Religion and Society, 26, 175–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sundback, S. (2007). Membership of Nordic ‘National’ Churches as a ‘Civil Religious’ Phenomenon. Implicit Religion, 10, 262–280.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ubani, M., & Tirri, K. (2014). Religious Education at Schools in Finland. In M. Rothgangel, G. Skeie, & M. Jäggle (Eds.), Religous Education at Schools in Europe. Göttingen: V&R unipress and Vienna University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Undervisningsministeriet, B.-O. (2019). Kristendomskundskab—Faghæfte 2019. København: Børne- og Undervisningsministeriet.

    Google Scholar 

  • Utdanningsdirektoratet. (2020). Læreplan i kristendom, religion, livssyn og etikk. Oslo: Utdanningsdirektoratet.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warburg, M. (2009). Graduation in Denmark: Secular Ritual and Civil Religion. Journal of Ritual Studies, 23, 31–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warburg, M. (2015). Secular Rituals. In P. J. Stewart & A. J. Strathern (Eds.), The Ashgate Research Companion to Anthropology. Farnham: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson, J. (2012). Religion, Spirituality and State-Funded Schooling. Journal for the Study of Spirituality, 2, 186–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Willaime, J.-P. (2014). Religious Education in French Schools. In M. Rothgangel, R. Jackson, & M. Jäggle (Eds.), Religious Education at Schools in Europe. Part 2: Westerns Europe. Göttingen: V&R unipress.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zetterqvist, K. G., & Skeie, G. (2014). Religion i skolen: her, der og hvor-som-helst? Norsk Pedagogisk Tidsskrift, 98, 304–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway

    Geir Skeie

Authors
  1. Geir Skeie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Geir Skeie .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Olof Franck

  2. University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden

    Peder Thalén

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Skeie, G. (2021). Dealing with Religion in Education in Post-religious and Post-secular Times. In: Franck, O., Thalén, P. (eds) Religious Education in a Post-Secular Age. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47503-1_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47503-1_3

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-47502-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-47503-1

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation