All religions privilege the instruction of children in their belief systems since it is their key to survival.
The word religion is said to come from the Latin verb ‘religare’; to tie or bind. If faith is expected to ‘bind’ believers, children need to be schooled in the appropriate beliefs and practices from an early age. No world religion, ancient or young, neglects this aspect, crucial to its transmission and key to its survival.
Religious instruction is usually, if not necessarily, performed by clergy, although it is also considered a responsibility of the family and the community of believers at large. External and parental commitment vary from country to country, from religion to religion.
The pervasiveness of a particular religion in society may make it almost compulsory for families to send their children to religious instruction. It is common in such cases that religious minorities are pressed, even legally obligated, to attend classes in the dominant religion. In Moslem countries where Shariah law is part of civil legislation, Islam tends to be present in the curriculum in all schools, including those run by other faiths, such as the Christians.
In most Western nations, religious instruction rarely takes place in public schools, though it may be offered as an extra-curricular optional for families who demand it. The difficulty of funding teachers of every possible religious denomination may lead to public debate, and ultimately to tensions within the educational community. Religious instruction typically begins with an explanation of the main festivals: Muslims learn about Ramadan, Christians about Christmas, Jews about Passover and Buddhists about Vesak. Doctrineis adapted, both in depth and in form, to juvenile understanding.
The recitation of prayers is common. Students usually explore the role of sacred scriptures and oral traditions in their respective faiths.
Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical Christians are taught the Christian Bible, which is studied with particular emphasis byProtestant denominations. Muslim children are schooled in the Quran, accepted by followers of Islam as the revelation of Allah to the prophet Muhammad. Jewish children learnthe Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, whereas Hindu students read the Bhagavad Gita, which explains personal ethicsand duty, as well as the individual relationship with divinity.
Pupils are taught creation stories, namesand symbols: Christians about the cross, Jews about the star of David, Muslims about the crescent moon. They learn their respective dietary requirements: Jews and Muslim don’t eat pork or shellfish, Christians should abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent, Hindus do not eat beef because cows are considered sacred, and Buddhist monks eat no solid food afternoon any day, a part from fasting completely on days of the new and full moon. Most importantly, this instruction seeks to transmit religious tenets and values to the community’s children.
In Christianity, religious instruction is primarily based on catechesis – in extreme synthesis, the teaching of the Gospels. In the Roman Catholic Church, this begins in the parish in preparation for the first Holy Communion, a sacrament that Catholic children receive at age seven. In Protestant Churches, the emphasis on biblical study leads to specific Bible lessons, which commonly take places in church facilities before Sunday religious service.
In the Muslim world, children are taught to read Arabic (even if they do notlive in an Arab-speakingcountry), to memorise the major Surahs (chapters) of the Quran, and something of Shariah law. Many Moslem countries have state-run ma dra -sahs, Islamic schools mostly attended by boys but in some cases also by girls, who are taught separately. Jewish children receiving a traditional education are taught Biblical Hebrew, and learn excerpts of the Torah and of the Talmud, scriptural commentaries.
Traditionally, this took place in the heder, which simply means ‘room’, because in early times boys were taught by a private teacher in a separate room. Today, the hederis used for extra-curricular religious school ingunder the supervision of a synagogue, and includes girls, either together with boysor in separate classes. After heder, students may go to a yeshivah (a ‘sitting’) for further Talmudic study. Hindu youngsters are taught the Bhagavad Gita, the Sanskrit language and Vedic philosophy, along with other relevant Hindu religious texts, such as the Upanishads.
In India, this happens in both religious and secular schools. In Buddhism, Dhamma schools provide children with the spiritual tools for their search for a ‘right-way’ of living in accordance with Buddhist values. Religious instruction should not be confused with religious education, the teaching about religions, their history and doctrine, asa form of general knowledge.
Even if focused on neutral facts about world religions, this last option can still be controversial. Minorities may fear that the dominant religion in society will end up dominating religious education as well as instruction.
Atheists and agnostics too have values that they feel should be taught in public schools, something which typically irritates believers.
In general, children in all religions are expected to come to know the precepts of their faith, but most importantly to understand the reasons for observing them.
All religions privilege the instruction of children in their belief systems since it is their key to survival.
