Faithful dissent and religious education in Canadian Catholic schools: a response to McDonough

Abstract

McDonough † proposes that one way of invigorating religious education in Canadian Catholic high schools is to present a wider range of views under the ambit of Catholic teaching including those which are currently regarded as dissenting opinions. These are not in keeping with official teaching but enjoy support in the wider Catholic community. In response to this it is argued that a better understanding of the contemporary discourse on religious education in Catholic schools would accommodate a thoughtful engagement with a range of views. This is in keeping with an educative model of religious education which can distinguish between the educative and catechetical goals of RE. A stronger focus on the educative aspects of religious education is proposed as a more direct way of improving the quality of religious education in schools.

Inclusive second level Religious Education in Ireland today: what do teachers say?

“…The Education Act (1998) removed this prohibition. Reflecting an international shift (Rymarz, 2012 ; Stuart-Buttle, 2017 ), the once dominant denominational and confessional tradition has since given way to an approach led by the state, designed to be inclusive of students of all faith and none.…”