A critical view of family and religious studies in the context of religious abuse and extremism in Zimbabwe

Abstract

In this theoretical article, I problematise the nature and structure of family and religious studies (FRS), and its failure to respond to the ever-expanding religious trajectories in Zimbabwe, in particular the religious abuse and religious extremism. Currently, FRS is lacking in some of the aspects needed to ignite a religion-responsive curriculum. The article suggests a need for curriculum reconstruction that addresses the lived realities and challenges students are facing in the 21st century. I ground my argument in critical emancipatory research, one of whose agendas is evoking a democratic, emancipatory and just curriculum that is geared to transforming the social status quo. The article answers two questions: What are the limitations of the present FRS curriculum and the space requiring decolonisation of the curriculum? and How can FRS be enhanced to achieve curriculum relevance and address the lived realities of 21st-century students? The argument of the article is that when curriculum changes are necessary to reflect the multiple perspectives offered by major religions, FRS falls short of addressing the emerging and problematic religious movements that threaten to undermine the beauty of religion in society, as these movements are guilty of criminal practices and abuse of religion. I conclude the article by calling for a curriculum shift, from mere recitation of major religious ideologies to emancipating students by encouraging them to confront and evoke epistemic disobedience in order that they might challenge religious abuse and religious extremism.

Retrospective and Prospective Approaches to Christian Education in Church of Christ Schools in Zimbabwe

“…In the 21st century, the COCZ in Zimbabwe is facing challenges related to the multiplicity of faiths and diversities of spiritualities. The use of schools to advance CE is becoming less appealing due to the introduction of a multi-faith regime in the curriculum like FAREME (Dube 2020). The secularization of the school curriculum poses difficulties for COCZ schools to maintain their emphasis on CE teaching without pedagogical and epistemological innovation in engaging learners with their faith narratives.…”

Racial misconceptions of the theory of evolution predict opposition to the theory and science in general among a sample of Zimbabwean university students

“…As far as we know, proper evolutionary biology is hardly taught in high school in Zimbabwe and other African countries. In fact, the recent introduction of a New Curriculum in Zimbabwe further buttressed the teaching of creationist ideologies, with topics such as Islam, Hinduism, Judaism and indigenous religions which were not present in the old curriculum now being taught in class in a new subject now called family and religious studies (FRS) [ 50 ]. In neighbouring South Africa, which has a much bigger share of scientists than most countries on the African continent, evolutionary biology was only recently introduced in higher education [ 51 ].…”