Religious Pluralism, Education, and Citizenship in Ireland

Anderson, Bradford A.; Byrne, Gareth; Cullen, Sandra

doi:10.1007/978-3-658-12962-0_12

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…There has long been a strong link in the minds of many between national identity in the Republic of Ireland population and the Christian religion, particularly Catholicism (Williams 2005;Fuller 2002). Culture and society in Ireland in recent years has embraced a greater diversity and plural reality as has been seen elsewhere (Kieran 2019; Anderson et al 2016). In response, the state-sponsored curriculums at Junior Cycle (12-15-year-olds) and Senior Cycle (16-18-year-olds) were introduced in 2000 and 2003 (Department of Education andScience 2000, 2003), respectively.…”

Section: Detraditionalisationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Reimagining Adult Religious Education and Faith Development in a Detraditionalised Ireland

Sweetman

2021

Religions

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The culture of provision of adult religious education and faith development, whereby talks or courses are made available at parish level and/or in formal educational settings, has undoubtedly dominated the Irish scene for many years. The low level of uptake of such opportunities or long-term engagement, however, coupled with the recognised decrease in regular church attendance would suggest that this culture of provision does not meet the needs of the adult population. This mismatch was a key driving force behind the inception of the Adult Religious Education and Faith Development (AREFD) project. Cognisant of cultural and societal changes, a core aim of the project was to assess this traditional culture of provision within a detraditionalised context. The present study is based on data gathered in phase two of the AREFD project consisting of fourteen semi-structured interviews and focus groups conducted between December 2019 and April 2021. The participants were involved for a number of years in adult religious education and faith development in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and across a variety of settings. The purpose of these interviews was to gather together the rich insights from the wealth of experience of the interviewees on the practicalities and possibilities central to adult religious education. The findings affirm dissatisfaction amongst participants with the current state of AREFD in Ireland, but indicate that there is hope for the future. Fresh and innovative engagement with adults is called for. This paper outlines key themes emerging from the data which contribute to the conversation of how innovative engagement with adults can revitalise church culture in Ireland.

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Section: Detraditionalisationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Reimagining Adult Religious Education and Faith Development in a Detraditionalised Ireland

Sweetman

2021

Religions

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“…It was discerned in the late 1960s along with the challenges encountered in terms of the status of religious education in schools and religion in wider society. This necessitated that teachers of religion cooperate with their students in a more authentic and forthright manner (Hession 2015;Byrne 2013b;Anderson et al 2016;Dineen 2008).…”

Section: Irruptions From the Peripherymentioning

confidence: 99%

‘So, Is It True?’ Time to Embrace the Hermeneutical Turn in Catholic Religious Education in the Republic of Ireland

Kennedy¹,

Cullen²

2021

Religions

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A key challenge for educational provision in the Republic of Ireland has been the need to develop appropriate approaches to religious education that are effective in terms of meeting the needs and rights of students in a democratic pluralistic society. At the centre of such discussions, although rarely explicitly recognised, is an attempt to grapple with the question of truth in the context of religious education. This paper argues that religious education, in attempting to engage with this evolving context, is challenged in two trajectories: (a) by approaches that operate from the presumption that objective truth exists and (b) by approaches that are sceptical of any claim to objective truth. It will be argued that proposals, such as those offered by active pluralists, to deal with religious truth claims in religious education are limited in terms of their capacity to adequately treat such claims and the demands that these carry for adherents. This paper argues for a hermeneutical treatment of the context for Catholic religious education in the Republic of Ireland, which is considered under the following headings: (1) irruptions from the periphery, (2) the theological matrix, (3) the status of religion, and (4) the position of students and teachers in religious education classes. From this it will be suggested that promoting religious education as a hermeneutic activity allows for a respectful engagement with competing truth claims.

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“…Historical, political, religious, and social divisions, however, have been a strong feature in Northern Ireland (Cairns and Darby 1998). Recent decades have seen culture and society in both jurisdictions embrace a greater diversity and plural reality as has been seen elsewhere (Kieran 2019;Anderson, Byrne, and Cullen 2016). The separate provision for Catholic and Protestant students in schools, and the growing need to provide for those of other religions and worldviews has created a notable challenge to the school systems, North and South (Francis et al 2020;Byrne 2018;Coll 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opening up adult religious education and faith development in Ireland: the AREFD project

Byrne

Sweetman

2021

British Journal of Religious Education

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This study reports on findings from an online survey which was carried out in Ireland, in May-June 2019, as part of the Adult Religious Education and Faith Development (AREFD) research project being conducted at the Mater Dei Centre for Catholic Education, Dublin City University. Data provided by 738 respondents to the survey are reported upon in this paper. The three areas focused on are the profile of the respondents, the content areas and skills in religious education and faith development they said they would like to engage with, and the forms and modes of delivery they preferred. The key findings point to the importance of identity, influence, and language, the broad and diverse interests expressed by participants, and the preferences they indicated for blended learning, evening engagement during the week, and local discussion groups. The findings of the study will be beneficial to those involved in developing new and creative approaches to adult religious education and faith development.

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Religious Pluralism, Education, and Citizenship in Ireland

Cited by 9 publications

References 4 publications

Reimagining Adult Religious Education and Faith Development in a Detraditionalised Ireland

Reimagining Adult Religious Education and Faith Development in a Detraditionalised Ireland

‘So, Is It True?’ Time to Embrace the Hermeneutical Turn in Catholic Religious Education in the Republic of Ireland

Opening up adult religious education and faith development in Ireland: the AREFD project

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