What Morality and Religion have in Common with Health? Pedagogy of Religion in the Formation of Moral Competence

Abstract

The aim of the article is to discuss how pedagogy of religion can contribute to the formation of moral competence and how this competence is in turn conducive to a new quality of life. Such analysis seems to be extremely important for modern educational theory. There are controversies concerning the role of morality in human life and its relationship with religion, and at the same time there is an increasing body of research that highlights the place and importance of religion in the formation of healthy individuals and societies. At the same time, the problem of the relationship between morality, religion and health is by no means new. The biblical writers already pointed out the connection between good and life, and between evil and death on the other hand. Both health and illness were taken to have their physical, inner, and spiritual dimensions. While Kulikova and Malchukova (2019) review the pedagogical and psychological subject literature, they lack references to the pedagogy of religion as a scientific discipline. This article aims to outline the Christian perspective on the formation of moral competence and its relationship with human health, understood as physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being. The understanding of this relationships is built on anthropological and transcendent foundations. Christian anthropological perspective means the acceptance of the so-called “personalistic norm.” Christian transcendent framework of moral education refers to the divine reality of the only God, the Creator and Redeemer of man. Moral competence is the result of moral education, which aims at engaging all human faculties—reason, emotions, and will—in discovering, accepting and internalizing values. One way of fostering moral competence based on the pedagogy of religion is to use the principles of the so-called pedagogy of accompaniment and testimony.

Ignatian Spirituality as Inspiration for a Pedagogical Theory of Accompaniment

“…Different relationships between institutionalised religion and spirituality show how difficult it is to produce a unified definition of spirituality; however, whether natural or religious, the term refers to the category of health (Marek & Walulik, 2021 ) because by itself it is the subject of spontaneous manifestations of thoughts, speech, evaluations, aspirations, creativity and impulses that transcend worldliness and sensuality (Kunowski, 2011 ). It is also noteworthy that spirituality lends a distinct style to a person’s life, which arises from the attitudes they adopt, the habits (traditions) they cultivate and the values they recognise (Chmielewski, 2002 ; Fleming, 2008 ).…”

From Supporting Moral Competence to Fostering Spiritual Growth: The Psycho-Didactic Potential of the Konstanz Method of Dilemma Discussion (KMDD®)

“…This is why the meaning of moral education in the processes of religious education is strongly emphasized (Marek et al 2019). On the other hand, it is assumed that the pedagogy of religion can positively influence the formation of moral competence, which in turn brings an improvement in quality tone's mental stability and life in general (Marek and Walulik 2021).…”

“…Regardless of the adopted worldview, religion is an important element of identity and has an impact on human life by answering questions about the meaning and purpose of life. It also provides certain tools for achieving moral competencies which, by shaping a right conscience, strengthen the need for shaping harmonious social relations (Marek and Walulik 2021). In the context of religion, moral competencies are related to intercultural competencies, where religions treat them as dispositions of a person who combines knowledge, skills, and attitudes gained in the space of values and experiences (Byram 1997).…”

“…Religion or spirituality provides a frame of reference for moral thinking about oneself and the world around us, but it does not mean that without religion, a person is not able to achieve a high level of moral development. Moral competence is a disposition that is acquired in a specific context that is typical for a given environment and is subject to dynamic transformations throughout a person's life (Marek and Walulik 2021). In this regard, both moral and religious development contribute to personal development and may influence mental health and stability in a positive way (Furrow et al 2004;Roehlkepartain et al 2006;Leak 2009).…”

“…There is controversy about the role of morality in life and its relationship with religion, and at the same time, there is growing research output emphasizing the importance of living a moral life for the development of a healthy identity and the general mental health of individuals (Burton et al 2011). Morality is a kind of internal compass that shows the path of moral behavior, where its main goal is to internalize a specific world of values (Marek and Walulik 2021). People with high morality are characterized by life optimism, openness to other people, and willingness to help (Hart et al 2016).…”