Characteristics of religious knowledge among Australian students

Authors

Philip Hughes, Edith Cowan University

Document Type

Journal Article

Faculty

Faculty of Computing, Health and Science

School

School of Psychology and Social Science

RAS ID

5295

Comments

Hughes, P. (2007). Characteristics of religious knowledge among Australian students. International Journal of Children's Spirituality, 12(2), 137-147. Available here

Abstract

Drawing on the Spirit of Generation Y project and extensions of that project undertaken in 25 Australian schools by the Christian Research Association, it is argued that the approach to religious knowledge by Australian students can be contrasted with their approach to other forms of knowledge by four features. These are diversity of opinion in the arena of religious knowledge, a lack of clarity in opinion, the affirmation that one can pick and choose one’s beliefs drawing from a range of sources of religious knowledge and that each person is considered to have the right and responsibility to form their own beliefs. The fact that most Australian students assume that religious knowledge has these characteristics means that this area cannot be taught in similar ways to other areas of knowledge.

DOI

10.1080/13644360701467436