|
|
|
|
|
« Return
|
|
Schools help impart religious knowledge, British survey finds
2003-002-2
1/8/2003
|
[Episcopal News Service]
When researchers at Exeter University surveyed more than 500 youngsters about their religious knowledge, they received some surprising but also reassuring answers. More than half (54 percent) did not know that Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus but three-quarters of them (77 percent) knew that, according to the gospels, he was raised from the dead.
The survey, sponsored by the Jerusalem Trust, an organization supporting Christian education, found that 44 percent of the children could name a specific biblical parable, with the story of the Good Samaritan by far the best known. Just over half were able to cite one of the Bible's miracle stories.
In Britain, schools are required by law to teach religion which must 'reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian, while taking account of the teachings and practices of other principal religions represented.' According to Terence Copley of Exeter, principal author of the survey, 'the common idea among Christian groups that schools are failing to deliver on religion is not borne out by the survey. Jesus, however, often comes across as just a good man in a secular, 21st-century sense.'
Copley said that one of the surprises, however, was that children were getting most of their religious education from school, even if they came from religious families. Some schools do not give Jesus any particular prominence. One school in Brighton has banned the use of the terms BC, 'before Christ,' or AD, 'anno domini' or 'year of the Lord.'
'It is not the job of the school to lead a pupil towards a particular faith,' said John Thorne, a school official. 'We teach about religion, not just one religion.'
|
|
|
|
|
|
