Secularism, Religion and Spiritual Development

An important issue in recent discussions of spirital development in educational contexts is the relationship between spirituality and religion. This paper explores, with particular reference to a series of articles by Mike Newby, the position that religious perspectives should not be allowed a forma...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Smith, David (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Routledge 2000
In: Journal of beliefs and values
Year: 2000, Volume: 21, Issue: 1, Pages: 27-38
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:An important issue in recent discussions of spirital development in educational contexts is the relationship between spirituality and religion. This paper explores, with particular reference to a series of articles by Mike Newby, the position that religious perspectives should not be allowed a formative role, and that spiritual development in schools must have a secular basis. The paper examines two lines of argument put forward by Newby. The first appeals to the post-religious and/or plural nature of the social context. The second evaluates religious frameworks negatively, regarding them as restrictive, exclusionary and fictitious. I argue that there are significant problems with each of these arguments, that Newby's case for a secularist approach does not hold, and that religiously oriented accounts remain viable. The paper concludes with reflections on the relationship between secularism and pluralism.
ISSN:1469-9362
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of beliefs and values
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13617670050002309