Religion and Worldviews: The Way Forward?

Considerations from the study of religion, non-religion and classroom practice

Abstract

This article builds on Worldview – A Multidisciplinary Report (Benoit, Hutchings and Shillitoe, 2020), a publication commissioned by the RE Council of England and Wales to outline the academic history of the study of worldviews. We focus on three particularly significant questions for the future of Religious Education (RE) / Religion and Worldviews (R&W) arising from our report. First, what is the relationship between worldview and religion? Second, does worldview present a valuable approach to the study of non-religion? And third, can worldview be deployed effectively in the classroom? We conclude with a call for greater attention to the voices of teachers and pupils in curriculum design in RE.