THE new proposal that the exam syllabus for GCSE and A level
should make the study of two religions compulsory is welcome. We
understand that elements in the Church of England and the Roman
Catholic Church were reluctant at first, wishing to be free to
teach Christianity alone and in greater depth. This argument is not
groundless: university students are permitted to study
single-religion theology with only a passing reference to other
faiths. Since extremism is an unspoken factor in these reforms,
there is nothing that says students are in danger at school, then
out of harm's way once they have finished their A levels.
The benefits of studying another religion, however, completely
outweigh the advantages of delving deeper into a single one.
Visiting Birmingham last weekend, the Archbishop of Canterbury
spoke of the Church's work in "places of great diversity, where
building cohesion is going to take serious efforts at
reconciliation". Part of the work of reconciliation is to explain
one's own culture and faith as clearly and honestly as possible.
Another part, though, is understanding the faith and culture of
those with whom one seeks to cohere. In his address in Birmingham,
Archbishop Welby spoke about the compelling need for religious
literacy. Its lack is finally being recognised as a key element in
the world's most brutal conflicts. In surveys, lists of regrets
usually include the failure to learn a foreign language. Children
are usually the quickest in their families at learning a new
language when they are exposed to it. Thus schools that teach both
the familiar religion and the strange can be in the vanguard of
community reconciliation.
One caveat. The words "compulsory" and "Christianity" do not sit
well together. For this reason, we have sympathy with those who
have framed the new Religious Studies requirement without
stipulating that one of the religions studied should always be
Christianity. But this is a mistake that the Education Secretary
should rectify. For one thing, compulsion is already there: the
Christian faith must be taught at every Key Stage from the ages of
five to 16, and this is not intended to change. It is thus a part
of the short-course GCSE in religious education, which has grown in
popularity over the past decade (although it is now being starved
of resources because the results do not contribute to a school's
place on the league tables). It seems an anomaly that pupils who
opt to study religion more seriously will no longer be required to
study Christianity. This is not a matter of proselytism: the
syllabus will demand of the students a dispassionate assessment of
the nature and impact of any faith they study. The Christian faith
is a central element in the history and culture of this country,
and many other parts of the world. It informs much of the
philosophy and ethics element in the curriculum. It deserves a
special place in schools because it has a special place in
society.