References
- Jeffreys , Professor M. V. C. Spring 1984 . CBE’ . British Journal of Religious Education , 6 ( 2 ) : 68 – 74 . For a typical example of a conception of education and religious education based on the value assumptions of ‘Christian Absolutism’, see M. V. C. Jeffreys, Glaucon, Sir Isaac Pitman Ltd., London, 1950 (first edition), and Truth is not neutral, The Religious Education Press Ltd., London, 1969. For a critique of Jeffreys’ work, see my article, ‘Glaucon re‐visited: a consideration of the educational thought of
- Smart , N. 1973 . The phenomenon of religion , 69 London : Macmillan Ltd . ‘It (i.e., phenomenology) is not just concerned with how a faith manifests itself or appears in this sense, but rather with how it actually is. Its aim is to give insight and understanding of the substance of men's faiths, the way they actually operate, impinge on institutions, exist in human consciousness, and so on.’
- ‘Equal’ in the sense that judgments are not made about the claims but all are regarded as equally worthy of attention.
- Hardy , D. 1982 . “ ‘Truth in religious education: further reflections on the implications of pluralism’ ” . In New directions in religious education , Edited by: Hull , J. M. 109 – 118 . Sussex : Falmer Press . See, for example,
- 1981 . ‘When is “commitment” a problem in religious education?’ . British Journal of Educational Studies , 29 ( 1 ) : 42 – 53 . For a more detailed treatment of the implications of this view for religious education, see my article,
- Newbigin , L. and Hull , J. M. “ ‘Teaching religion in a secular, plural society’ ” . In op. cit. 97 – 108 .
- City of Birmingham Education Committee . 1975 . Agreed Syllabus of Religious Instruction , : 4 – 5 .
- Ibid. , 5
- Ibid. , 4
- But see note 16 below.
- J. M. Hull, op. cit., p 100.
- Bhagavad‐Gita, 17 v 3.
- For a similar view, see B. Martin and R. Pluck, Young people's beliefs: an exploratory study commissioned by the General Synod Board of Education of the views and behavioural patterns of young people related to their beliefs; General Board of Education, Church House, London SW1P 3NZ, 1977.
- Berger , Peter L. 1969 . The social reality of religion , 3 – 4 . London : Faber & Faber .
- Witkin , R. 1974 . The intelligence of feeling , 1 London : Heinemann Educational . See
- 1986 . Foolishness to the Greeks: the gospel and western culture , London : SPCK . Although L. Newbigin, unlike M. V. C. Jeffreys, takes sympathetic cognizance of the truth claims of religions other than Christianity, his position does not in actuality appear to be significantly different from that of Jeffreys. Both are opposed to the relativization of religious beliefs and values which is a characteristic of modernity, which they also oppose. See, for example, L. Newbigin, The other side of 1984, British Council of Churches, London, 1983, and
- See note 19 below.
- Hartshorne , Charles . 1970 . Creative synthesis and philosophic method , 29 London : SCM Press Ltd. .
- Schutz , Alfred . 1967 . The Phenomenology of the Social World , Edited by: Walsh , G. and Lehnert , F. USA : Northwestern University Press . References to ‘phenomenological method’ in the main part of this paper have been to those procedures employed in the phenomenology of religion. But this is but one branch of phenomenology and the term encompasses a wide variety of viewpoints, subject areas and methods. ‘Phenomenology’ here is referring to those procedures which focus on the interior or ‘life‐world’ of individuals ‐ how they perceive the external world and react to their perceptions, particularly before attempting to fit these personal experiences into any kind of impersonal mode of understanding. This type of ‘phenomenological method’ seeks to expose certain essential ‘structures of consciousness’ and to shed light on how these enable individuals to order their interior experience and create personal meanings. They also seek to indicate how individuals re‐order these personal meanings in such a way as to accommodate them within public modes of expression, such as academic disciplines and religion. See, for example,