RE teachers are becoming increasingly aware of children who say in their classes 'I'm nothing' or 'I'm not a believer'. Of course, they really mean 'I'm not a religious believer'.
But it seems some may feel excluded from RE, or disempowered in debate, because they can't confidently identify with a religious group, even if children who can are in a minority nationally. I don't like football. But if that's all you know about me, it makes me look a rather negative person, perhaps a spoil-sport. You'd understand a lot more about me by knowing what I do like. That's why BBC Wales took my advice about their schools series for KS4 and 5 on agnosticism and atheism and called it Secular Believers. The point was that it's important not to present atheists and secular humanists as a band of negative no-hopers, when many of them are (a) happy! and (b) deeply involved in good works for humankind and/or the planet.
So round about Year 5 and again in Year 7 it's important in RE to have a lesson or a few lessons to focus on positive beliefs, including theistic, and for people who are atheistic or non-theistic to focus on the ways in which they are positive, perhaps in their beliefs about humankind. This is vital because
- It leads to inclusive RE, to which all children can contribute
- It opens up the possibility of exploring the nature of belief.
What do we want children to understand about belief? Simply this:
- Everybody has beliefs
- Beliefs are not the same as opinions. They are more powerful and longer-lasting.
- Beliefs affect behaviour (Auschwitz was built on beliefs)
- Beliefs can be morally good or morally bad
- We need to think carefully and critically about beliefs, both those of other people and our own.
This is more than a lesson or a short lesson series. It should underpin the way we approach every lesson in RE.
Terence Copley - March 2007
