BETWEEN RELIGIOUS SPEECHLESSNESS AND PLURALISM: EMPIRICAL RESULTS AND CONCEPTUAL REFLECTIONS ON INTERCULTURAL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

  • Thorsten / Wolfram Knauth / Weisse Stellenbosch University
Keywords: Religious speechlessness, Pluralism, Intercultural Religious Education, Federal Republic of Germany, Christian Religion

Abstract

The following preliminary empirical results and conceptual reflections have their roots in our interdisciplinary research project in Hamburg:  “Youth-religion-teaching in a multicultural society influenced by social and economic disparities”.  A few introductory remarks on the project:  the aim of our project is to reflect on the basic requirements, possibilities and limits of religious education at schools in the Federal Republic of Germany.  This seems to be especially necessary at present because, during the past 15 to 20 years or so, there has been a qualitative and quantitative decline in Germany of the role of the Christian religion in the socialization of children and the youth, as well as of the way adults lead their lives.  At the same time, through substantial immigration, the Christian traditions have had to make way for completely different religions, cultures and perspectives on life amongst the population of our country.  These two tendencies have led to far-reaching changes in society and school, and have affected religious education in a special way.

Author Biography

Thorsten / Wolfram Knauth / Weisse, Stellenbosch University
Centre of Contextual HermeneuticsUniversity of Stellenbosch
Published
2019-09-10
Section
Articles