Journeying towards the ‘Other’: a challenge for religious, spiritual and moral education

Abstract

Who could have foreseen as recently as fifty years ago the manner in which in the ‘Western world’ today religion would be perceived to be a private affair—‘between me and God’, something that has little place in the larger social and political realm? In terms of our understanding of the nature of religion, both in respect of its truth claims as well as its social character, this is a cultural shift of significant proportions. To illustrate this change in the public perception of religion one could point to the increasing societal acceptance of a separation between Church and State—a core tenet of a liberal culture. At a deeper level, this trend is undoubtedly prompted by a growing societal belief in the importance of, not only tolerating, but also fostering a pluralist ethos in society. Who could have predicted the explosion of interest in spirituality that is currently evident in the ‘Western world’? As any cursory glance at the number of Internet sites devoted to exploring this theme will show, there are an extraordinary number of diverse spiritualities on offer in today’s culture. In some manner or form, all of these sites give expression to a yearning for inner healing or a desire among people to be in touch with their inner selves—a longing to be accepted, or indeed to accept oneself. What is it about our culture today that gives rise to this phenomenon? Perhaps, it signifies an impatience with a purely materialist or consumerist horizon of meaning. It may also be a reaction to the increasingly pressurised and competitive nature of today’s culture, one that gives people very little opportunity to ‘connect’ with either themselves or others. Or again, it may signify a rejection of the social/institutional character of religion and a desire to escape to some individual private world that is untouched by the ambiguities of the society in which we live.