Uncertainty and Mortality: Two Stubborn Particulars of Religious Education

Abstract

In an education context in which ‘knowledge’ is seen as ‘powerful’ and as having ‘impact’, religious education is-or should be-at the forefront of understanding how people are and will always be living in uncertainty, whilst also searching for truth. The one human certainty-mortality-is, happily, also addressed by the best religious education. This chapter presents uncertainty and mortality as two ‘stubborn particulars’ of post-secular, non-confessional, religious education: its distinctive features and its distinctive contribution to the curriculum. A ‘post-secular’ world recognises the value of insights gained from religious traditions, not least, insights into our mortality. ‘Non-confessional’ (and some ‘confessional’) religious education recognises the inherent uncertainty that can drive curiosity and care for the full range of traditions studied.