Teaching about Religious and Spiritual Difference in a Global Society

Abstract

In this chapter on “Teaching About Religious and Spiritual Difference in a Global Society,” Robert J. Nash and Vanessa Santos Eugenio present a broad religio-spiritual overview of the world, complete with current statistics of religious affiliation across all countries, ethnicities, cultures, and races. The authors’ claim is that a well-developed religio-spiritual literacy in each person is necessary in order to be a productive, pluralistic member of an interdependent global community. In order to become increasingly pluralistic in our worldviews, we must look at how educators at all levels of schooling facilitate conversations about religion. We must learn how to become “cosmopolites” – citizens of the world who are not only genuine sociocultural pluralists, but who are also literate, and understanding, regarding the core religio-spiritual differences that often divide, rather than unite, people. In their concluding section, the authors summarize their personal educational beliefs through two letters written to teachers. These letters provide a number of practical tips and tools for teaching about religion and spirituality in classrooms at all levels of education.

Citation

Nash, R.J. and Eugenio, V.S. (2012), "Teaching about Religious and Spiritual Difference in a Global Society", Miller, F.S. (Ed.) Transforming Learning Environments: Strategies to Shape the Next Generation (Advances in Educational Administration, Vol. 16), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 47-64. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-3660(2012)0000016006