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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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Pedagogical Approaches

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New pedagogical approaches to teach history of religion

Multidisciplinary Pedagogical Approaches to Teach History of Religions

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5. Teaching Religions through Visual Arts (Paintings, Sculpture, Architecture)
Spiritual concepts have always been expressed through painting, sculpture, architecture and other arts.

Images of sacred buildings, representations of gods, goddesses, saints and artefacts used for worship put religions into a cultural context. By studying the images students can become familiar with the historic background within which the religion has evolved. Using this approach, the history of religions can be taught through the stories art has left as a legacy. From ancient pagan carvings, which involve shapes and patterns that recur through abstract art today, art can show a great deal about what peoples have believed in, what they have obsessed over, and what they have elected to adore.

Through art the teacher can relate to the power of God in the different religions - the humanity of Jesus for example - and explore the rise of secular humanism as masters moved away from painting saints and sinners.

Then there are the pure abstractions of Islamic art and decoration. Islamic belief prohibits images of sentient beings (“aniconism”). The gloriously decorated mosques and carpets that are covered in geometric arabesques and calligraphy can lead the student into exploring how figurative images, and the destruction of them, have proliferated through the eras of Christianity as well as Islam. Teaching religions through visual arts can focus on how:
  • art explains religion;
  • art expresses human meaning;
Art can also be created by the students themselves to express their own insights and religious believes. This approach however would be best implemented if art teachers and teachers who would want to teach history of religions work together.
Online Resources
Practical Activity
  • World religions through artThe practical activity provides the teachers with a resource they can use to teach world religions through art. The resource is free, with abundant examples of art pieces from each religion.

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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.