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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History of Religions
History of the 3 Monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and of the main different Christianity confessions (Roman Catholicism, Eastern Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, Anglicanism and Protestantism)
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Pedagogical Approaches
New pedagogical approaches to teach history of religion
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Role of Religions in Civilization
How to didactically promote among students of different confessions, the capacity of a critical analysis and understanding of the role played by religions in the history of mankind
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Interreligious Students’ Competences
Set of teaching contents, to be used by teachers to highlight and valorize the universal values of tolerance and universalisms that all Monotheistic religions and religious texts contain to promote and sustain mutual understanding among students
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Managing Multi-Religious Classes
Teaching Sources to help teachers dealing with multicultural and multi-religious classes
Map
An interactive didactical map interactive didactical map giving access to sites with a religious relevance.-
Introduction
A comparative review of the liturgical celebrations, ceremonies and dietary rules existing in the different religions.
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Celebrations
Description and comparative analysis of the celebrations of different religions and confessions
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Ceremonies
Description and comparative analysis of the ceremonies of different religions and confessions
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Dietary Rules
Description and comparative analysis of the dietary rules of different religions and confessions
Events
The Pathway through Religions project has been promoted trough conferences and articles.
Conferences
The Pathway through Religions project was presented in a number of events in order to report about the activities carried out and the results achieved
Press Review
The Pathway through Religions project partnership made contacts with web sites focusing on the fields of educationPartnership
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Contractual Partners
From this section it is possible to access to a description of each contractual partner of the Pathway through Religions project.
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Schools
From this section it is possible to access to the information about the schools involved in the Pathway through Religions Project in the European countries involved.
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Associated Partners
As a result of the exploitation activity a number of associated partners officially joined the project in order to contribute to the improvement of the project impact on their target groups and to ensure the project sustainability by continuing using the project deliverables in the next years.
This section of the Pathway through Religions portal provides administrative information for the project contractual partners and for the European Commission and it is password protected.
Role of Religions in Civilization
Homepage > Teachers’ Guide > Role of Religions in Civilization
Set of teaching contents, to be used by teachers to highlight and valorize the universal values of tolerance and universalisms that all Monotheistic religions and religious texts contain to promote and sustain mutual understanding among students
Role of Religions in Civilization
7. Secularism
The teacher can ask the students how they define secularism, and to quote some examples.
“Secularism is the principle of the separation of government institutions and persons mandated to represent the state from religious institutions and religious dignitaries. It ensures religious groups do not interfere in affairs of state, and the state does not interfere in religious affairs” (What is Secularism?).
In some countries, such as Pakistan, Iran, or Saudi Arabia, there is a state religion. It means that the government follows the state religion. But in secular countries, the government and the religion are separate. For instance, in the U.S there is a law that stipulates this separation – anyone can choose to practice or not any religion, and the government cannot do anything about it.
Today, modern Western societies are generally recognised as secular. People can generally believe in any religion they want, with little or no legal and social sanction, and religion does not dictate political decisions. However, countries can be more or less secular – what we define as “hard secularism” and “soft secularism”.
The teacher can use two examples already quoted earlier in the “Religion and Politics” section. Indeed, we can take the example of the UK; an example of soft secularism. In the United Kingdom there are two official states recognised by the Christian denominations: the Church of England and the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. The Queen/King is both head of state and Supreme Governor of the Church of England. There are also 26 unelected bishops of the Church of England who sit in the House of Lords: those bishops obviously influence laws that affect the whole country. On the contrary, the system in a country like France is quite different and is closer to hard secularism. France is an averagely religious country but has been a non-religious state since 1905, when the Law on the Separation of the Church and State came into effect. This text is not against religion, but it ensures that all religions are confined to the private sphere and do not interact with strictly political matters.
Secularism is important since it brings tolerance in social and cultural society. By tolerating different views of religion separate from the state (and not imposing a single one), a country can ensure a pluralistic, tolerant, and successful society.
The teacher can use a 4 minute video (in English) which explains in some detail the definition of secularism and what it implies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9A36DV_nwk
“Secularism is the principle of the separation of government institutions and persons mandated to represent the state from religious institutions and religious dignitaries. It ensures religious groups do not interfere in affairs of state, and the state does not interfere in religious affairs” (What is Secularism?).
In some countries, such as Pakistan, Iran, or Saudi Arabia, there is a state religion. It means that the government follows the state religion. But in secular countries, the government and the religion are separate. For instance, in the U.S there is a law that stipulates this separation – anyone can choose to practice or not any religion, and the government cannot do anything about it.
Today, modern Western societies are generally recognised as secular. People can generally believe in any religion they want, with little or no legal and social sanction, and religion does not dictate political decisions. However, countries can be more or less secular – what we define as “hard secularism” and “soft secularism”.
The teacher can use two examples already quoted earlier in the “Religion and Politics” section. Indeed, we can take the example of the UK; an example of soft secularism. In the United Kingdom there are two official states recognised by the Christian denominations: the Church of England and the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. The Queen/King is both head of state and Supreme Governor of the Church of England. There are also 26 unelected bishops of the Church of England who sit in the House of Lords: those bishops obviously influence laws that affect the whole country. On the contrary, the system in a country like France is quite different and is closer to hard secularism. France is an averagely religious country but has been a non-religious state since 1905, when the Law on the Separation of the Church and State came into effect. This text is not against religion, but it ensures that all religions are confined to the private sphere and do not interact with strictly political matters.
Secularism is important since it brings tolerance in social and cultural society. By tolerating different views of religion separate from the state (and not imposing a single one), a country can ensure a pluralistic, tolerant, and successful society.
The teacher can use a 4 minute video (in English) which explains in some detail the definition of secularism and what it implies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9A36DV_nwk
Online Resources
- Secularism and religious freedomThis article deals with secularism in France and its history, which is a very deep-rooted concept in that country.
- What is secularism?This article presents the basic definition of secularism. At the end, there is a video promoting secularism in the UK that can be used by the teacher as an example.
- What is secularism?A YouTube video about secularism and what it implies in the law and in everyday life.
Practical Activity
- Typology of secularismThe activity is a discussion about the definition and the aim of art, as well as the integration of religion into art.
