Religious Experience and Experiencing Religion in Religious Education

Book Cover

Imprint

Preface

Table of Contents

Finding and Articulating Meaning in Secular Experience (Ann Taves)

1 Introduction

2 What is a Meaning Systems Framework?

3 A Dynamic Interaction

4 Application

References

Believing Minds: Steps to an Ecology of Religious Ideas (Carles Salazar)

1 Why Do We Believe?

2 Belief and Authority

3 Some Difficulties with the Cognitive Approach to the Study of Religion

4 The Problem of Meaning

5 Meaning and Belief

6 Embodiment

7 Religious Communication

8 Concluding Remarks

References

Experiencing Religion, Religious Experience and Media Experience. Explorations of an Intricate Relationship in the Context of Religious Education (Manfred L. Pirner)

1 Introduction

2 ‘Homo Medialis’ and ‘Religio Medialis’ – Anthropological and Cultural-Historical Perspectives

3 Media and Religion – Sociological and Psychological Perspectives

4 Conclusion

References

Spiritual rather than Religious. A Case Study on Making Meaning from Sunday’s Activities (Ulrich Riegel)

1 Experiencing Religion in a Secular Age

The Relationship between Religious Experience and Experiencing Religion

Charles Taylor’s Concept of Secularity

Ann Taves’ Meaning System Framework

Experiencing Religion in a Secular Age

2 The Religious Legacy of the Christian Sunday

Sunday’s Christian Background and recent Sunday Activities

Experiencing Traditional Christian Practices on Sunday

Experiencing Religion during Sunday Service

Experiencing Religion beyond Traditional Religious Practices

Experiencing Religion according to Individualized Subjective Life Spirituality

3 Discussion

References

How Ordinary Moments Become Religious Experiences. A Process-Related Practical Theological Perspective (Sabrina Müller)

1 Introduction

Pluralisation of Lifestyles

Methodology

2 Religious Experiences – Special Everyday Experiences

The Religious Experiences of Abby and Kristine

The Subjectivity of Special Everyday Experiences

From the Absence to the Abundance of Words – Considerations on Method and Content

The Religious Moment, the Special Everyday Experience – Three Action Levels

Qualities of a Religious Experience

3 Discussion

References

Is Religious Experience Necessary for Interreligious Learning? An Empirical Critique of a Didactical Assumption (Alexander Unser)

1 Introduction

Religious Experience as a Necessary Precondition: an Outline of the Assumption

A Critical Re-Formulation of the Assumption

A Clarification of Concepts

2 Method

Research Questions and Hypotheses

Sample

Instruments

Computation

3 Results

Research Question 1: The Influence of Religious Experience

Research Question 2: Controlling for the Perception of Structure and Relevance

Research Question 3: How Privileging in Interreligious Learning Works

4 Discussion

References

Experience as a Binding Existential Dimension in Religious Education (Siebren Miedema)

1 The Crucial Role of Experience in Religion

2 The Core of the Process of (Religious) Education

3 Legitimizing the Binding Role of Experience

4 Conclusion

References

Religious Experience at School? On the Discussion About What Makes an Experience a Religious Experience Using Attribution Theory (Mirjam Zimmermann)

1 What is Religious Experience? A Definitional Perspective

2 Experiencing Religion: Faith Learning, Performance and Participation as Challenges in Religious Education. A Didactic Perspective

3 Do German Students Bring Religious Experiences with Them into the Religion Classroom? An Empirical Perspective also on the Situation around Siegen (NRW)

4 When Does an Experience Become a Religious Experience? Attribution Theory – a Perspective from the Psychology of Religion

5 Outlook. A Predicative Perspective

References

Religious Experience and Religious Educationin a Digital Era (Vasiliki Mitropoulou)

1 Introduction

2 Character of Religious Education in Schools

3 What are Religious Experiences Considered to Be?

4 Connections between Religious Education in Schools and Religious Experiences

5 Place of Religious Education in the Information Society

6 School Religious Education in Digital Era

7 The “Digital School” Project

8 Concluding Remarks

References

Teaching Religion and Religious Experience in Swiss Public Schools. Conceptualizations, Didactical Strategies and Challenges (Sophia Bietenhard & Petra Bleisch)

1 Introduction

2 Methodological Considerations and Sample Description

3 Religious Experience: Teachers and the Classroom

Teachers’ Definitions of Religious Experience

Teachers Deal with Their Own Religious Experiences in Classroom

Students Bring Their Religious Experience into the Classroom

Religious Experience Occurring when Teaching

4 Two Modes of teaching “Religion”

Religion Seen as a Phenomenon Sui Generis and Taught as a Value System

Religion Taught as Topic of General Knowledge and Seen as a Learning Opportunity

5 Conclusions and Prospects

References

Balancing on the Borders. How Swedish Teachers Deal with Personal Experiences of Religion in Non-Confessional Religious Education (Anders Sjöborg & Malin Löfstedt)

1 Introduction

Previous Research

Research Question

Theoretical Perspectives

Methodological Considerations

2 Results

Survey Results: Religious Symbols and Openness on Worldview in Classroom

Example 1: Sanna, female, born in the 1980’s

Example 2: Regina, female, born in the 1980’s

Example 3: Filip, male, born in the 1960’s

Example 4: Tariq, male, born in the 1960’s

Analysis

3 Concluding Discussion

References

Performative and Experiential Approaches to Art in Religious Education. An Empirical Project Based on Educational Design Research (Claudia Gärtner)

1 Methodological Approach: Didactical Design Research

Responsively Grounded, Learning Ecology

Interventionist

Iterative

Process-Focussed

Content-Focussed

Local Theory

2 Cycle of Research: “Developing Own Notions of the Resurrection by Using an Anastasis Icon”

Specifying the Learning Content and Learning Goals

Developing and Conducting the Design

3 Key Results

Learning Process

Learning Gains

4 Local Theory-Building

5 Religious Experience through Art?

References

“I Like These Lessons Because They Are More Personal” Mystagogical Learning – An Approach to Open Religious Education for (Religious) Experiences (Mirjam Schambeck)

1 Some Spotlights on Juvenile Statements Referring to the Question of God

2 The Concept and Aims of Mystagogical Learning

Human Being as Being Capable of God – Systematic-Theological Implications

Correlation as the Main Didactical Figure of Mystagogical Learning

God – from the Learners' Perspective

God – from the Perspective of Traditions

Mutual, Correlative and Critical-Productive Relationship between Subjects and Tradition

Why the Question of God Matters also Today – Potentials of Mystagogical Learning

3 Shapes of RE at School: Positional RE vs. Multi-Faith Approach

Contours of Positional Religious Education in Light of Confessional Approach and Multi-Faith Approach

Advantages of Religious Education Taught in the Concept of Positional Religious Education

4 The Role of the Existential Dimension in Religious Education: Again Some Spotlights

References

List of Authors and Editors