Religious Education: Modern Values and Personal Reflection

This essay delves into the intersection of religious education and modern values, arguing that religious education, contrary to secular perspectives, shares common ground with modern educational principles. The author reflects on personal experiences within the context of Hinduism, highlighting values such as self-awareness, respect, open-mindedness, and appreciation. The essay explores how religious teachings, particularly within Hinduism, foster these values, contributing to a positive attitude towards life and the ability to engage with complex issues. It emphasizes the importance of self-awareness in understanding personal beliefs, respecting others, and maintaining an open mind to diverse perspectives. The author concludes by asserting that religious education, when approached with a willingness to learn and appreciate different viewpoints, can cultivate positive attitudes and values essential for navigating the complexities of the modern world.

Running head: RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
One of the most striking features of modernity has been the secularization of the public
sphere, which implies that the institutions which were supposed to be beyond the realm of the
household were supposed to be separated from the influence of the church and brought under the
direct control of the sate which is essentially secular and free from the control of the clergy class.
This implies that the institution of education had been secularized and the role of religion from
the sphere of education had been done away with. The concepts of rationality, scientific attitude,
value freeness, objectivity, empiricism was thus born to ensure that the sphere of education is
free from any kind of blind faith. The values mentioned epitomized the concept of modernity and
a secular education which rejected the validity of anything that cannot discerned by the eyes,
experienced, must be proven, and must be objectively applicable. Naturally, religion which to the
skeptics is of devoid of any rational basis cannot be used as a credible source of information to
educate the masses, naturally the religious education is not considered as a form of education as
per the modern concept of education taken from the enlightenment philosophy. However there
are evidences which can be sourced from religious sources that can be used to show that the
values cherished by religious education are similar to the modern concept of education as a
legacy of the enlightenment. In this reflective piece of writing evidences, values and attitudes
having a modernist inclination in certain verses from the Bible shall be showcased to manifest
the fact that religious education is not totally devoid of the rational touch and that shall be
demonstrating the reason why I have personally taken to reading about religion more deeply
which is oriented towards the finding the connection between religious education and the modern
secular notion of education.
The various attitudes and values that are associated with religious education include self
awareness, respect for all, open mindedness, and appreciation and wonder.

2RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Self awareness refers to an individual’s quality of being aware of who he or she is, with
respect to the society. It is the awareness of what satisfies the individual and what values and
beliefs are possessed by him or her that would be able to shape the way the person thinks and
acts, to direct himself or herself in life. Self awareness, in my opinion, is vitally associated with
the concept of religious studies. This is because of the fact that religious studies take the form of
spirituality at some level, especially in Hinduism. It is for this reason why it is important to for
the individual to be able to explore himself or herself in the venture, which could only be
achieved upon achieving self awareness (Holley, 2016).
Respect for all refers to the act of having appreciation and acceptance towards all sorts of
people in the world except for the guilty. Respecting others is a vital value to have because the
main thing that has to be noted is the fact that religious texts and teachings have always been
supporting of the idea of respecting people and helping them, without the spread of violence.
Especially in Hinduism, Ahimsa is a significant teaching, which is the reason why in order to
align personal attitudes and values with the teachings of religious education (Billiet &
Muelleman, 2018).
Open mindedness is another attitude that is vitally required by anyone who is going to be
indulged in religious education. Open mindedness refers to acknowledging the opinions and
practices of various people from various backgrounds, without being judgmental about them, and
also to make sure that tolerance for the same is exhibited. Open mindedness is a characteristic
that has the quality of letting him or her understand and interpret knowledge about various
occurrences and practices that exist in the world, thereby, enlightening the individual with
knowledge. This knowledge is in turn highly important for the person to know so that he or she
can later justly analyze such occurrences and practices with the help of the teachings of religious

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education. This is why it is vital to have an open mindedness in the field (Jackson & Everington,
2017).
Another attitude to have is appreciation and wonder. This is a highly abstract attitude to
have and this is an attitude that immensely helps in open mindedness. This involves appreciation
for the world in the way that it is and also to ask questions about the world in which we live in. It
is also focused on acknowledging the fact that knowledge about the universe is entwined in
mysteries and one information leads to another, and the chain continues until one information
does not find a definite answer. This attitude is vital because of the fact that religious teachings
often teach about how God created the universe, and to understand this, certain unanswered
questions have to be thought of so that religious teachings could fill the void (Cox, 2018).
The religion of Hinduism has helped be to more aware of my own beliefs and my
personality. I have learnt to share my thoughts and ideas in public without any sense of
embarrassment. Also I am no more afraid to portray my own identity in front of others. The self-
awareness have also helped to develop a realistic as well as a positive sense of the religious and
spiritual ideas. Affirmation of self-worth is something have helped me to recognize my
uniqueness and I am able to fathom how the religious beliefs and the ideas can have an impact
over the other people.
I have become more motivated than I had been. I have learnt to respect others and value
the differences and the diversity of the other people. The value that I have gained from the
religious education, has taught me to prepare myself to recognize and be sensitive to the feelings
of the others. I have learnt to respect other’s ideas and I appreciate the fact that some attributes
are entirely inclusive and that the issues can affect their sentiments to a great extent. Thus it is

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necessary to listen to what they say and I have improved the willingness to learn from the others
as well.
The attitude that I have developed from the religion and it teachings is to be open
minded. It has helped me to develop a willingness for learning new things and to gain new
understanding of various situations. I have tried to go beyond the surface impressions and I try to
engage in arguments and behave in the most respectful manner and apprehend the situational
crisis in a reasonable way. This has also helped me to distinguish between the viewpoints, the
beliefs and the opinions with matters related to religion and faith.
I have learnt to appreciate the other people’s ideas and have effectively developed an
imagination power along with curiosity. In accordance with this, I have learnt to respect and
appreciate the wonder of the world in which the people live. This has eventually helped me to
develop the capacity to respond to the questions and the issues with proper understanding and
purpose. I have also started to recognize and understand that knowledge is bounded by mystery.
Thus the religion of Hinduism in Nepal and its teachings help to develop a positive attitude and
response towards life. Along with providing a strong sense of faith, the religious education has
helped me to improve my attitude and inherit positive values which have taught me to be self
aware, be open minded in different problematic situations and also respect the people and their
understanding of the religion. Every person have a different apprehension of their own faith and
religion and they should be properly heard before making any sort of judgement about them. The
religion of Hinduism has thus taught me to appreciate them and value them, keeping a positive
attitude to any kind of learning. Knowledge is what should be gathered with a willingness to
learn at every step.

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References
Billiet, J., & Meuleman, B. (2018). Religious Involvement: Its Relation to Values and Social
Attitudes. In Cross-Cultural Analysis (pp. 217-250). Routledge.
Cox, E. (2018). Changing aims in religious education. Routledge.
Holley, R. (2016). Religious education and religious understanding: an introduction to the
philosophy of religious education. Routledge.
Jackson, R. and Everington, J., 2017. Teaching inclusive religious education impartially: An
English perspective. British Journal of Religious Education, 39(1), pp.7-24.