W H A T D O P E O P L E S A Y A B O U T R E ?

1. WHAT DO PEOPLE SAY ABOUT RE?

2. ABBHIRAMI BALASUBRAMANIAM Trainee Chartered Accountant

3. Religious education is vital in providing young people today with an insight of other people's way of life. It broadens our understanding of the many cultures that we are are surrounded by and helps us to build great relationships between them. We are much more tolerant, open minded and considerate individuals through our religious education.

4. SAMUEL BARNETT Actor

5. Religious education is perhaps a misunderstood subject. It is not just about religion and who believes in what God or the different religious practices that exist today and throughout history. True, it gives us a context through which to view the history of the world and to see how it has shaped our lives and cultures today. But it is also an invaluable tool to aid in the teaching to our children of a profound lesson that we continue to learn for the rest of our lives: what it is to be human.

6. Intolerance continues to be one of the greatest dangers we face today. Without an understanding and acceptance of one another's journey through life, there can be no progress. No matter what we believe in or subscribe to, we each of us have a right to be understood and accepted for who we are. Religious education broadens our awareness of one another and encourages tolerance, understanding, inquisitiveness and consciousness.

7. We are all spiritual beings on a human journey, and religious education can be the catalyst for our understanding and acceptance of how each of us chooses to manifest and express this journey in our lives.

8. If we can teach children from an early age tolerance of one another's differences, from specific personal differences to religious and cultural differences on a global scale, there is great hope for a world with less conflict and pain and instead a world of open-mindedness, awareness and love; a world in which we can all be who we are without fear; a world in which "different" is celebrated.

9. GAIL BENMERIEM Muslim mum and Teaching Assistant

10. I think that RE is an essential part of a child's full and complete education. A child is able to learn about their own religion in a more in depth way to what they already know. With lots of different religions covered, it gives children an insight into other faiths and helps them to understand more. This, in turn, leads to a more tolerant society where children and adults from a multitude of religions can live and work together in harmony.

11. ALAN BRINE HMI, National Adviser for RE

12. Why celebrate RE …… …. because of what it means to so many children and young people. One of the privileges of being Ofsted’s national adviser for RE is the chance it gives to talk to pupils about their experience of the subject.

13. When RE is taught well pupils speak warmly of the opportunities it provides to understand the diversity of ideas abroad in the world; to make sense of issues they face personally and those that affect the society around them; and, to reflect at a serious level on their own beliefs and values.

14. JANECHIPPERTON Chair, Association of Religious Education Inspectors, Advisers and Consultants (AREIAC)

15. In a world in which diversity is increasingly obvious, with the possibilities of both unity and fragmentation, the significance of good religious education should not be underestimated. It offers children and young people vital and challenging opportunities not only to clarify their own beliefs, behaviours and values but also to understand those of others – even if they disagree with them. We are all now ‘cultural explorers’: what better context in which to make this exploratory journey than RE.

16. CHARLES CLARKE Former Secretary of State for Education

17. Faith is an immensely important element of the modern world. High quality religious education is intended to help appreciate what modern faith is, and also what it is not. A proper comprehension of faith is  an important part of modern education and so I welcome the efforts of Celebrating RE month to build that understanding.

18. ANDREW COPSON Chief Executive, British Humanist Association

19. Good RE has the potential not only to be a rigorous introduction to the diverse philosophical heritage of humanity but also a subject where, introduced to and engaging with a range of religious and non-religious beliefs and values, young people can refine their own developing worldviews. It can be a hugely important subject which has the potential to greatly enrich young people’s lives.

20. DENISECUSH Professor of Religion and Education, Bath Spa University, Chair of the Association of University Lecturers in Religion and Education (AULRE)

21. Religious education is a vital component of any young person’s education in a world where we are ever more aware of the need for human beings to live in peace together, sharing the resources of one planet, in spite of our diverse beliefs, values and customs. Religious education enables students to explore and understand a wide variety of ways of life, both religious and non-religious.

22. It also provides space for students to reflect on their own beliefs, values and lifestyle, appreciating and evaluating their traditions and heritage, and developing their own perspectives. In addition, religious education applies the insights of religious and non-religious philosophies to the major ethical issues facing the human race, and develops a wide range of useful skills from discussing controversial issues with fairness and respect to appreciating the artefacts of other cultures.

23. It is still often not fully appreciated that over the last 40 years in Britain we have developed a multi-faith, non-confessional religious education that meets the needs of all students whether religious or not, and is looked to as an example by other countries around the world.

24. The National Celebration of Religious Education organised by the Religious Education Council (including the wealth of activities planned by schools, faith communities and local authorities) provides a marvellous opportunity for the achievements of religious education to be brought to the attention of a wider audience.

25. NAOMI DALTON Religious Education Council Administrator

26. As a school student, I didn’t feel particularly inspired by RE as a subject, particularly as most of the work we were given was written, and did not involve any learning outside the classroom. Since I have been involved in the preparations for Celebrating RE Month, however, I have had the opportunity to witness some wonderful examples of RE being taught well, notably through the entries we received for our competitions.

27. I now realise that good RE often incorporates art, music, history, group activities, school trips and allows pupils of all different religious and cultural backgrounds to explore, understand and celebrate their differences.

28. Having previously worked with asylum-seeking young people at the Refugee Council, who often told stories of feeling isolated at school and being treated with indifference and, at times, contempt because of their backgrounds, I now appreciate the integral role RE can have in bridging these social divides, and creating a society which doesn’t just tolerate, but understands and is proud of its diversity.

29. LESLIE J FRANCIS Professor of Religions and Education Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit

30. The inclusion of the question on religious affiliation in the national census for the first time in 2001 demonstrated political commitment to recognising the importance of the social significance of religion in the public square. Good quality religious education is crucial for ensuring public awareness of the rights and responsibilities of living in a multicultural and multifaith society.

31. SATOKO FUJIWARA Professor, University of Tokyo and member of the Executive Committee of the International Association for the history of religions (IAHR)

32. Japanese researchers in religious education strongly appreciate their relationship with religious education specialists in England and Wales. As representatives of the East Asian Nations, we send good wishes for the month of Celebrating RE.

33. BRUCE GRELLE Professor, California State University, Chico and American Academy of Religion

34. In the United States of America it is difficult to include studies of religion in the curriculum of publicly funded schools. Experiments are happening, for example with the cooperation of Harvard University, California State University at Chico, and the American Academy of Religion. Researchers and curriculum developers in the United States warmly appreciate their relationship with colleagues from England and Wales. We send greetings and best wishes for the Celebrating RE month.

35. MUHAMMAD ABDEL HALEEM OBE, Professor of Islamic Studies, University of London

36. I wholeheartedly support and appreciate the role that multi faith RE plays in promoting understanding and respect between communities and individuals.  Our children in this country now and in the future need to understand and respect each other's religious values.  This is the key to the social cohesion and harmony, which we all hope for. I sincerely hope that this cause will receive the support it deserves from the authorities and the public.

37. JOANNA HANN Primary School Teacher and RE Coordinator

38. As a primary school teacher, I have a huge responsibility and privilege to influence the children I teach. This is not just through the teaching of curriculum subjects, such as RE, but also by contributing to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Children learn about faiths and beliefs through the sights, sounds, and smells they experience. This encourages the children to engage with religion, learn about other people and decide what religions and beliefs mean to them and to the lives that they lead.

39. MARY HAYWARD Associate Fellow, Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit, University of Warwick

40. Religious Studies, well taught, offers students experiences and insights pertinent to living in the 21st century. Students’ learning offers engagement with those of differing faiths and cultures, and the development of capacities - both empathetic and critical - to understand them.

41. In this process students also develop their self understanding; they encounter the question of what it is to be human, and reflect on the human condition; they discover the ‘visions’ of religions and other worldviews, and the power of commitment to shape the world for good - but also for strife and conflict. In our global society such insights are more relevant than ever – CELEBRATE a curriculum which affirms them!

42. HANS-GUNTER HEIMBROCK Professor, Goethe University, Frankfurt and Convenor of ENRECA

43. The European network for research in religious education (ENRECA) admires the work that is being done in England and Wales in the field of religious education. We wish you a very successful month of Celebrating RE.

44. JOHNHULL Honorary Professor of Practical Theology in The Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education and Emeritus Professor of Religious Education in The University of Birmingham

45. Religion is not only often associated with conflicts; it is also the source of many of the values which promote peace. Young people growing up in a complex world full of conflicts need to know about religion. The search for the spiritual values which lead to peace is also important in the personal lives of students. For their individual lives as well as for their wider participation in society, knowledge and understanding of religions must continue to be a basic aspect of educational provision.

46. SOLLY IRVING Holocaust Survivor

47. RE is so important today because it enables young people to understand the world and why we are different. Our young people are the future and it is imperative that how they choose to live is informed by the history of the world and the wisdom of our elders. As a Jew and a Holocaust survivor I hope these young people will become our future witnesses. The lessons, from that darkest of times, must be known and not forgotten.

48. Over the past ten years, I have travelled down from London each year to speak to what must now be over 20,000 young people in Plymouth schools. Religious Education has created these possibilities. These opportunities have made it possible for me to touch their hearts and minds with something of my testimony so that when they grow up and go out into the world they will help build a better future for all people. 

49. BOB JACKSON Director, Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit, University of Warwick and Professor: European Wergeland Centre, Oslo

50. Religious education in England and Wales does an enormous amount to promote understanding between people belonging to or associated with different religious traditions. School students in England and Wales, unlike those in many countries, have the opportunity through religious education not only to learn about their own religion and culture, but to understand and appreciate the religious ways of life of others. The Celebrating RE month is a wonderful acknowledgement of the importance and value of religious education in the 21st-century.