cruz soares teaching religion in brazil, in public schools_proofs

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Teaching Religion in Brazil, in Public Schools andConfessional Colleges

Eduardo R. Cruz and Afonso L. Soares, Pontifical Catholic Universityof So Paulo, BrazilAbstract. This essay is part of a collection of short essays solicited from authorsaround the globe who teach religion courses at the college level (not for professionalreligious training). They are published together with an introduction in TeachingTheology and Religion 18:3 (July 2015). The authors were asked to provide a briefoverview of the curriculum, student learning goals, and pedagogical techniquesemployed in their courses.

This short essay describes two personal experiences in a huge country with diverse situ-ations, in a context that is broadly Western and European (Iberian). The first half (byAfonso Soares) describes Religious Education (RE) in public schools, in a religiouslydiverse (but overwhelmingly Christian) country with separation between church andstate. The second part, by Eduardo Cruz, describes RE in the context of a confessional(albeit largely secularized) university. Our accounts are quite different because of thedifferences in the contexts we describe: one describes the curriculum for public schoolsthat are open to some form of religious education, and the other describes mandatorycourses in confessional universities. Classroom activities, assignments, curriculum, andapproaches to teaching are quite different at this kind of university compared to publichigh schools, and they vary from place to place. Classes in high school last only anhour, whereas college classes are typically two to three hours long. What distinguishescollege-level work is more demanding activities, such as seminars prepared by groups ofstudents.

Religious Education in Elementary and High SchoolsThe discipline of Religious Education (RE) is the result of the didactic transposition ofknowledge produced in the Sciences of Religion (ScR) for classes in elementary andsecondary public education. Unfortunately, there is not wide agreement between thevarious sectors involved with the subject (education professionals, religious leaders,political officials, and spokespersons for public opinion) about how the kind of knowl-edge acquired by religious experience of humankind should be related to the pedagogi-cal methods that introduce it to young citizens in the school system. The difficulty isindeed epistemological but also carries considerable political weight. There has longbeen tension between ensuring the legitimate access of students to RE (on behalf of theprinciple of religious freedom) and preserving the secular state (which cannot compro-mise with one or another religious denomination).

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IN OTHER CLASSROOMS

Special Section on Signature Pedagogies inComparative Perspective

2015 John Wiley & Sons LtdTeaching Theology & Religion, Volume 18, Issue 3, July 2015296

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In the 1930s Brazils secular state switched from refusing to allow any form of RE inpublic schools to advocating that every family has the right to demand adequate reli-gious formation in the public school system for their children on behalf of freedom ofworship. The problem has been to find a model that overcomes REs confessionalimpasse (where each religious denomination wants to indoctrinate its own students). Ifthis were resolved it would benefit the learners themselves greatly, because they wouldhave access to a sensitive, though independent, presentation of the findings of thestudies of religion.

Brazilian law Article 33 of Law No. 9475 of July 22,1997 states that registrationfor RE is optional, but it is an integral part of the basic training of the citizen. It alsoconstitutes a discipline in normal hours of public schools up to eighth grade, and itsecures respect for religious diversity in Brazil, prohibiting all forms of proselytism.Therefore, RE in public education must be non-confessional. In reality, however, severaldifferent theoretical and methodological models for RE continue to exist in differentpublic school contexts, each generating different content and postures (both political anddidactic) in teaching-learning situations.

In Brazil there are at least three embodiments of RE: the catechetical-doctrinal, thetheological-ecumenical, and the ScR-related.

The Catechetical model is the oldest, it is related to contexts in which religionenjoyed hegemony in society, and it still survives in current practice many con-tinue betting on this hegemony, using, in turn, modern methods. It is followed bythe theological model, which is built in an effort to dialogue with secular andplural society and on anthropological bases. The latest model is located withinScR and provides theoretical and methodological references for the study andteaching of religion as an autonomous discipline fully inserted into school curri-cula. It is aimed at opening the way for a more critical RE, laying its foundationsand requirements in the scientific universe within the commonplace of other disci-plines taught in schools. (Passos 2007, 54)

The catechetical and theological models (defended by the leadership of the CatholicChurch) develop from the idea that the citizen has the right to obtain, with the supportof the state, a religious education consistent with the faith that the Church confesses. Incontrast, the ScR model, develops from the idea that , religion is a social and culturalphenomenon subject to personal cultivation and therefore argues that knowledge ofreligion is part of the general education and contributes to the complete formation of thecitizen, and should thus be the responsibility of school systems and subject to the samerequirements of other areas of knowledge that make up the school curricula (Passos2007, 65)

Obviously, the ScR approach does not ensure abstract neutrality. Educating someonemeans imparting knowledge and values. Thus the ScR approach is not the same as thosewho would advocate some sort of generalized religion.

Proponents of ScR as the epistemological basis for RE see it as the best way toanswer the theoretical, social, political, and pedagogical challenges to the study of reli-gion for the formation of citizens, in order to reduce confusion between religious-oriented education and education for citizenship (Soares 2010). With proper training,ScR teachers can foster citizenship and humanization among the pupils, through knowl-edge of religion and values preserved by religious traditions.

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How Is Knowledge about Religion Handled in Classrooms?There is no simple answer to how teachers design courses and teach about religion inthe RE classroom. The rules are not clear. Different states in Brazil have different REcurricula. Nevertheless, among the followers of all three models of RE, there is a con-sensus that the best way to engage students is the existential approach.

Assignments and activities typically used to facilitate this kind of learning in our stu-dents vary. At first, and generally speaking, teachers encourage students to share theirpersonal experiences with their classmates (their life story, the context where they live,their culture, religious practice). The activities may vary depending on the age of thechildren and the maturity of the class. The teacher can ask an open question, such as:Tell us about your life, your family, and your neighborhood. Or the teacher can assignan individual activity: Write an essay about how you became who you are today?.This type of activity generates a lot of discussion and exchange of information and per-ceptions in the classroom. The teacher must carefully identify situations of conflict,racism, or prejudice and, little by little, can suggest other possible views to students,showing that we can evaluate cultures, religions, and situations differently, insofar as weallow ourselves to change.

Another productive activity is to ask students to speak, write, draw, or act out thingsthat exist in the world (good or bad). Then they do the same with things, feelings, orvalues that they wish existed (or so they think). Sharing results gives way to discussingtopics such as faith, values, cultures, rituals, religion, God/gods, and the spiritual world.

When it comes time to study religious rituals, it is always helpful to begin the discus-sion with actual experiences from the students own family and school life. Students areencouraged to see the presence of rites at various stages of their lives, whether they areexplicitly religious or not (examples include singing the national anthem, flag raising,graduation ceremonies, girls debutante balls, inaugurations of banks and public build-ings, and so forth). From this starting point, the teacher extends the discussion to theimportance of rituals in our daily lives. Ritual creates meaning that is beyond scientificmodels (and so it of course should not be excluded from human knowledge). The stu-dents personal experiences relationships that the teacher can build between socialreality and the different religious experiences present among pupils.

Religious Education in the University SettingOur university, Pontifical Catholic University of So Paulo (PUC-SP), is a typical largeconfessional university of some fifteen thousand undergraduate students with diversereligious and spiritual backgrounds. Most students are somewhat indifferent to religionas a subject of discussion, and are wary of religious norms and doctrine. The disciplineof religious culture (in the case of PUC-SP, Introduction to Theological Thought) isaimed at freshmen, but (freshmen twice?). They arrive with some curiosity about thiskind of course, not knowing what to expect, even though many of them initially assumethat it will be little more than confessional religious instruction.

One major hurdle has little to do with religion itself. For many reasons (too many todiscuss here), most students can only attend university part-time. This is especially trueof private universities. Therefore, even when students are actually interested in thisintroductory course in religion, they often do not have much opportunity to studyoutside of class.

That said, we approach this situation as a challenge, not an obstacle. Our approachdraws on some forty years of shared experience, as well as several research projects


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developed in our graduate program in Religious Studies. Rather than teaching religion,our basic goal is to evoke students own religious sensibilities and experiences, insofaras they are relevant to the academic context. The first step is to offer epistemologicalgrounding for the claim that both scientific and religious knowledge stem from commoncognitive mechanisms that fulfill basic human needs. We discuss criteria for the recogni-tion of religion in our society, contemporary trends, and the importance of studyingthem. We also show how scholars from different areas approach religion, and how reli-gion is implicit in many academic undertakings and in society at large.

Rather than resorting to a textbook, we provide students with a number of short texts(in many cases, contemporary materials from newspapers and the internet), PowerPointpresentations, videos, and movies, stimulating small group or classwide discussion.

Second, we present theology as an academic discipline in search ofinterdisciplinarity, in the context of any university, not just confessional ones. Weexamine what theology has to learn from the natural and human sciences, and what itoffers to them. What does it mean to say that theology concerns the same reality as theother sciences, sub specie aeternitatis? Finally, we proceed to the ethical realm: whatare the main ethical concerns in students own milieux? How do academic disciplinesdeal with them? What is the specific contribution of religion, and the role of theology init? Is religion the root of all evil, as Dawkins (2008) puts it, or seen more accurately,is it a source of good?

Building upon our many years of experience, we recently published several volumeson the relationship between theological thought and academic experience from differentfields of knowledge. The fields include the Natural Sciences, Law, Health, Culture, Edu-cation, and so on. The inaugural volume in the series is on Theology and other areas ofknowledge (Passos 2010). The publishers website gives a helpful synopsis of the entireTeologia na universidade series (Paulinas 2011, in Portuguese).

The following curriculum comprises these two main points (religion at large and the-ology) over two semesters:

Academic (scientific) compared to religious forms of knowing Religion anthropological roots and forms Religion and its presence in society World religions, their profile and challenges Theology as an academic discipline, and its relationship with different areas of

knowledge (the content changes from class to class, according to the preferences ofthe students major)

Religion and ethics local and global challengesWhat is expected from students is, first, to recognize the presence of religion in theireveryday affairs religion as more than just one component of cultural life, attended tomostly over the weekends. There are religious overtones in whatever they think and do,whether they recognize it or not. Second, they should recognize that common senseabout religion in the contemporary world is marred by prejudice and emotionalism (forexample common misunderstandings about Islamic practice). There is, therefore, a needfor a more scientific approach to religion. Third, theology is not just a matter of churchpolity, but is a valid and necessary partner in academic dialogue. Finally, students mustexplore proper ethical stances in face of the many challenges in our world, and look atthe proper role of religion in them.

Opportunities for assessment happen throughout the course and at its end. Besidesregular tests and end of term papers, students are evaluated when leading seminars


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(usually involving PowerPoint presentations), and in other more informal ways. Eachteacher in each class will have different ways of evaluating their students learning. Themain purpose of evaluation is not to measure memorization but to allow students toovercome commonsensical thinking about religion in their everyday life.

Despite several informal follow-up evaluations of courses, it is hard to say how suc-cessful our classes are at achieving our goals. Most students end up with a more favor-able view of the issues discussed during the course and, hopefully, of their own religiouschoices. The degree of information retained varies, but at least students gain the skills toseek information on their own from proper sources. The amount of explicit Christian(and Catholic) doctrine that is taught changes from one field of knowledge to the other,depending on the sense of opportunity (for example, what is being reported through themass media), student demand, and especially the connections between our syllabus andother courses in the curricula.

Despite being a curriculum designed for confessional universities, content andmethods are designed as though they were for secular universities. Our goal is that anystudent could profit from these courses, regardless of their professional interests, reli-gious upbringing, or choice of college or university. That is a positive aspect of our uni-versity being perhaps the most secularized among other confessional universities:doctrinal elements are only presented after a lengthy detour, making them more plau-sible for a usually skeptical audience. In our estimation, this approach engages moreintelligently other academic areas, and allows for a better presence of religion and theol-ogy in the public arena.

Bibliography

Dawkins, Richard. 2008. Root of all Evil? London, U.K.: Channel 4.Passos, J. D. 2007. Ensino religioso; construo de uma proposta. So Paulo, Brazil:

Paulinas.Paulinas. 2011. Teologia na universidade. http://www.paulinas.org.br/sala_imprensa/

?system=news&id=397&action=read (accessed 13 April 2015).Soares, A. M. L. 2010. Religio & Educao: da cincia da religio ao ensino

religioso. So Paulo, Brazil: Paulinas.Passos, Joo Dcio, ed. 2010. Teologia e outros saberes: uma introduo ao pensamento

teolgico. So Paulo: Ed. Paulinas.

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