ABSTRACT
British Religious Education has misrepresented the nature of religion in efforts to commend itself as contributing to the social aims of education, as these are typically framed in liberal democratic societies. In September 2005 the Religious Education Council for England and Wales complained about 'the prevailing liberal/secularist assumptions' that undermine the significance of Religious Education (RE) and noted that many faith community members are concerned about how their faith is portrayed and treated in schools. The intellectual roots of the phenomenology of religion proper can be traced to Liberal Protestant attempts in the late nineteenth century to develop a methodology for the study of religion that was descriptive, broad ranging and objective. The modern British RE has misrepresented the nature of religion and that this misrepresentation has actually worked to thwart efforts to realize the legitimate moral and social aims of education does not mean that it has not made some contribution to challenging religious intolerance and racism.
