ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the call for a ‘new legal settlement’ to be found in some of the most recent reports on religious education. It is argued that the original 1944 settlement is actually ideal, and to change it would be a serious backward step. The existing settlement is much more liberal and suitable for our secular, religiously plural society than the various proposals that have been forthcoming in recent reports. Many of the perceived weaknesses in religious education can be addressed without altering the original settlement, whilst the task of revising the settlement carries with it significant political risks. A key driver for a change in the settlement is the perceived desirability of including ‘non-religious worldviews’ in religious education. However, the demand for including non-religious worldviews is also argued to be fundamentally misconceived. It puts in place an incoherent concept of ‘worldview’ that is grounded in a secular methodology, and in a secular agenda, which subverts religious understanding. Finally, the change in the conception of what religious education supposedly should be, fails to appreciate the political rationale for including religious education in the school’s curriculum. This rationale relates to the essence of religious life, which is to deepen the values to be transmitted to the next generation.
