Religious and Moral Education: an Exploration of some Relevant Issues

Abstract Religious and moral education may be regarded by some educators as discrete and separate subjects, but it is argued in this paper that they have close relationships with each other. Moral socialization is an essential part of growing up, and young people need to be made aware of the ethos of their society. In the past in Britain the moral code was largely derived from the Christian faith, and educators in a secular society face difficulties helping young people to work out their form of commitment and to live by a moral code. For the religious person, belief and moral commitment belong inescapably together in one ultimate vision. Thus it is argued that religious and moral education should be planned together and not be conceived as separate subjects in the school curriculum