Learning to be Inclusive

  Mass is the central act of Christian worship, which culminates in celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist . According to the ancient eucharistic doctrine the elements of bread and wine are converted ( transubstantiated) into the body and blood of Christ, though the outward appearances of the elements, their “accidents,” remain,  Catholicism maintains that Christ's body and blood are present in the consecrated host (the wafer of bread upon which the priest says the words of Jesus from the Last Supper: "This is my body") and in the consecrated wine (over which the priest says the words of Jesus: "This is the chalice of my blood"). Five hundred years ago, belief in this supernatural process was an essential pillar of British Christianity where it was activated daily by priests before their congregations. Regular church attendance to partake of the consecrated bread and wine was mandatory for an individual to be included as a member of the community. Suc...

Today an increasing number of people around the world believe that this is the only life we have, that the universe is a natural place with no supernatural side, and that we have the freedom to shape our own lives. In English law the school curriculum has to treat religious and non-religious worldviews with ‘equal respect’. However, the complications of organising religious education mean that, what is now clear under the law, has still not filtered down into practice in many schools. Basically, compliance requires a space in a personal curriculum for schooling and lifelong learning where moral and ethical questions are explored. The special educational space supports people to develop their own personal body of knowledge with individual beliefs and values and allows them to learn about the beliefs and values of others. Children’s rights to freedom of belief requires them to be free to form those beliefs and that requires a broad and balanced education about religious and non-religious...