This is about living. It explores the diverse ways in which people practise their beliefs. It engages with the impact of beliefs on individuals, communities and societies.
In the context of RE, we have defined ‘human/social sciences’ as “conversations about the human dimension of religions and beliefs: enquiry into the lived and diverse reality of religions and beliefs in the world today”.
Religions and beliefs are not static entities that can be objectively studied. They are living and diverse, complex, sometimes chaotic, sometimes creative and always human (Jackson, Barratt and Everington, 1994; Dinham and Shaw, 2015).
This means that a balanced framework for RE needs be mindful of not just what a religion or belief system says it is (the ‘authoritative’ version, as it were), but also the multiple ways in which it is lived.
It is the difference between studying ‘Christianity’ and ‘Christians’ or ‘Islam’ and ‘Muslims’.
It is for this reason that the other two fields of enquiry are crucial, because the lived realities of religions and beliefs are often rooted in theological and philosophical interpretation. To that end, we have the opportunity to explore subject matter through the lens of social/human sciences.
These disciplines include three fields of enquiry that would offer a valuable contribution to a balanced framework for RE:
Individual identities: various human/social scientific disciplines (e.g. psychology, anthropology and sociology) consider questions of individual identity; considering subject matter through the lens of these disciplines would help pupils consider how the object of study contributes to or impacts the individual identities of a believer.
Communal identities: various human/social scientific disciplines (e.g. politics, anthropology and sociology) consider questions of communal identity; considering subject matter through the lens of these disciplines would help pupils consider how the object of study contributes to or impacts communal identities within and beyond religions and belief systems.
Social structures: various human/social scientific disciplines (e.g. politics, economics and sociology) consider questions about human society; considering subject matter through the lens of these disciplines would help pupils consider how the object of study contributes to or impacts upon human patterns of life.
Engaging with the methodologies of the human/social sciences will help students investigate the ways in which religions, beliefs and religious believers have shaped and continue to shape societies around the world.
They can promote better understanding of the ways in which religions and beliefs influence people’s understanding of power, gender, compassion, and so on.
The methodology includes listening to the voices and observing the practice of members of faith and belief communities. Considering both the strengths and weaknesses of religions and beliefs in their lived reality is a crucial element of helping pupils hold the balanced and informed conversations we hope for.
It also enables pupils to consider the nature of religion itself and the diverse ways in which people understand the term ‘religion’.