Religion in the Curriculum.

Abstract

IF THINGS are important in in verse ratio to the ease with which they may be defined, religion must be very im portant indeed; for no one can define it in a way acceptable to everyone. This may be seen as a bit of a handicap to those pro posing to study religion, whatever it is. Importance aside, it is only recently— since the 1963 Supreme Court ruling on de votional Bible reading—that the schools have become sure of the propriety of the study of religion in public institutions. Since then such study has dramatically increased, the lack of definition being reflected in the variety of the projects. In the light of the success of these projects, it now seems absurd that religion was so neglected for so long. Of course, the importance of religion does not hinge on its definition. Religion has significantly influenced man's history and literature. One does not have to be a Toynbee to recognize the pervasive influence, for good and for bad, of religion in history. The same is true in literature: not only does a good deal of modern and traditional literature deal with religious themes ("Religion and Literature"), not only does literature use the Bible ("Bible and Literature"), but also much of the sacred writings of the world's religions has literary merit itself ("Religious Literature"). Other approaches could be differenti ated, but these three represent the basic ways religion affects the literature curriculum. Most current projects are limited to the latter two, and of these most deal with the Bible. The projects discussed in this article repre sent only a sampling of the activities under way. More information on these, and a host of others, is available from the Religious In struction Association, a clearinghouse on methods and materials for the study of re ligion in public education (P. O. Box 533, Fort Wayne, Ind. 46801).