Critical Pedagogy of Religion – an Outline

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present the genesis and the development of religious education in the critical paradigm aspect. The main thesis introduces 20th century pedagogical and religious inquiries by means of analysis primarily involved in the phase of ideological and critical interpretation. A few major traditions connected with religious education are discussed, including the American, Anglo-Saxon and German research established at the beginning of the 20th century and most intensively developed over the interwar period, due to the demands of liberal theology and emancipation trends. The German analysis appears to be crucial, with its demands of critical reviews of religious upbringing in the Protestant Church in Germany, where they were initiated mainly by educators and school teachers. Religious education based on the critical paradigm was not focused on shaping theology, monotheism or even evangelicality then, but above all humanity in the excellent form of its Divine origin. The text not only presents the aspect of critical religious education, but at the same time discusses selected aspects of social, psychological or philosophical research. Therefore, the issues of upbringing and religious education receive a wider range of possible criteria and tools enabling its understanding. The research mostly concerns contemporary matters present in Polish religious education and a crucial role is played by the works of C. Rogowski, B. Milerski and J. Bagrowicz.

English translation: Anna Moroz-Darska

Modernisation of the journal's operations and translation into the English language of articles published in Ars Educandi in 2012-2017 were financed with funds from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education as a part of the task Science Promotion Activity (pl. DUN).

The task ‘The implementation of the editorial module on the platform of Uniwersyteckie Czasopisma Naukowe – a system facilitating the editing and management of the academic journal Ars Educandi‘ was financed as a part of contract 661/P-DUN/2018 of 12.06.2018 from funds of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education designated for the promotion of science.

The task ‘The creation of a modern online version of the academic journal Ars Educandi through the implementation of the publication module on the platform of Uniwersyteckie Czasopisma Naukowe and the handling of international indexing databases’ was financed as a part of contract 661/P-DUN/2018 of 12.06.2018 from funds of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education designated for the promotion of science.

The task ‘Preparation of the English language version of the last 6 annual issues (2012-2017) of the academic journal Ars Educandi and their publication online’ was financed as a part of contract 661/P-DUN/2018 of 12.06.2018 from funds of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education designated for the promotion of science.