Why does an education in Religion and Worldviews (R&W) matter? – Emily (KS2)

Emily, aged 10, demonstrates the importance of understanding the world in which we live and making sense of it. She draws on global and historical perspectives to support her arguments! Great stuff Emily!

RE to me is extremely important and should be taught in schools because there are many, many different types of religions and beliefs and to learn about not only how people carry out these beliefs but why they do, what made them follow a certain belief or if they were born into a family with religious beliefs and then decided to follow a particular religion or another. RE helps you understand the world where you live in. In Britain and across the world, billions of people follow a religion and have different practise to ensure this. RE helps us to understand these practices and identify differences in them. I think that teaching RE in schools helps to prevent racism and discrimination against different religions and ethnicities.

In schools RE is important because otherwise when children are older, they will not know what the respectful terms for religious items are and may offend people who follow a particular religion. A school RE education is important because you need to understand specific pieces or art with religious items and RE encourages children to think about their own beliefs and religion helps us to think about the world we live in today and how we treat people in it.

RE should be taught, it is important and beneficial to children to know about religious beliefs whilst they are young and can take in different perspectives and can perceive beliefs in different ways and can be open to different religions and different types of practices and values.

Religious leaders are also an exceptionally important subject to teach in RE because we should understand the importance of what the religious leaders did to affect their religion and to enlighten their people. Also that religious leaders changed and developed their religion and the world in ways that we all should try to achieve ourselves.

A more thorough understanding of RE is important for children and for older people in schools; secondary and primary as you will thoroughly understand what religions went through to be where they are now and to understand who in history made these changes and developments. I think that not nearly enough people know about their religion and its origins and that should be something that every child knows, even if they don’t have a religion and RE is where they can know this and ask about this freely.

Children being taught RE is important because at this stage of their lives and meeting different religions it is especially so, to learn about the reason for their religions is important too.

This is why I think that RE is important in the schools across the world to be taught and I also think that children should have a say in their own religion too.

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