Letters | Religious education at Hong Kong schools should broaden students’ minds
- Readers discuss the approach schools should take on religious education, and the district council elections
Your correspondent’s experience of being required to recite biblical quotes strongly resonated with me. In fact, I was forced to attend worship sessions and cell groups, was told not to visit temples with my Buddhist parents as all other gods are false idols and was asked to pray in the morning assembly as well as before lunch.
To be clear, I truly appreciate the contributions these religious schools have been making in nurturing generations of local talent. What I am calling for is comprehensive religious education whereby students are taught about different religions, not just a single religion, and given an option to attend any religious activity.
From my experience of studying in a Christian school, religious studies classes mean studying biblical stories and quotes and reflecting on ethics from a Christian point of view – an entirely one-sided approach. A religious studies curriculum that respects religious freedom would educate students on the history, culture and philosophy of different religions, and leave it them to make an informed choice on which religion they find more convincing. The ultimate aim of such lessons would be to cultivate in students the ability to embrace people from different backgrounds instead of pushing students into one religion.
I am not advocating that Hong Kong schools stop all religious activities, but that prayers, worship sessions and cell groups at school should be absolutely optional. This would require the Education Bureau to step in and issue relevant guidelines.