Religious Education as Small ‘i’ Indoctrination: How European Countries Struggle with a Secular Approach to Religion in Schools

Oct 15, 2026

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The article critically examines European religious education and argues that most models preserve a religious understanding of religion across confessional, integrative, and even compulsory alternative subjects. Schools are said to offer limited opportunities to develop a secular perspective grounded in a non-theological study of religion, while the religious character of integrative approaches is often minimized. By comparing separative and integrative models, it frames the distinction between religious and secular approaches as a human rights issue and highlights how Christian hegemony and stereotypes hinder unbiased views of other religions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction: ‘Religious education’ and religious education research

Religious Education models and the argument for “small ‘i’ indoctrination”

Human rights implications of secular versus religious approaches

Comparative analysis: separative (Germany) and integrative (Norway, England)

doi: 10.26529/cepsj.688 Religious Education as Small ‘i’ Indoctrination: How European Countries Struggle with a Secular Approach to Religion in Schools Wanda Alberts1 • This article critically reviews the European religious education landscape and argues that a religious notion of religion prevails in most models, not only in confessional RE but also in integrative models and even in so-called alternative subjects that are compulsory for pupils who do not take part in confessional RE. Thus, schools in Europe provide hardly any chance for pupils to acquire a secular perspective on religion and religious diversity, based on a non-theological study of religion. Furthermore, the explicitly or implicitly religious character, particularly of integrative approaches or obligatory alternative subjects to confessional RE, is frequently hidden or played down. Building on analyses of separative (Germany) and integrative (Norway, England) models of RE, the article argues that carefully distinguishing between religious and secular approaches to religion in school is a serious human right’s issue, not least because only secular approaches may be compulsory. The predominant religious framing of religion –that is always linked to confirming the exceptional position of Christianity among the religions in RE – in combination with an actual lack of secular alternatives creates a climate of what may be called ‘small ‘i’ indoctrination’, i.e., an unquestioned discursive hegemony of a particular (Christian) notion of religion as a frame of reference for almost all education about religion, which is, furthermore, often represented as if it constituted not a particular religious view of religion, but a kind of universal perspective on religion. This results in highly problematic conceptualisations, both of religion in general and individual religions – most visibly in stereotyping ‘other’ religions, that are not complemented with an unbiased secular perspective. Thus, the subject matter religion is widely exempted from the secular approach to education in European schools, while a particular religious perspective on religion is promoted, even in models that are designed for all pupils ofa religiously heterogeneous class. Keywords: religious education, Europe, small ‘i’ indoctrination, Germany, Norway, England 1 Faculty of Philosophy, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany; [wanda.alberts@irw.uni-hannover.de](wanda.alberts@irw.uni-hannover.de). Religijsko izobraževanje kot indoktrinacija z malim ‘i’: kako se evropske države spoprijemajo s sekularnim pristopom k religijskemu izobraževanju Wanda Alberts • Prispevek kritično oceni področje evropskega religijskega izobraževanja. Vnjem opozarjamo, da religijsko pojmovanje religije prevladuje v večini modelov, ne lev konfesionalnem religijskem izobraževanju, ampak tudiv integrativnih modelih in celovt. i. alternativnih predmetih, ki so obvezni za učence, ki se ne udeležujejo konfesionalnega religijskega izobraževanja (verouka). Javne šole v Evropi učencem izjemno redko predstavljajo laično perspektivo o religiji in religijski raznolikosti, ki bi temeljila na neteološkem preučevanjureligije. Polegtegapa je eksplicitno ali implicitno religiozen značaj še zlasti integrativnih pristopov ali obveznih alternativnih predmetov verouku pogosto skrit alipaje pomen tega minimaliziran. V prispevku s pomočjo analize seperativnega (Nemčija) in integrativnega (Norveška, Anglija) modela religijskega izobraževanja pokažemo, da je skrbno razlikovanje med religioznimin laičnim pristopom k religiji v šolah resno vprašanje človekovih pravic in da so lahko za učence obvezni le predmeti o religijah, ki temeljijo na laičnih pristopih. Prevladujoče religiozno uokvirjanje religije –ki je vedno povezanoz izpostavljanjem izjemnega položaja krščanstva med religijami, obravnavanimi v religijskem izobraževanju – v kombinaciji z dejanskim pomanjkanjem laičnih alternativ ustvarja klimo, ki bi jo lahko poimenovali kot indokt

FAQs

What is the central claim about European religious education models?

Most European models are argued to retain a religious notion of religion, not only in confessional settings but also in integrative models and compulsory alternative subjects.

Why does the article argue that pupils struggle to gain a secular perspective?

It states that schools provide hardly any chance for pupils to acquire a secular perspective based on a non-theological study of religion, while religious characteristics of some approaches are often hidden or downplayed.

How do separative and integrative models factor into the human-rights argument?

The article compares separative and integrative RE models to argue that distinguishing religious and secular approaches is a serious human-rights issue, especially since only secular approaches may be compulsory.

Oct 15, 2026

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