Erziehen zur „Ehrfurcht vor Gott“ (Art 7 I LVerfNW) – eine unerledigte Anfrage an die Religionspädagogik

Norbert Mette

doi:10.1515/IJPT.2005.004

Abstract

A number of German constitutional provisions explicitly state that “awe of God” should be a prominent aim of lessons in school. Still, German scholars of religious pedagogy have never discussed the meaning of this guideline in detail. This might appear strange because a guideline regarding awe is explicitly concerned with religious questions, and must be regarded as an inherently relevant subject matter for religious pedagogy. As a first step in discussing this guideline, we will ask how it found entry into the constitutions and what is its actual legal meaning. As a second step, we will try to name reasons why scholars of religious pedagogy have rarely, if ever, commented on awe of God as a subject matter. A third step is to ask what religious pedagogues themselves must learn in order to make this constitutional guideline a relevant matter of interest that can be dealt with in an appropriate way. Otherwise, we risk putting too much weight on this part of our constitutions and approaching the subject in a way that religious educators would regard as inappropriate. Concluding this three-step analysis, we will consider how religious pedagogy might clarify the meaning of the “awe of God” guideline and implement it in our educational system.

Erziehen zur „Ehrfurcht vor Gott“ (Art 7 I LVerfNW) – eine unerledigte Anfrage an die Religionspädagogik

Abstract

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