Education for Tolerance

Abstract

There is much consensus about the need for education for tolerance today. Given the increasingly multi-religious character of contemporary societies, tolerance is considered an aim of education that must receive more and more attention, in practice as well as in theory. Concerning the role of religion in relationship to tolerance, however, there are conflicting views. On the one hand, religion is often seen as a source of intolerance. On the other hand, religious traditions are viewed as important sources of tolerance. Should education for tolerance then be secular, avoiding religion as a source of exclusion and devaluing the other? Or does education for tolerance need a religious basis in order to be effective? Is it even possible to educate for tolerance without reference to religion as a source for both, tolerance as well as intolerance? Against this backdrop, this chapter discusses two questions. First, is tolerance enough or should education instead focus on different aims—on respect and mutual recognition? And second, what should be the role of religion in the context of education for tolerance? These questions are discussed in conversation with different understandings of tolerance, in philosophy and theology, as well as in theories of education. The author aims for a richer understanding of tolerance beyond passive acceptance of difference. Moreover, education for tolerance must also be based on empirical research which can be used for discerning the relationship between religion and tolerance in relation to children and youth and for unfolding different possibilities for successfully educating for tolerance in different fields, pre-school institutions, religious education in school, educational programs offered by religious communities. In sum, the paper tries to show that education for tolerance will only be effective if it includes the religious dimension—in ways, however, that clearly support tolerant attitudes.