Bærekraftig livstolkning – KRLEfaget som brobygger mellom religionenes og ungdommenes klimaengasjement

Abstract

In this chapter, the authors focus on textbooks’ portrayal of religions and worldviews and their thinking and practice regarding environmental, climate and sustainability issues. Tomren shows how religious institutions work with environmental problems and climate change and analyzes how textbooks designed for religious education in the Norwegian school system address this commitment. His method thus falls under what is referred to as ideological textbook analysis. None of the analyzed books contain texts that explain how various religious institutions are involved in environmental work. The analysis also shows that textbooks for religious education do not place much priority on environment and climate ethics. Another finding is that environmental ethics is detached from the general descriptions of world religions in these books. Tomren argues that the new curricula for Norwegian schools (which will be introduced in 2020–2021), with an emphasis on sustainability education and existence-oriented instruction, requires an upgrade of material that shows how climate and environmental commitment is rooted in reflection and practice in world religions today. Tomren suggests that by taking these steps, the school system can provide a more truthful presentation of religion than they do in existing textbooks and that this can contribute to improved and more relevant environmental education.