Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 86 No. 3, 2016.
Review article
The Image of God in Religious Education Textbooks
Denis Barić
; Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
On the basis of Biblical texts as the main criterion of analysis, the article is analysing religious education textbooks for elementary and secondary schools in the Republic of Croatia in order to determine which images of God dominate in these textbooks and how are they presenting the image of God to pupils of specific age, i.e. religious education grade. After a short presentation of the meaning of the term »image of God«, the article offers a short overview of the legislative framework related to textbooks for elementary and secondary schools in the Republic of Croatia, and continues with an overview of the image of God in these textbooks. The article is not providing a detailed analysis of each and every textbook, but instead groups the images of God according tothree levels: lower grades of elementary school, higher grades of elementary school, and religious education textbooks for secondary school. On the basis of religious education textbooks, the author individually identifies and interprets the images of God the Creator, God the Good Father, God the Saviour, God the Merciful Father, Biblical God, Living/Personal God, God of Freedom, God who can be experienced, and God of Hope. Bearing in mind the fact that God is infinitely greater than all our images and concepts of him, the article points out that religious education pupils are invited to build up, through religious education textbooks, a correct image of God who has been proclaimed to us by Jesus and witnessed with his own life.
Keywords
image of God; religious education textbooks; elementary school; secondary school; textbook´ standard
Hrčak ID:
170880
URI
Publication date:
17.12.2016.
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