Judaism in religious education

The Catholic Bishops may have been mistakenly advised in recommending Judaism rather than Islam as the second religion to be studied at GCSE in Catholic schools.

The reasons for this choice advanced by Philip Robinson (“Finding purpose in religious education”, Tablet Education, 6 May) rely on a distinction between what he sees as a secular concern for community cohesion and a religious concern “to ensure that all pupils have a good knowledge of the Catholic theological tradition”. He also exaggerates the extent to which Judaism can serve this end.

(Rev. Dr) Duncan Macpherson
St Mary’s University, Twickenham


I was somewhat nonplussed by Philip Robinson’s article because it concentrated exclusively on “head” knowledge. I would describe the purpose of RE as helping young people to encounter Christ on the level of the heart. They need to meet Christ, to discover the sort of person he was and is, to discover his love for them individually, and to want to follow him.

Mary Cole
Kearsley, Bolton, Greater Manchester