MORAL EDUCATION AND RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION; A PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE
Keywords:
Moral education, Religious instruction, Philosophy, Ethics, Values, EducationAbstract
The development of consciousness and identity of individuals and communities on ethical and moral issues requires moral education along with the instruction of religion. In the current societal conditions, the philosophy of moral education constitutes moral education’s focus on the transmission, internalization, and practice of values. While both moral education and moral formation along with instruction and integration of religion pivots on spiritual and theological narratives, the present research attempts to delineate the philosophical perspectives of that integration. It investigates the historical dimensions and foundations of moral education considering the influence of religion on moral evolution, the philosophical rationales both for and against the debated integration of religious education within the framework of formal education, and education’s implications on integrated and overall development of the human person. This study is anchored in virtue ethics theory as articulated by Aristotle, complemented by Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of moral development. Virtue ethics emphasizes character formation through habituation, moral exemplars, and community values, aligning with the moral and spiritual aims of religious instruction. Kohlberg’s developmental theory provides a psychological dimension, explaining how individuals progress through stages of moral reasoning—from externally imposed norms to autonomous ethical judgment. Together, these theories provide a philosophical and developmental framework for understanding how moral education and religious instruction contribute to ethical maturity and social responsibility. In addressing the issues, integrating arguments from the writings of the ancients and more recent authors, the author presents the case for a pluralistic dialogical approach as a means of constructive moral engagement.
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