Madam, - Lest your readers be left with inaccurate information about the teaching of religious education in schools under Church of Ireland management, I would like to explain how this issue is handled at my school, one of the largest of such schools. I suspect the situation is similar in other schools in our group.
We teach the religious education syllabus as laid down by the Department of Education and Science, a syllabus which respectfully considers Christianity and all other major world faiths, as well as philosophical systems such as humanism, atheism and agnosticism. The existence and dangers of cults are also studied, but major world faiths are not classed as such.
The conduct of the school and its entire ethos are conditioned by the traditional liberal and tolerant approach of the Church of Ireland. When teachers are asked difficult ethical, moral or theological questions (and such discussion is encouraged), they present the Church of Ireland view on the issue and follow with discussion of other possible views as held by other faiths and by people of no faith.
In this way, the honesty of personal faith can co-exist with a respect for diversity, encouraging pupils to understand that such diversity is normal in the world. We find that this policy serves our diverse school community well. - Yours, etc,
BRIAN DUFFY, Principal, The High School, Rathgar, Dublin 6.