1 minute read
The Bible story
from Time to Talk
3. Bigger stories
We’ve looked at some examples of how conversations about RSE might arise at home or in a school context. Let’s step back to consider further the bigger stories being told around us every day.
No one lives in a vacuum. Everyone exists within a story of the world which influences their sense of purpose and their values. Obviously, for Christians, the Bible speaks deeply to these questions; Muslims will look to the Qur’an, while others may look to a non-religious value base.
As a subject, RSE is concerned with fundamental questions about human dignity, identity and relationships. Implicit and explicit judgements will be made about what it is to be human, why relationships matter, as well as whether there is any meaning or purpose in sexuality.
While facts are increasingly being disputed, the most contested aspects of RSE provision are often about very different beliefs or values – what is healthy or harmful and good or bad?
The key point is that there is no such thing as value-neutral RSE. Curriculums, lessons and their central messages cannot be detached from worldview assumptions.
We want to help our children and young people to engage with the messages they hear, as well as with those who hold very different beliefs to them. In order to do this, let’s consider the distinctiveness of the biblical story compared to many of the current western cultural assumptions around identity, relationships, and sexuality.8
