IDEA ConsortiumEducation's EcologyThe Spiritual DomainMixing religion and education has a long and tortured history. In attempting to deal with realities of the unknowable elements in human life, people everywhere have created stories and these stories have been codified in various religions. Perpetuation of these stories has supported power structures within human societies. A cultural outcome is a combination of formalizing religions and teaching the stories. As much as contemporary biologists espouse mechanistic explanations of life and life processes, embedded in life processes is a will to live that may defy mechanistic explanation. Until a better explanation emerges, spirit is fairly functional. A huge challenge is to articulate the place of spiritual considerations in education without becoming bogged down in religion or religiosity. Discussion of the spiritual domain is not a discussion of theology. revised 23 January 2020 Return to Education Ecology Page Return to IDEA Consortium Home |