Religious Literacy Guides
Religious literacy is defined (p. 33) by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) in “Face-to-Face and Side-by-Side”: A Framework for Partnership in our Multi-Faith Society.
The Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies at the Higher Education Academy (HEA) has produced five higher education-centred guides to the major religious traditions:
Another useful resource for those involved in timetabling and equalities and diversity, is the BBC’s interfaith calendar, which gives detailed information about the festivals of all the nine religious traditions recognised in accordance with the UK census (Bahái, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism), and of Shinto, Pagan and Rastafari traditions too. It also contains details about Islamic prayer times.
Short overview documents which provide an introduction to religious literacy issues have been produced by the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly under the title Religious Literacy: A Practical Guide to the Region’s Faith Communities and by the East of England Faiths Council under the heading Working and Consulting With Faith Communities in the East of England.
The UK has a thriving inter-faith sector. Details of it can be found in the CLG document “Face-to-Face and Side-by-Side”: A Framework for Inter Faith Dialogue and Social Action. The Inter Faith Network for the UK (IFNUK) also produces a number of resources such as Faith, Identity and Belonging: Educating for Shared Citizenship and Inter Faith Relations: The UK in Europe.
