Changes to religious education 'about religious literacy, not promoting any particular religion' – Manx Radio Motorsport

Monday, 1 December 2025 06:34
New bill would remove the need for religious education to be “wholly or mainly Christian”
Updating laws on religious education to include faiths other than Christianity and non-religious beliefs is about religious literacy, not promoting any particular religion.
That's from Education Minister Daphne Caine, who's currently taking a series of changes to the Island's education legislation through the House of Keys.
Currently, the Island's education act states religious education should be "wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character".
But, new legislation currently making its way through the House of Keys would change that.
If approved, the Education (Amendment) Bill 2025 would remove the need for religious education to be "wholly or mainly" Christian, and state that it "may include other religions and non-religious philosophical convictions or beliefs".
Ahead of drafting these changes, the Department of Education, Sport and Culture sought feedback from the public.
It asked: "Do you agree/disagree/neither agree nor disagree to the changes to Section 12 of the Education Act 2001 to cover multiple beliefs"
387 people responded, with 242 agreeing religious education should include religions other than Christianity. 97 disagreed, while 48 neither agreed nor disagreed.
Among the comments, respondents said:
"This is positive for creating an inclusive environment and discussions amongst children and young people. It can also spark curiosity for others to learn about different faiths/cultures."
"Amending this clause is overdue. All the major religious and philosophical positions should be taught to allow a proper overview of young people's choices of belief and to ensure better understanding between religions and philosophies."
"This is a Christian country and state funded education should reflect this."
The 2021 Census – the first to ask about religious beliefs on the Island – did show 54.7 percent of the Manx population identifies as Christian, while 43.8 percent of those who responded to the question about religion stated they had no religious beliefs.
Education Minister Daphne Caine explained more about the changes to Manx Radio's Political Correspondent Phil Gawne:

The second reading of the Education (Amendment) Bill 2025 is due to take place at this week's sitting of the House of Keys, which gets underway at 10am tomorrow.
 
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