Departing from Act 2 four fundamental questions regarding religious education are raised: "What does the Spirit convey?", "How to discern the spirits?", "How can human reason and capacity form a meaningful alliance with the Holy Spirit?", "Can humans impart the Spirit?". While Comenius, Pestalozzi and authors from the period of Neuhumanismus focused on the Spirit as a force enabling insight as well as bringing the Divine into the world, those subjects have since become insignificant in religious education concepts. This recent "Spiritlessness" practiced in the mainstream of religious pedagogies research may, in part, be founded in a development known as "realistic turn" and its implications for religious education. The author proposes that a pedagogical concept integrate hermeneutic method, empirical approach as well as an attitude critical to society and ideology. While the Spirit is widely neglected in research, spirituality ("Spiritualität") seems to gain increasing relevance in society; young people have in their majority spiritual experiences outside the church. The author argues that the challenges posed by today's cultural and religious pluralism should be accepted and spiritual learning should be part of formal religious education. She urges that the creed's third article in its opening aspects to other religions be screened for criteria useful in discerning spiritual offers and she points out innovative didactic methods enabling students to come across the holy ("dem Heiligen begegnen").

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Personen: Breitmaier, Isa

Schlagwörter: Religionspädagogik Spiritualität Heiliger Geist biblische Theologie Systematische Theologie