To what extent do teachers’ sense of their religious, cultural and national identity impact on their attitudes and approaches to the teaching of religion in publicly funded schools in Northern Ireland? In a context where schooling remains largely separate according to perceived religious identity, can religious education contribute positively to the peace process in a society emerging from conflict? This paper will draw on research conducted with serving teachers, teacher education students and other groups to examine the role of religion in schools and to explore how it may contribute, positively or negatively, to the improvement of relations between communities still divided by conflicting nationalistic loyalties. Some comparisons will be made with the significance of religion in education in other conflicted societies.

教师的宗教、文化和民族认同感在多大程度上影响他们在北爱尔兰公立学校教授宗教的态度和方法？在学校教育很大程度上根据所认知的宗教身份而分开的情况下，宗教教育能否为刚刚摆脱冲突的社会的和平进程做出积极贡献？本文将借鉴在职教师、师范学生和其他团体进行的研究，探讨宗教在学校中的作用，并探讨宗教如何对改善仍因民族主义忠诚冲突而分裂的社区之间的关系做出积极或消极的贡献。我们将与其他冲突社会中宗教在教育中的重要性进行一些比较。