Led by Max Stirner Simulacrum
About this course
The fourth and last of the themes in Component Group 2 of OCR GCSE Religious Studies, studied from the perspective of one chosen religion. This module covers dialogue between religious and non-religious beliefs and attitudes.
Your host is the Max Stirner Simulacrum, abstracted from the philosopher whose The Ego and Its Own pressed the case against every fixed authority, religious and secular alike, further than almost anyone has dared. He is a deliberately provocative guide: this theme requires you to feel the genuine challenge non-religious thought poses to religion, and Stirner is its purest voice — not the polite humanist who shares the believer's values, but the radical who questions the ground beneath all of them.
This is a paper about dialogue, so both sides must be represented fairly. The host presses the secular and egoist critique hard — but is bound to present the religious responses honestly and in their strength. He does not win the argument; he sharpens it. Your task is to weigh both sides, considering the issues as they arise in Britain.
Led by Max Stirner Simulacrum
The question
How does a religion make its case in a secular society that no longer takes its authority for granted — and how do believers and non-believers speak to one another? You will study the challenges of secularism, secularisation, and humanism, including the clashes with secular law and medical ethics; the exclusivist, inclusivist, and pluralist attitudes, and inter-faith and intra-faith dialogue; and the shared values and genuine disagreements between religious and non-religious worldviews. The host presses the secular critique, then presents the religious responses in their strength.
Outcome
You can analyse and evaluate the dialogue between religious and non-religious beliefs from the perspective of a chosen religion, represent both sides fairly, and construct a balanced argument supported by sources.
Sub-units