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Owen Cole has taught at all stages of education from primary school
to university. He began his teaching career as a very conventional
Christian supporting the daily act of collective worship punctiliously
and arguing with head teachers who did not observe the requirement
that they were breaking the law. The content of Religious Education
(RE) was Christian and its purpose to persuade children of its truth
if not to convert them.
… His dogmatic approach changed radically in the light of
experience. The author is now of the firm opinion of a need to be
pragmatic. He would abolish school worship whilst opening up RE
further to a broad study of beliefs and values with the aim of enabling
pupils to become religiate, in the same way that they should be
literate and numerate. Schools should be places where diversity
of culture and belief can be explored and celebrated.
… Although religion is at the core of Owen Cole's journey
it is clear that he believes that since the end of empire Britain
has lacked vision and the religious and political classes are still
clinging to the world of yesterday rather than recognising, embracing
and cherishing our multifaith society. The year 1945, which saw
the beginning of the end of empire, is far away and fast receding
but parliament and the churches still behave as though it lies in
the future. They give little place or attention to other faiths
in Britain's national life, treating them often as guests who they
wish would soon go home, even though their members are third generation
citizens at least, or as children who should be seen but not heard
at most of the national events to which they are invited. This tokenism
is unacceptable and dangerous as it can result in alienation, especially
of the young. A social and spiritual revolution is required. What
is true of Britain is equally applicable to the rest of the West
if humanity is globally to become a species worthy of its creator
and of survival. We must also reconsider our views on the authenticity
of other religions.
… Owen Cole's journey has led to him being an interfaith consultant
to Archbishop Runcie, visiting Pakistan, India, Canada, the USA
and Australia, sharing the hospitality of people of faith in the
UK and abroad, to being a founder member of the influential Shap
Working Party on World Religions in Education, and also serving
on many national and interfaith committees.
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Foreword by Charanjit K. Ajit Singh
Preface
Introduction
1 Setting Out
2 Getting There
3 National Service and Beyond
4 Harlow
5 Newcastle
6 Leeds
7 Setting foot in the Subcontinent
8 Pakistan
9 Back to India
10 Return to Leeds
11 Chichester
12 India Revisited
13 Patiala
14 Return to Chichester
15 At End Is My Beginning
Glossary
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“I have
found Dr Cole’s journey immensely fascinating as a man of
faith, showing us how he has done it while being faithful to his
own and with deep respect for the other, a true witness to interfaith.
I strongly hope that other readers also find his journey of spiritual
fellowship as transformational as I have found it to be for me.”
Charanjit K. Ajit Singh, author of The Wisdom of Sikhism
“What comes across strikingly
is the unswerving faithfulness to his background and to his guiding
insights. It is expressed over and over again in meeting creatively
the challenges of changing circumstances and it is this that will
inspire readers. Owen remains a ‘Bradford nonconformist’,
whether embracing Anglicanism or Quakerism (like Paul Oestreicher
and Terry Waite he embraces both), and one whose commitment is to
respecting and nurturing the cultures and consciences of all. Owen’s
accounts of initiatives and issues among Black, Sikh, Muslim, Hindu,
and Jewish communities in Leeds are illuminating. So are his observations,
such as: ‘Diversity is something to which most religions claim
to aspire, but I have found that those who speak in favour of it
have most difficulty when it comes to members of one’s own
tradition or who are akin to it.’ Thus, as he points out,
Christians can be affirming of Muslims and Jews, while being disparaging
about Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, and so on.
… The Yorkshire Welshman, Owen Cole, is a gifted communicator,
with a direct, pithy style. In Cole Sahib readers of the Friend
will find many resonances with their own journeys, as well as new
perspectives and insights. The narrative resounds with Owen Cole’s
hatred of class-based snobbery, with his championing of minorities
and his faith in God’s love, and it is amply seasoned by humour
and a delight in ongoing discovery.” The Friend
“This remarkable book, based on
intensive first hand teaching experience – from primary school
to the university level – is about the evolution of Religious
Education (RE) in an increasingly multifaith Britain over the last
50 years. It gives significant policy guidance regarding the future
direction of RE.
… The author, Dr W. Owen Cole has been a much respected figure
in multifaith education circles. He is a strong believer in teaching
religion as a ‘broad study of beliefs and values’ so
that by the time the student has completed education he or she is
not only ‘literate and numerate’ but also ‘religiate’.
He has written many well researched books and, even after retirement
from service, continues to be an authoritative commentator and adviser
on RE issues.
A most useful and thought-provoking publication for those interested
in Religious Education in schools, for interfaith representatives
and for policy makers in the field of multifaith education.”
The Sikh Reviewp
“A venerable teacher in religious
education, Cole has commented widely on multi-faith issues and practice
and on Sikhism. He takes this opportunity in the window between
retirement and failing health to write his memoirs. Beginning with
his birth in Sheffield, England in 1931, he shares memories of national
service and beyond, Newcastle, Leeds, Pakistan, back to India, back
to Leeds, Chichester, back to India again, Paiala, and back to Chichester
to wait for his life to catch up.” Reference & Research
Book News
“It has been recognised, perhaps uniquely
in the school curriculum, that the teaching of RE may lead to profound
personal reflection and potentially life-transforming experiences.
This was particularly true of the generation of RE professionals
who lived through the revolution in attitudes to RE which began
around the late 1960s and continued for the next 40 years.
… Owen Cole is of that generation, and his personal memoir
is timely. …The story of how he progressed from these beginnings
to become a renowned scholar of Sikhism, widely respected and loved
within the international Sikh community, can hardly fail to fascinate.
Although best known for his expertise in Sikhism, Cole was active
in promoting multifaith RE (he was a founder member of Shap) and
in interfaith initiatives in Leeds and elsewhere, with friends among
all the major faiths and humanists and atheists too. … What
emerges very strongly is his absolute commitment to respecting others,
whether as a member of another faith or the least able pupil in
the school…. RE teachers may find this book fascinating because
of the insights it gives them into what the pioneers of modern RE
went through to achieve what they did.” RE Today
p“Life experience can change
one’s vision and beliefs, even those held dogmatically. Such
is the life of Cole, as depicted in this autobiography. He is a
religious educator who is highly traditional in his views, and this
is his story of the pilgrimage that takes him from his native England
to the Asian subcontinent, where he eventually spent much time in
India forming deep relationships and gaining invaluable insights.
… His traditional view of religion began to expand as he embraced
the breadth of interfaith experiences. This growth includes his
understanding of “religious education,” which he ultimately
defines as “the study of belief and values, many of which
will be religious but which will also include Humanism and Atheism”
(p. 179). He became an expert in Sikhism and so respected –
thus the use of the appellation “Sahib” – that
he contributed to the Encyclopedia of Sikhism.
… The final chapter at last communicates the effects of his
experiences and his evolution as a religious educator. His forward-looking
insights sum up well his beliefs and his commitment to English interfaith
religious education. Some of his conclusions are not new; some are
brilliant, while others are quite arguable, from an academic, spiritual,
and exegetical point of view. However, he does communicate openness
to the nonexclusivist religious perspective. His insights are of
value on a universal level but, methodologically, will be hard to
implement except in an English education al context.”
Journal of Ecumenical Studies |
Publication Details
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Paperback ISBN: |
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978-1-84519-336-2 |
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Page Extent / Format: |
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224 pp. / 228 x 152 mm |
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Release Date: |
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July 2009 |
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Illustrated: |
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No |
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Paperback Price: |
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£16.95 / $29.95 |
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