Religious Education as a Disposition of Consciousness for Self-Knowledge in Contemporary Education

Abstract

This paper proposes a reconceptualization of religious education within the contemporary educational landscape, framing it as a disposition of consciousness oriented toward self-knowledge. Moving beyond confessional and doctrinal approaches, religious education is examined as an integrative epistemic field capable of bridging science, philosophy, and spirituality. Grounded in the Brazilian educational framework—particularly the National Education Guidelines and Framework Law (LDB) and the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC)—this study argues that education must transcend content transmission and assume an ontological dimension centered on the formation of consciousness. Key themes include self-knowledge, virtue, religiosity as a psychic function, contemplative practices, secularism, and citizenship, with particular attention to the inclusion of Afro-Brazilian traditions. The concept of Qualic Philosophy is introduced as a theoretical bridge between objective knowledge and lived experience, proposing a transition from the quantum paradigm to Qualium—understood as the experiential dimension of reality. The paper concludes that religious education, when guided by critical, ethical, and transdisciplinary principles, constitutes a fundamental axis for the development of conscious individuals and a more integrated society.

Keywords: Religious education; Consciousness; Self-knowledge; Integral education; Transdisciplinarity; Phenomenology; Qualic philosophy.