The Department's aims are:
• to develop an understanding of Christianity and other
religions and a recognition of religion as an important expression
of human experience;
• to help pupils (irrespective of their own personal
religious conviction) to understand the place of religion in the
development of our society's history and culture;
• to lead pupils to appreciate moral values such as honesty,
liberty, compassion for others, and justice;
• to investigate and understand the questions and answers
that religions can offer about the nature and meaning of
life;
• to develop pupils' own beliefs, attitudes, moral values,
and behaviour through a process of search and critical
evaluation.
Nigel Mortimer MA DPhil: Head of
Department
Dr Mortimer coordinates the work of the Department. He is also the
Head of English, Custodian of the Spawforth Library, and an
Assistant Head.
The Revd Alexander Anderson MTh
Mr Anderson teaches RS throughout the School. He is also
Housemaster of Laidlaw South, Assistant Chaplain, and Dean of Sixth
Form.
The Revd Nicholas Blair BA MA
Mr Blair teaches RS throughout the School. As Leader of the
Chaplaincy Team, he is one of the main points of contact for
pastoral care within the community.
I to III Forms: In the
Juniors pupils develop their understanding of the
three major monotheistic (Islam, Christianity, and Judaism) and
polytheistic world religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism)
through investigation of their respective stories, symbols,
pilgrimages, ceremonies of worship, the home, scriptures, and key
beliefs.
IV Form: The theme of the programme is 'Faith
in Action', considering the practical implications of faith
standpoints.
Shell & V Forms: nearly every pupil elects
to enter the voluntary GCSE short course in Philosophy and
Ethics.
VI Form: Merchiston is the only school in
Scotland to have a tradition of teaching A level Religious Studies;
as such, we are very proud of the high numbers of pupils who to
choose to study the subject. Exam results are pleasing at every
level.
We are proud, also, of our long-standing tradition of trips to
show pupils the impact of religious belief outside the
classroom. These include to the St Mungo Museum of Religious
Life and Art, Glasgow, Glasgow Cathedral, Kagyu Samye Ling Buddhist
monastery and Tibetan Centre, Eskdalemuir, to the King Fahd Mosque
and Islamic Centre, Edinburgh, and to A level Ethical Theories
Conferences in Newcastle.
