Post on 29-Mar-2018
What is… The Post Critical Belief Scale
The Post Critical Belief Scale assists schools in profiling and measuring the different attitudes toward religious beliefs that exist among their Catholic school community. It measures an individual’s:a. inclusion Vs exclusion of transcendent belief (belief or non-belief in God)b. literal Vs symbolic interpretation of religion.
What do I need to know?- The preferred belief position as stated by Pollefeyt (2010), is based on a faith that is not literally interpreted,
but is represented symbolically. We relate to God through mediations (rituals, sacraments, prayer, etc)
- Post critical belief is characterised by an ongoing process of reinterpretation where an individual is continuously searching for religious significance and meaning, but maintaining a strong belief in God.
- A Post-Critical Belief type is the most fruitful for the development of identity of a Catholic school, in a pluralistic society.
Want more?Read the research
The PCB Scale
The combination of the two dimensions (belief Vs non belief in God & literal Vs symbolic belief) gives four different ways of dealing with religious beliefs. The scale is a continuum, so there is the potential for extreme position as well as many in-between positions.
Reference: Pollefeyt,D. & Bouwens, J. (2010). Framing the identity of Catholic school: empirical methodology for quantitative research on the Catholic identity of education institute. International Studies in Catholic Education 2 (2), 193-211
LITERAL BELIEF
God is directly available through words and rituals.
Religious metaphors, biblical texts are interpreted literally
POST CRITICAL BELIEF
Faith in a transcendent God, which is represented symbolically.
EXTERNAL CRITIQUE
This is a direct critique on religion from an external (or outsiders) point of view. It is an
attitude of explicit disbelief that denies the existence of God.
RELATIVISM
Symbolic approach to religiosity, but without belief in God.
Lite
ral
Sym
bolic
DisbeliefBeliefpreferential belief position