In Europe, religious and spiritual education happens in a context which is at the same time increasingly secular and religiously plural. This places the problem of religious experience on the agenda. Today most students of religious and spiritual education lack appropriate experiences and show different opinions about what religion or spirituality could be. This Setting raises several questions: How can religious experience be conceptualized in a context of religious plurality and secularity with the traditional religious traditions as just one option among others? How does lived religion contribute to such a conceptualization? Do the concepts of spirituality and implicit religion give way to a new understanding of religious experience? How can be grasped religious experience beyond the traditional religious practices? Do traditional empirical methods still fit? Which concepts and methods can we utilize in bringing religious experience into religious or spiritual education?

Dr Daniel Fleming is Group Manager - Ethics and Formation for St Vincent's Health Australia, a role in which he provides advice and education on ethics across the St Vincent's Health and Aged Care Services. Previously he was Academic Dean and Senior Lecturer in Theology and Ethics at BBI - The Australian Institute of Theological Education.