Phenomenology of Religion as a tool for Mediation in Religious Education

Methodological Proposal from the Perspective of Historical-Critical Pedagogy

Abstract

This paper proposes the use of the phenomenology of religion as a methodological tool in Religious Education, as recommended by Base Nacional Comum Curricular (BNCC). Based on the theoretical perspectives of Gerardus van der Leeuw, Mircea Eliade, Joachim Wach, and, above all, Ninian Smart and his multidimensional model, it is argued that the phenomenology of religion can serve as an instrument for mediating subjective experiences of the religious phenomenon as a methodological approach to the third stage of Dermeval Saviani's Historical-Critical Pedagogy—instrumentalization. The objective is to demonstrate how this proposition allows students to develop analytical categories for the intercultural understanding of different religious traditions, enabling them to deconstruct stereotypes, understand the internal logic of different belief systems, and act as critical citizens and engaged citizens in a pluralistic world, promoting respect for diversity without privileging any specific confession.