Educating for Intelligent Belief or Unbelief 

Nel Noddings argues persuasively that public schools should address the fundamental questions that teenagers inevitably raise about the tone nature, the value, and meaning of life (and death), and to do so across the curriculum, without limiting such existential and metaphysical discussions to separate religion, philosophy, or even history classes.

"Is there a God?  Where did we come from?  What is the meaning of life?” Noddings shows how these questions can be addressed in mathematics and science classes. "If I can convince readers that we can educate for intelligent belief or unbelief in mathematics classes, they may be convinced that we can do it anywhere!"

Explorations of the existence of a God or gods, and the value and validity of religious belief of societies or individuals, she writes, "whether they are initiated by students or teacher, should be part of the free exchange of human concerns – a way in which people… share their awe, doubts, fears, hopes, knowledge, and ignorance."

Such basic human concerns, Noddings maintains, are relevant to nearly every subject and should be both non-coercive and free from academic evaluation.

 Noddigs, Nel. (1993) Educating for Intelligent Belief or Unbelief. Teachers College Press: New York