Second-level students will examine whether Christianity has lost its way, according to proposals contained in a confidential draft curriculum for religious education (RE) at senior cycle.
The new curriculum, which aims "to contribute to the spiritual and moral development of students from all faiths and none", also includes sections on how to live with diversity as well as contemporary expressions of spirituality.
Although still only in draft form, it could eventually be taught to thousands of senior-cycle students around the country who have chosen not to take RE at Leaving Certificate level.
Prepared by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), the new curriculum aims to allow teachers plan a programme of religious education.
As part of the new programme, students could be asked to examine whether Christianity "has lost its way and needs to revert to its original vision".
It is primarily aimed at students who have taken RE at Junior Certificate level but have chosen not to take the Leaving Certificate course.
The authors stress that the new curriculum has much in common with the existing RE syllabuses for Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate.
However, they also state that it is "shorter, and offers more choice and scope for creativity for teachers and schools."
The curriculum, the first of its kind to be prepared by the NCCA, is a two-year framework which can also be extended to cover a three-year senior cycle if transition year is included.
It has eight sections, with a recommendation that students would study at least two sections each year. However, the selection and sequencing of these sections can be varied to suit teacher and student interests.
Among the section headings are Christianity, religious faiths in Ireland today, the search for meaning, and morality in action.
The authors of the curriculum also state that it has been designed with particular sensitivity to the variety of contexts in which it may be used.
It has a number of "exploration" options at the end of each section which "will help schools to tailor this framework to the particular ethos of a school, and the particular ethos of students."
"It can also help develop a healthy respect for the beliefs of others and an openness to dialogue in search of mutual understanding," it says.