The purpose of this research is to analyze and evaluate the teaching materials on religion currently used in the Buddhist mission schools and to suggest the ideal direction of religious education through this analysis and evaluation. Is it truly possible for us to have universal education through a specific religion such as Buddhism? It is not too much to say that the most urgent problem in Korean religious education is to elevate the sectarian-oriented education of religion up to the level of a universal dimension of religious education.
This paper examines and suggests a new religious education model through the study and evaluation of the current understanding of two revised religious educational texts in the 7 th Education Curriculum, Religion (Buddhism) (Jogye Order, 2002) and Religion (Buddhism) (Jingak Order, 2002),in terms of the current educational content and method in the mission schools. Since the content of religious education has a close and direct relationship with its educational, It is examined how this new dimension in religious education is applied to the specific content of the text from various perspectives.
Especially, it is suggested that an interrelated model between a specific religious education and a
universal religious education through providing various kinds of examples with such an approach so as to understand Buddhism in the context of the history and science of religion. The eligibility of religious texts, in this sense, is evaluated by its adaptability to the 7th Educational Curriculum, the analysis of the introduction and the table of contents, the level of content and students, the principle of interrelationship and continuity, and the relationship with other religions. Futhermore, we suggest the desirable direction of Buddhist education through the comparison and evaluation of the two Buddhist mission schools mentioned above. And we propose a future direction for universal religious education through Buddhism.