What is…
The Post Critical Belief Scale
The Post Critical Belief Scale assists schools in profiling and measuring the different attitudes toward religious
beliefs that exist among their Catholic school community. It measures an individual’s:
a. inclusion Vs exclusion of transcendent belief (belief or non-belief in God)
b. literal Vs symbolic interpretation of religion.
What do I need to know?
- The preferred belief position as stated by Pollefeyt (2010), is based on a faith that is not literally interpreted,
but is represented symbolically. We relate to God through mediations (rituals, sacraments, prayer, etc)
- Post critical belief is characterised by an ongoing process of reinterpretation where an individual is
continuously searching for religious significance and meaning, but maintaining a strong belief in God.
- A Post-Critical Belief type is the most fruitful for the development of identity of a Catholic school, in a
pluralistic society.
Want more?
Read the research
LITERAL BELIEF
Literal
The PCB Scale
God is directly available through
words and rituals.
Religious metaphors,
biblical texts are interpreted literally
This is a direct critique on religion from
an external (or outsiders) point of view. It is an
attitude of explicit disbelief that denies
the existence of God.
Disbelief
preferential
belief position
POST CRITICAL BELIEF
RELATIVISM
Faith in a transcendent God,
which is represented symbolically.
Symbolic approach to religiosity,
but without belief in God.
Symbolic
Belief
EXTERNAL CRITIQUE
The combination of the two dimensions (belief Vs non belief in God & literal Vs symbolic belief) gives four
different ways of dealing with religious beliefs. The scale is a continuum, so there is the potential for extreme
position as well as many in-between positions.
Reference: Pollefeyt,D. & Bouwens, J. (2010). Framing the identity of Catholic school: empirical methodology for quantitative research
on the Catholic identity of education institute. International Studies in Catholic Education 2 (2), 193-211
LITERAL BELIEF
Literal
The Post Critical Belief Scale in Images
EXTERNAL CRITIQUE
Belief
Disbelief
RELATIVISM
Symbolic
POST CRITICAL BELIEF
Please note: These images need to be interpreted in the context of the research of Pollefeyt & Bouwens
(2010) in order to gain their full meaning.