Introduction: Religion’s Influence in Non-Formal and Informal Educational Contexts

This Special Issue of Religions, titled Examining Religion’s Influence in Non-Formal and Informal Educational Contexts: Beliefs, Practices and Narratives, explores the pivotal role of religion in learning that occurs outside formal institutions. Recognizing the rise of learning societies, the issue highlights how religious beliefs, practices, and narratives shape moral, cultural, and civic development across everyday life, including families, friendship networks, workplaces, cultural associations, and voluntary organizations. Drawing on multidisciplinary perspectives (history, sociology, philosophy, and education), the ten contributions examine religion as an experiential, relational, and narrative force that fosters meaning-making, identity formation, empathy, and ethical imagination. Case studies span Austria, Brazil, China, Italy, and Turkey, addressing topics such as parish sports programs, cooperative interreligious education, biblical and fantasy narratives, autobiographical accounts, and spiritual rehabilitation in prisons. Across these diverse contexts, the issue demonstrates that religion functions as a social pedagogy: a dynamic, informal, and transformative influence that mediates between tradition and modernity, engages imagination, and cultivates civic and moral capacities beyond institutional frameworks.