Religion enters Russian schools

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Orthodox Christianity has enjoyed a boom since the USSR collapsed The Orthodox Christian religion is being made a compulsory school subject in four of Russia's regions. Pupils in the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga and Smolensk regions will be taught the basics of Orthodox Christianity.

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It will also be included as an optional subject in the school curriculum in 11 other regions across the country. Supporters say the move will help protect traditional spiritual values in Russia. Critics say it violates the constitution of the secular state.

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In the Soviet Union the teaching of religion was strictly outlawed in schools and elsewhere. Orthodox Christianity is Russia's main religion, but the country's Muslim community makes up more than 10% of the total population. There are 86 regions and republics in the Russian Federation.

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Responding to the regions' move, the central educational watchdog body, Rosobraznadzor, said the Church was separate from the state, so the basics of Orthodox Christianity should only be taught as an optional subject. The introduction of the new subject comes after lawmakers in the 15 regions backed the move.

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Russian Education Minister Andrei Fursenko also voiced support, saying "schoolchildren must know the history of religion and religious culture". He said it was a matter for the regions to decide.

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"This year, a textbook on the history of world religions is available for the first time. It pays a lot of attention to Russian Orthodox Christianity," he said. One of the regions named told the BBC that the lessons planned for its schools would concentrate on history rather than questions of faith, the BBC's James Rodgers reports from Moscow.

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Nevertheless Muslim leaders have responded by saying that they will ask for lessons on Islamic culture to be extended.

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BBC NEWS | Europe | Religion enters Russian schools

but I do not think that they should be indoctrination courses. Religion has played a big part in the history of the world, often a destructive part, and so IMHO it certainly must be taught as a major factor. I also think that there is great good that can come from some of the moral teachings and so would likely support something like that in the US as long as it covered a broad range (it is simply impossible to cover all the religions) that included the Judaic Religions, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, general diest positions and Spinoza Pantheism, the non-religions such as Atheism and Agnosticism and at least a look at the animist beliefs.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

I certainly think they should include Zoroastrianism.

Sacred Studies would be a useful course if bias could be kept out of it. In areas where the people have a strong and zealous faith (and are the majority) there will always be bias towards the majority religion.

At the Islamic mosque up the street, they offer courses in Islam. Im not sure if other beliefs are given as much weight.

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Has anyone ever heard of a Catholic High School that gives equal time to Protestant Beliefs?

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And then we have the fundies. There is no way that they will teach anything without bias.

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I suppose that the key ingredient is tolerance and respect. Was your Sacred Studies class a fair and balanced view on the differences between the major faiths?

Robin, do they consider Nihilism as a certified belief?What is the difference between a philosophy and a belief? Anything??

That is where a strong mandatory NATIONAL curiculum comes in. I don't know of a Catholic high schools specific courses but I do know that in my Protestant High School the Orthodox and Roman Catholic positions were certainly covered and discussed in depth. I have no idea how to answer that. I can tell you that the teacher, Father Cantler never made any claims that one path was better than the other. You also need to understand that it was an ongoing course that lasted through every year, and that religion also came in during many other subjects, math, history, science, art, language. In those areas religions were considered as political forces and the effects examined not as belief systems but as either enablers or hinderances to advancement and knowledge.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

I don't know, but I like that idea of the "evil twin" (early version of the Devil, but somewhat different--more powerful. It's almost dualism in the religious rather than metaphyscial sense--equal powers).Edited by robinrohan, : No reason given.

Well, "philosophy" usually refers to some principles about what something is--like the "philosophy of history"--a view about what history is. So I suppose you could have a philosophy about anything--say, the philosophy of apples.But sometimes people use "philosophy" to mean one's worldview.A philosophy is certainly a belief.