Orthodox religion now mandatory in school classroom

Asia News.It ^ | 8/31/06

[Valin]

A mandatory course in the basics of Orthodox culture is set to start in four provinces of the Russian Federation. For Patriarch Aleksij II, “pupils should know the history of their culture”. Last year, a similar proposal by the Moscow Patriarchate had led to tensions with the Catholic Church in Russia.

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Moscow (AsiaNews) – The teaching of the Orthodox religion has now become mandatory in the high schools of four provinces of what once was the atheist Soviet state. In July Moscow’s Spiritual Academy approved “Basics of Orthodox Culture”, a course soon to be taught in the provinces of Belgorod, Kaluga, Brjansk and Smolensk. By 2010, the Moscow Patriarchate should have trained some 10,000 religious teachers. In 11 other provinces, religion will be taught but won’t be mandatory.

These developments reflect the Russian Orthodox Church’s plan to have religion taught across the country. By contrast, government officials are planning a more general course on the “History of World Religions” so as to not offend the country’s religious minorities.

Aleksij II, patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, is convinced that “pupils should know the history of their culture, and this is the goal of ‘Basics of Orthodox Culture’.” He also believes that this is true for other religions as well.

In a statement to the press released yesterday, Aleksij II said that “if there are people in our country who profess other religions, they should certainly study their own culture but they should also know the culture of the country in which they live”.

Just over a year ago, the proposal to make a one hour lesson in Orthodox religion mandatory had provoked tensions between the Russian Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate

In June 2005, Mgr Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, Catholic Metropolitan of Moscow, said that churches, not classrooms, were better indicated to discuss religious education and the basics of religion.

Bishop Mark, deputy chairman of the External Relations Department of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow, responded to Mgr Kondrusiewicz charging him with putting Catholic-Orthodox dialogue at risk.

The controversy ended when Mgr Antonio Pennini, papal nuncio to Russia, wrote a letter to Bishop Mark saying that the Vatican would support the Russian Orthodox Church in its efforts to get religious education into the schools.

It remains however to be seen what religious education actually means. In Russia a federal law bans religion from schools and the Russian constitution clearly sanctions the separation between state and religion.

[kinoxi]

I see factions separating in the future...

[goldstategop]

The ACLU would scream "separation of church and state" if that was proposed here. Russia is rediscovering its Christian heritage.

(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo! )

[NYer]

Ping!

[Valin]

Mgr Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, Catholic Metropolitan of Moscow, said that churches, not classrooms, were better indicated to discuss religious education and the basics of religion.


There are some who would disagree.

[BW2221]

With the large Muslim population in Russia, I would recommend the Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants, Jews and any other non-Islamic faiths become "best buddies."

[GarySpFc]

Actually this has been in the works for a long time. My wife was a child psychologist in Volgograd and prior to our marriage in 2001 she helped develop an optional Bible curriculum, which was passed by the Duma, and signed into law by Putin. The Bible can be used in Russian schools at the option of the teacher and superintendent.

[GarySpFc]

Actually this has been in the works for a long time. My wife was a child psychologist in Volgograd and prior to our marriage in 2001 she helped develop an optional Bible curriculum, which was passed by the Duma, and signed into law by Putin. The Bible can be used in Russian schools at the option of the teacher and superintendent.

[FormerLib]

Wow, I just can't imagine a nation where teachers can teach from the Bible without fear of losing their jobs or other repercussions.

[The_Reader_David]

So where's the FReeper "The Ruskies are still commies brigade" on this thread?

I that crickets I hear?

[Kolokotronis]

Sounds great to me! Orthodoxy shaped much of Russian culture and the inculcation of Orthodox Christian values will strengthen the Russian people for the battle ahead with the Mohammedans.

[ROTB]

Whether they are communists or capitalists, they are still supplying Iran with nuclear tech, thus they are still supporting the enemy of our friend, Israel, and thus are still butting heads indirectly with us.

If I have mis-analyzed, please correct me.

[x_plus_one]

Pray for the Russian people. Their support of Iran is not permanent - if Russia turns back to Christianity - the world will be saved from more war.

[lightman]

Strange, the Russians are becoming more like the way the United States used to be, and the United States is becoming more like the way Russia once was.

[Mount Athos]

I think it is a wonderful thing that Russia is teaching Christianity in the schools.

Perhaps others will lose focus of how great this is or find ways to drag the discussion here off on some negative tangent. Can't we keep focus for once on a tidbit of good news and celebrate it? There will lots of times and places to discuss the other things.

[Kolokotronis]

"Strange, the Russians are becoming more like the way the United States used to be, and the United States is becoming more like the way Russia once was."

Indeed. You know, the whole concept of Holy Russia is rather like the Pilgrims vision of a "Shining City on a Hill". Lights to the heathens.

[lightman]

This discussion demonstrates the eternal truth of the Magnificat; exalatation of the lowly and humilitation of the mighty. The Holy Spirit gave the Theotokos a marvelous glimpse of the great cycle of history.

[GarySpFc]

Strange, the Russians are becoming more like the way the United States used to be, and the United States is becoming more like the way Russia once was.

That is a very astute observation on your part, and one Americans should examine carefully.
The Russian men, in my opinion, are like American men were in the wild west during the late 1800's. The Russian Mafia is mainly Chechen, and compares to what we had in this country during the 1920's to 1940. The oligarchs with their stolen billions compare to our robber barons. Likewise, their government is influenced on some levels by the corruption of the oligarchs and mafia. America for the most part grew in spite of these problems and over came them, and in time so will Russia.

[Zhang Fei]

So where's the FReeper "The Ruskies are still commies brigade" on this thread? I that crickets I hear?

The problem with Russia isn't that it's Communist - it's that it's Russian, with the traditional Russian zeal for conquering *and* annexing its neighbors. That, at least, was Richard Pipes's contention. My contention is that our problem with China is similar, that it's with China's two thousand year tradition of empire-building, not Communism. Nobody worries about Yugoslavian- and Albanian-style Communism, which keep their hands to themselves.

[Zhang Fei]

I think it is a wonderful thing that Russia is teaching Christianity in the schools.

This doesn't mean that the Russians automatically become friends of Uncle Sam. The Russian empire was emphatically Orthodox when it tried to make a grab for the West Coast in the 19th century, but then decided it couldn't reach (i.e. defend such an acquisition). Russia being Orthodox did not prevent it - prior to imposing Communism as the state religion in 1917 - from almost going toe-to-toe with the British empire on several occasions.