In Europe, there’s a growing tendency to "de-confessionalize" religious education in state schools” “
Up till recent times the teaching of religion in the schools of the European countries retained a confessional character and, as such, could not be proposed other than as optional courses (as an alternative, that is, to a non-confessional analogous subject). But over the last few years the situations has been changing. In fact, the growing tendency is that of “de-confessionalizing” courses of religion in such a way as to make them obligatory for all pupils, irrespective of their religious or agnostic status. Some examples may illustrate this tendency.In the Scandinavian countries and in England courses of religious education have long assumed a multireligious or at any rate non-confessional character: in essence, it’s a knowledge-based, comparative and lay approach to the religious phenomenon in general. This does not of course ignore the specific Christian tradition that has forged these civil societies, nor can it ignore the possible Christian identity of its pupils. But the ethical and religious pluralism that now de facto permeates these societies impels the educational authorities, and even the authorities of the local Churches, to convert the traditional courses of religion into an education in the common values of citizenship. In Spain a law of school reform was passed in Parliament last December; it makes provision (among other things) for the compulsory introduction of a non-confessional course of “Society, culture and religion” for all those pupils who don’t opt for one of the four confessional courses already on offer (Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism and Islam). The reason adopted by the legislator to justify this reform is that state schools in a multireligious society cannot tolerate an ignorance of religious roots even in pupils with no confessional status.In Germany the constitutional obligation to choose between confessional teaching (Catholic or Protestant) and a non-confessional subject as an alternative is still in force. But in fact , in recent years, many monoconfessional courses have been transformed into “cooperative” or ecumenical courses, with the co-presence of pupils and teachers of the two confessions, precisely with the aim of fostering understanding of the common Christian heritage, instead of isolating and consolidating only one’s own confessional identity. In the Länder of the former East Germany it was the regional parliaments that introduced, in the late 1990s, obligatory courses of religious culture for pupils, over 80% of whom have no experience of religion at all. Very significant are also the changes being introduced in the Cantons of Switzerland. Where no religious courses were provided in schools (especially in the French-speaking cantons), educational authorities and families agree in wanting to remedy this lack by planning to supplement the school curriculum with a factual introduction to religious culture. In those cantons where optional confessional courses were available, a preference is now being shown for compulsory non-confessional courses instead (e.g. a course called “Religious culture and humanism” has been introduced at Neuchâtel, one on “History and sciences of religion” in Vaud, “Religion and culture” at Zurich, “Ethical formation” at Lucerne, and a “Complementary religion option” in the Ticino”). In the German-speaking cantons and those of mixed confession, religious instruction, hitherto offered to separated groups, is now in many cases becoming bi-confessional and is concentrating by preference on the study of the Bible.Even more striking is the case of secular France: the Debray Report (2002), commissioned by the Minister of Education, in view of the serious drawbacks produced by what it called the religious inculturation in a large part of teachers and students, recommended the introduction of the “factual study of religion” within the various subjects on the curriculum; to this end all future teachers of the various humanistic disciplines will also have to study religious science during their teacher training. To read the enclosed table please clic here
