Opening Remarks at Meeting on Teaching the Fundamentals of Religious Culture and Secular Ethics in Schools, and the Introduction of a Chaplains Institute in the Armed Forces.Part 2
July 21, 2009
Barvikha, Moscow Region
Вступительное слово на совещании по вопросам преподавания в школах основ религиозной культуры и светской этики и введения в Вооружённых Силах Российской Федерации института воинских и флотских священнослужителей.
21 июля 2009 года
Московская область, Барвиха
I think we should emphasise the absolute importance of adhering to these fundamental constitutional provisions at every stage in the implementation of our plans, which have been coordinated primarily with the representatives of religious denominations who have initiated this discussion. This means that every legislative act in this area will have to be appraised by experts.
Of course I would like to draw to the attention of government agencies and the Presidential Executive Office that our decisions today, my decisions, affect the most sensitive official spheres, which means that we need to practise openness, sensitivity, generosity and patience in dealing with all of these issues.
Given these key considerations, how should we proceed with this? I think it's possible to conduct an experiment in various regions at this point 18 regions are planned but of course this figure can be discussed an experiment in the teaching of the fundamentals of religious culture. Students and their parents will have to choose the subject of study. What should this be?
Firstly it could be the fundamentals of Orthodox culture, the fundamentals of Muslim culture, the fundamentals of Judaism or Buddhism. That is to say on these matters students and their parents will have a choice. It may turn out that there are those who want to explore the diversity of Russia's religious life. For such students we could have a general course on the history of our country's traditional major faiths. And all of these questions can be put into one programme that would feature the same benefits for study. Finally there's the third option. Those who have no specific religious beliefs, who have not chosen a faith, should have the right to study the secular basis of ethics. In this way we should be able to satisfy all those who have different perceptions of what needs to be taught, something consistent with students' views and of course consistent with their parents'.
It is important that for students and their parents the choice of such a programme be absolutely voluntary. Any coercion on this issue is not only illegal but will be absolutely counter-productive.
Secular teachers will be charged with these subjects, but of course in the preparation of teaching and learning aids we need to be guided by several considerations. The main consideration is simple: we must nurture upright, decent, tolerant, honest citizens who are interested in the world and who respect the views and beliefs of their fellow citizens. As a result of this work, as a result of this experiment, it would be possible to extend this system to the entire country, perhaps, for example, from 2012. We'll see how it goes, as they say.
Now so far as the Armed Forces are concerned: it is no secret that representatives of all nationalities defend our homeland, all of our districts, territories and regions - it has always been this way and it always will be. Among the soldiers and the commanders there are and always will be Orthodox, Muslims, Buddhists, followers of Judaism and other religions, and finally those who do not identify themselves with any religion, and atheists as well. All of them serve in the army and risk the most precious thing that any human being has, his or her life.
On the other hand, they all have the right to receive spiritual support from people close to them in accordance with their spiritual beliefs. This is also as it should be. Constitutional principles of equality, voluntariness and freedom of conscience must be respected with regard to all military personnel. And with regard to the duties of army and navy chaplains, first this would involve those deployed outside Russia, then, say, next year at the level of military regions, brigades, divisions and in institutions of higher education. I think in these matters we should be guided by real reasons, real knowledge of the ethnic-religious composition of areas and units.
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kalogeroxx 2 years ago