PES Manifesto

1. Hell is round the corner... by pattheact on Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 14:11

God created the world, Maria was put pregnant by a sexless angel and the red devil is waiting behind the corner to remind us in fear that we are insignificant sinners...Poor Romanian comrades, poor Romanian students I must admit that I have been really mixed up by your mail when reading the figures you mention...if 80 per cent of Romanian students believe that God created the world I would suggest the 20 remaining per cent should start their laic missionary work and let everybody know that students are allowed to believe in such terrific stories like the bible or the coran are disseminating, but that religious beliefs taught at school must never become mandatory or it will become like it has been for centuries : an oppressing belief for all non-believers, who are as much a voting and tax paying citizen than those who need to belief in such heavenly forces.

Politics should do everything possible to separate religion from politics and should offer to everyone the freedom of belief, without never promoting one religious belief in a stronger manner than another. Politics should simply refrain from promoting religion anyhow!

The PES should make its current position clear in their Manifesto and maybe help you organise some kind of seminar on this important subject.

2. Religion can never be mandatory in schools by kim on Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 15:09

To my opinion schools are institutions of the state, and the state shouls stay neutral and make sure that al people and religions are respected.

I don't think schools should make a religious course mandatory. To give students the option to shoose seems a better way to go.

I my country religion is not that present anymore and as a socialist I don't think schools should give religious courses. If you want to learn about religion you can for example go the bible study in the church.

But is in Romania religion is still important than I can imagane that some student want to learn about there religion in school. But as a state institution you can't make it mandatory. Specially when you have minoritys in the coutry.

A state must be neurtral !!

3. I'm pro religion classes! by Asynjen on Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 15:45

We should not ignore that religion is a significant part of many people's lives. I think it's important that there are courses about religion in school - in multicultural societies we need to have insight into the beliefs and customs of our fellow citizens. However, religion courses must NEVER become an excuse for preaching the majority's faith. Students should learn about many different religions - and also be confronted with voices that are critical of religion. Public school is not a church, but should equip students to live in a multicultural world!

4. No religion in public school by mariope on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at 09:12

Religion should be something private. The prosperity and freedom of Europe is due to the fight against religion. Spain is not so develop because during centuries the people was “brainwashing” by religion. It start in the XVI century when the catholic monarchy closed the frontiers to avoid the Lutero ideas to enter in our country, closing as well the modernity to enter.Then,during de dictatorship of general Franco, catholic religion was one of the most important pillars of this tremendous regimen

5. Yes, religion in public school by Asynjen on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at 16:04

Mariope, I do agree that students shouldn't be brainwashed in favour of one particular belief. But I still think they should be informed about religion - just as they learn about history and languages. Religion is central to most cultures and knowledge about religion is an important part of cultural understanding.

A good example is islamophobia. It's my impression that  the people that are very scared of Islam and Muslims in fact know very little about the religion. They are not really familiar with its customs and don't seem to be aware that there are different ways of practicing Islam, just as there are many different ways of practicing Christianity. I still think students should learn about religion...

6. Let's hope for a ...quick recovery by alias77 on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 13:31

Hello Victor,

The high profile of the Orthodox church in the Balkans, though rooted in the local history, should definitely be reduced to a private affair. Religious fervor is a main ingredient of nationalist, self-center attitude. Kosovo is a good illustration of that.

However, mentalities are hard to chage. My hope is that we are dealing with a transition stage where people turn to religion as substitute of hope for better life coming from the political class.

That is why your actions and great work on the field could and will make a difference when a turning point appears.

7. Religion as an option... by pattheact on Friday, February 29, 2008 at 10:23

Hi Asynjen,

as a social-democrat and free thinker I do agree that due to our judeo-christian historical and philosophical background we should all have a basic knowledge of the main religions surrounding us, starting with ours, be it protestantism or catholicism. I do also agree that school is most probably the best place to give children and students access to this knowledge that will enable them to build up a critic way of approaching religions. But as a social-democrat and free thinker I have the deepest reluctance when it comes to make religion a mandatory subject, because if you would want to treat every religious belief  on the same basis we would need to have a religious course for every single religion, one for catholicism, one for protestantism, one for islamic religion, etc. and there you see what the problem with religions at school can be, they would take too much space and this is wrong.
"Morale laïque" a course where laic moral, including all the main religions, as well as philosophy courses are in my opinion the only way to give students the best possible introduction to all the main religions, enough knowledge to enable students to make religion a private matter and to go deeper into the subject once they are at home.
Making religion courses mandatory is in my opinion a clear attack on the separation between State and religion, as, let's take Victor's example in Romania, a state will always make mandatory the religion followed by the big majority, in this case orthodox christians, leaving aside the other religions. This is clearly favoritism from the State for one religion, and therefore wrong and dangerous.
I have become an atheist because the "morale laïque" courses have given me enough background information on all religions, making a critic citizen out of me and I think the PES in its manifesto should clearly be in favour of mandatory "moral laïque" courses, allowing all member states to play the only possible role of "access facilitator" when it comes to religious beliefs. Exactly like Zapatero did in Spain not so long ago.