Daily Journal:

I agree with the authors of the letter. In my opinion, it is necessary to allocate a separate line for theology in the nomenclature of educational specialties and areas of training. The “enlarged specialty” indicated in the draft does not, it seems to me, meet the objectives of modern educational policy.

The point is not in which secular universities and how many departments of theology are open or closed and what is their quality. In this case, this is not what we are talking about. “Theology” as an educational direction was introduced primarily so that graduates of religious educational institutions could receive state diplomas. That is, so that in Russia there are educated clergy of different faiths. Indicating theology in a general list with philosophical disciplines, of course, cannot be supported either by secular specialists in the field of religion or by representatives of different faiths. We understand perfectly well the difference between theology and philosophy, theology and religious studies. The connection proposed in the project, in my opinion, will not contribute to the productive parity of interaction that currently exists between secular and religious educational institutions.