As previously announced , ten Moscow schools began teaching the "History of Religions". Mikhail Men, deputy mayor in the Moscow government, said that if the experiment is successful, the subject will be introduced in all schools in the capital. M.Men believes that this discipline "can serve as the weapon that we will oppose to national intolerance and religious extremism."

A textbook on the "History of Religions" does not yet exist; a team of researchers from the Russian Academy of Sciences under the leadership of Alexander Chubaryan is working on its creation. Six months later, when the textbook is supposed to be released, it should appear on the shelves of bookstores in Moscow in order "to be available to everyone who is interested in this course," M. Men said.

Rossiyskaya Gazeta quotes Yelena Titova, teacher of the history of religions at Moscow Gymnasium No. 1541, who stressed that her subject is "secular discipline, not a way to involve children in religious life." Mentioning the interest of children in the "History of Religions", E. Titova nevertheless noted that out of two classes, only 14 people go to her lessons: "The school curriculum is now very overloaded, and classes in the history of religions take place after seven compulsory lessons. Desire- The guys have something to do, but they don’t have the strength anymore.” The teacher also expressed doubts about the possibility of a large-scale introduction of discipline, since "teachers in this subject are not specially trained, and there are very few who want to teach it."

Sources

Alekseeva M. God's letter // Russian newspaper. 2004. October 27.

An experiment has begun in ten Moscow schools to introduce the “History of Religions”