An open letter of protest from parents against the clericalization of Russian education

On June 25, an open letter of protest from parents against the clericalization of Russian education was delivered to the reception offices of the President of the Russian Federation and the Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. The authors of the letter are outraged by the introduction of the subject “Spiritual and Moral Culture” on September 1, 2009. Parents fear that “under the guise of a new subject, the same “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” will be included in the school, which is illegal, since the regional educational component, within which they were usually taught, is excluded from the state educational standard.

The letter was signed by more than a thousand people.

Note that the letter contains important factual inaccuracies: according to the concept considered by the Ministry of Education, DNA is not a subject, but an “educational field” that includes several elective subjects. The law on the new state standard has only opened a transition period that will last at least three years, and during this time teaching defense-industrial complex is still possible.

We publish the text of the document in full.

**President of the Russian Federation D.A. Medvedev

OPEN LETTER OF PROTEST PARENTS

AGAINST CLERICALIZATION OF RUSSIAN EDUCATION**

Mr. President!

In this Open Letter, we, citizens of Russia and parents of our children, protest against the ongoing clericalization of the school. Despite the loud statements made in 2007-2008 by the President of the Russian Federation, hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church MP and politicians of various ranks about the inadmissibility of compulsory teaching of various versions of the “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” in public schools, the creeping penetration of Orthodox doctrine has not stopped. The national-regional component has been abolished, but regional authorities continue to support the teaching of religious doctrine (OPK/DNA), as if the law was not written for them. At the same time, the essence of the “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”, the existing textbooks, teachers, teaching methods and programs have not changed in any way and clearly indicate that the “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” in its essence is precisely the teaching of Orthodox doctrine, and not a cultural subject, in which The Russian Orthodox Church convinces us. Particularly alarming are the recent statements by the leaders of pro-government youth organizations that they are ready to take over the teaching of Orthodoxy in schools. However, the Ministry of Education does not react in any way to these statements. It turns out that words in Russia are again at odds with deeds?

From the media, from statements by officials of the Ministry of Education and the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church MP, we know about the proposed introduction of a new compulsory subject “Spiritual and moral culture” from September 1, 2009, but there is no information about the program or textbooks. We have every reason to fear that, under the guise of a new subject, the same “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” will be included in the school.

Therefore, we again have to draw your attention to the following:

1. The introduction of a compulsory course of religious doctrine in a public school is clearly illegal and contrary to the provisions of the Legislation of the Russian Federation in the part where the state declares that the sphere of religious beliefs is outside its sphere of competence. In a state school, in principle, there cannot be compulsory teaching of any religious doctrine, since this excludes the secular nature of education.

2. The introduction of compulsory teaching of the course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” (“Spiritual and Moral Culture”) violates our exclusive parental right to raise our children in accordance with their religious, philosophical and other beliefs. This right is enshrined in Russian and international legislation. We, parents and citizens of Russia, demand that the state ensure that we exercise this inalienable right. We do not believe the statements of officials of the Ministry of Education that our children will be offered a choice of textbooks on secular ethics: there is no such textbook, and its creation took more than one year. The statements of the Russian Orthodox Church that parents have the opportunity to spare their child from the lessons of the military-industrial complex (DNA), in most cases, are not confirmed by established practice. The status of a compulsory subject requires the student to be certified in the subject, which means problems for both the student and the school if lessons are not attended. The school does not ensure the safety of children who do not attend these classes, and does not provide adequate substitutes for these school hours for students who do not follow “traditional” religions.

3. We, as parents and as citizens of Russia, are offended by the presentation of Orthodoxy as an exclusive “culture-forming” and even “state-forming” religion, the artificial selection of “Orthodox culture”. This is not true. Many Russian citizens made their invaluable contribution to the formation of Russian culture, and not all of them were guided by the Orthodox faith. Disparagement and denial of the contributions of our non-Orthodox ancestors is an insult to their memory and is therefore completely unacceptable. Our children should know the entire history of Russia, and not parts of it taken out of the historical and cultural context.

4. Teaching our children Orthodox doctrine under the guise of a “cultural subject,” as is happening “de facto” now, is outright deception and a lie. But lying will not lead you to the truth. And, seeing such examples of “morality” from adults, children will not become more moral and ethical. The examples that the Russian Orthodox Church has already given to children in the case of “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” will only teach them that “the end justifies the means,” which will not bring us any closer to solving the problem of improving morality and morality in our society.

5. Ideologists of teaching Orthodoxy in school argue that this is the only way to instill morality in children. The Church arrogates to itself a monopoly on morality and ethics, essentially asserting that only an Orthodox person can be a moral person. This offends the feelings of not only atheists, but also believers of other faiths. Moreover, the Russian Orthodox Church itself, with its entire history and modern life, confirms that Orthodoxy does not prevent people, if necessary, from committing immoral, immoral and simply vile acts.

6. The Russian Orthodox Church strives to begin teaching “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” (and now “Spiritual and Moral Culture”) in public schools from the earliest grades. Considering that in the lower grades children do not have a barrier to critical perception of information, this desire of the Russian Orthodox Church can pursue only one completely immoral goal - to use this defenselessness of our children, to catechize them and forcibly introduce into their consciousness the Orthodox picture of the world and the Orthodox worldview until that moment. how children can critically approach the choice of their religion or abandonment of one. Moreover, this worldview, artificially formed in childhood, may subsequently hinder the objective and impartial consideration of other possible worldviews and the free independent choice of a person, which is guaranteed to us by the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Such “educational work” with children and such a result can lead to the most serious consequences for the further development of the child. We are categorically against the possibility of such a result and demand that the state take all measures to eliminate it.

WE, PARENTS, CITIZENS OF RUSSIA, DEMAND FROM THE STATE AND YOU, Mister PRESIDENT, AS THE GUARANTOR OF THE CONSTITUTION OF RUSSIA, TO ENSURE THE SECLICAL CHARACTER OF EDUCATION OF OUR CHILDREN IN PUBLIC SCHOOL AND THEIR FREE CHOICE OF ANY RELIGION OR NO SO.

Message by V. Abdrashitov