Translated material
Academicians of the Russian Academy of Sciences demand to close the Department of Theology at MEPhI
June 1, 2013 more than 90 academicians of the Russian Academy Sciences made an open appeal to the leadership of the Ministry of Science and education of the Russian Federation. Scientists demand to liquidate the department of theology in the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, opened in October 2012.
Russia is secular state. It is essential that in our country all major world religions, as well as all major denominations of Christianity. Appearance in State university of the Department of Theology under the guidance of an Orthodox priest is in direct conflict with the Constitution of Russia (Article 14) and with common sense meaning too ,” the text says.
The authors of the appeal believe that "nuclear safety cannot be ensured by theology, and nuclear technologies do not require faith, but a purely scientific approach, education which is the most important task of higher education.
Humanitarian education of students allow quite successfully to solve the existing departments philosophy and sociology" .
Scholars draw parallels with the system of party and Komsomol organs in educational institutions in the Soviet time and believe that “the penetration of the church into the system of state education can hardly be described otherwise than as actions outside the law .
"We demand immediately stop the activities of this "department" and the financing of religious activities from the funds of educational institutions ,” the appeal says.
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