e-Pedagogium 2019, 19(3):32-42 | DOI: 10.5507/epd.2019.020

Teaching religion as a potential tool for fighting religious extremism - the case of Russia

Miroslava Jasenčáková

Institut mezinárodních studií, FSV, Univerzita Karlova v Praze, U Kříže 8, 158 00 Praha 5 - Jinonice

Russia is a multi-ethnic and multiconfessional country where most of the population subscribe to Orthodox Christianity. There are also several supporters of other religious movements, where the most important are Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. Religion has had a significant impact on Russian society, as evidenced by the introduction of compulsory religious education in primary schools in 2012, when the subject of Foundations of Religious Cultures and Secular Ethics (FRCSE) was introduced, which was largely promoted by the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). In recent years, the ROC has begun to engage in expanding teaching, supporting the theory that the subject will contribute to strengthening the fight against religious extremism and terrorism. The question therefore arises as to whether a functional tool for the prevention of religious extremism could be spreading the subject FRCSE or whether the ROC's efforts to strengthen its already prominent position within the state and society could be behind it.

Keywords: Key words: religious education, religious extremism, Russian Orthodox Church, Foundations of religious cultures and secular ethics, Russia.

Accepted: October 27, 2019; Published: November 1, 2019  Show citation