Schooling and classes for Finnish children are the same for all children regardless of their family’s economic status and cultural background. However, once a week, students are divided into groups to attend a religion session in order to learn more about their faith. Since daughter day is implemented, your kids from a wide range of backgrounds should be taught religion in a school setting. When it comes to a child’s religious education, should society be concerned? How can we ensure that our students receive a well-rounded education that is both adaptable and balanced? These topics are debated throughout Europe, not only in Finland. When I was in high school, practically all Finns were Lutherans, but today, a large proportion of pupils are either non-religious or practice another religion. It also severed ties with both the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran and the Finnish Orthodox churches, which represent traditional minorities. As a result of this, society became more secular.
The connection between education and religion is a deeply emotional one. Along with the religious freedom amendments, there was a heated debate over whether or not religion should be taught in schools. Traditionalists wanted to keep religion’s confessional lessons. In recent years, more radical voices have called for an end to all religious instruction in schools. Their religious teachings approach, which guarantees minorities’ rights and allows each child to receive an education in line with his or her family’s values, was the compromise option. For non-religious students, there is a course called “science of life,” which encompasses topics like ethics, worldview, and religious studies. Because instruction should not be confessional but rather centered on the student’s home traditions, the Finnish compromise is founded on this. Despite this, religion is still taught in schools as a required subject since it aids a child’s development of identity and worldview, as well as laying the foundation for cross-cultural communication.
Celebrating the holidays of neighbors
In spite of the fact that religious education continues to raise debate, both parents and teachers are generally satisfied. One of the most serious issues is how to bring together children of various religious backgrounds. What if the same ethical subjects are incorporated in all religious education programs? Schools want students of many faiths and cultures to come together during school holidays. Finnish spiritual songs before the summer and Christmas holidays, for example, are not considered religious activities by the Finnish government because they are part of the school curriculum. There have been more bold steps in multicultural schools, in which religious and confessional representatives host traditional celebrations and ask everyone to attend. Sharing in the overall joy of the occasion and learning about new customs while keeping an open mind poses no threat to any of the major religions.