Bulgarian PM: Religious Classes Should Be Compulsory

[Prodigal]

Bulgaria's Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, declared Saturday he supports making religious education in schools mandatory.
Borisov spoke in the Black Sea capital Varna, during a mass at the newly built St. Prokopiy Varnenski temple, saying the process of aligning religious curriculum and preparing teachers would be long and complex.
The mass was served by the Varna Bishop Kiril in the presence of guests from the Romanian and US Orthodox churches. He said the biggest threat for Bulgaria was atheism and only faith can rescue Bulgarian people.

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=129622

And here I was thinking Europe was doomed, perhaps there is hope afterall. Glory to God.

[removeduser_487563287433]

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=129622

And here I was thinking Europe was doomed, perhaps there is hope afterall. Glory to God.

I don't know about the rest of the doomed by Religious Education is actually compulsory in the UK. Anyway, maybe you would prefer the religion forum if you want to shout at the heathens?

[Hobbes]

Indoctrinating people has always been disgusting.

[Uber Patriot]

Honestly that guy sounds like a nutter to me. In the UK no one really cares what politicians view on religion is, if someone said something like that however, it would be on the front of the papers for the wrong reasons.

Also Ferrets, your signature is terrifying, I looked up from writing this and he was staring right at me.

[removeduser_487563287433]

Well the man is clearly a fool, there's no doubt. In the UK yes, he would probably lose a vote of no confidence in a week.

[Sphere]

Good idea. If you don't get them while they are young they might think for themselves on the matter.

[Tiberios]

I have no problem with religious education being mandatory as long as all major religions are tought equally in these classes. This, however seems more like making Christianity classes mandatory.

[Acco]

And Glory be to God for it. I knew I would get a response like that from this forum.

You're going to get these responses everywhere, not just on TWC. Separation of church and state is vital.

I have no problem with religious education being mandatory as long as all major religions are tought equally in these classes. This, however seems more like making Christianity classes mandatory.

He recognizes atheism as a threat to the country and doesn't seem too fond of the Muslim minority in Bulgaria, so yeah, these classes wouldn't be neutral. In my opinion, he should focus on more important issues like Bulgaria's corruption problems. But I don't think this is concrete or anything, just his personal views.

[Tiberios]

He recognizes atheism as a threat to the country and doesn't seem too fond of the Muslim minority in Bulgaria, so yeah, these classes wouldn't be neutral. In my opinion, he should focus on more important issues like Bulgaria's corruption problems. But I don't think this is concrete or anything, just his personal views.

That is what I fear too. I doubt it will be education with a fair focus on all major religions.

[alhoon]

I have no problem with religious education being mandatory as long as all major religions are tought equally in these classes.

Religion is important for a lot of people and being taught what Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddism actually is, helps. So for example you would learn that whatever Al Qaeda thinks, Islam isn't about killing those that disagree with you and oppressing women.
Keep in mind though that IMO the most prevalent in the country religion, the one most students adhere to, should be taught in greater extend.

How about because I don't give a about your barbaric religion and don't want to be forced to learn about it does that count as negative enough for ya ?

And if you don't give a #### about "your barbaric history" either, should it be taken off the class? How about not give a rat's ### about English? Should they be removed too?
Look, in school I didn't care at all for Ancient Greek and Modern Greek. I didn't prepare well for the Ancient Greek classes I barely studied for the modern Greek classes and I had very poor grades in those two. I got grounded a few times but IMO it was worth all the time I saved from NOT studying those two boring classes. I studied barely enough to pass the class.
I never considered that we shouldn't be taught ancient or modern Greek because I didn't care about them.

One would expect in a public school where teachers have to follow a strict curriculum, the teachers' personal input in what is taught, would be rather limited.

Who would care from students, parents and other teachers if the teacher of religions did a bad job describing other religions?
You see most people aren't active in these things.

[Veliky Kaiser Theos]

I have no problem with religious education being mandatory as long as all major religions are tought equally in these classes. This, however seems more like making Christianity classes mandatory.

^This.
Religious education is a euphemism for "teach them my beliefs".

[Carpathian Wolf]

^This.
Religious education is a euphemism for "teach them my beliefs".

Again Orthodoxy is a definitive thought system of Bulgaria. It's like freaking out about Buddhism being taught in Tibet in public schools.

[NikeBG]

Again Orthodoxy is a definitive thought system of Bulgaria. It's like freaking out about Buddhism being taught in Tibet in public schools.

I disagree. Bulgaria today is probably the most atheistic of all Orthodox countries (especially compared to Romania and Greece, which seem almost fanatically religious). Orthodoxy for the majority of the Bulgarian Christians is not a lifestyle, but descent - most people consider themselves Orthodox, simply because that's what we've been for the last 1000+ years. And, of course, most of those people have never opened a Bible, have no idea what "John 3:16" f.e. stands for (not to mention its content) and go to church not more than 1-2 times a year (tops), usually on the biggest religious holidays like Easter. We're Orthodox mostly by tradition, not by belief.

Btw, it's somewhat funny, especially with all this "noise for nothing" in this thread, over a personal opinion of a single person (who's not even an authoritarian ruler, but just a prime minister) - the Orthodox priest from the neighbouring village, whom we befriended (although my parents are Protestant and work in a Protestant organization), is actually against compulsory religion classes. Of course, the reason is simple - IF religion is taught as a compulsory subject, it HAS to include at the very least Islam as well (though I think Buddhism and probably some other major religions were also included as a "must-have" the last time there were some attempts to have religion classes some years ago (which obviously failed, since the majority of the people are either against such classes or just don't give a damn).

Oh, and for those indoctrination cryouts - when I was 5 years old, my father became a newborn Evangelical (Pentecostal) Christian and we all started going to a Protestant church every Sunday. He was actively involved with the church life and even became a deacon there. Thus, I almost grew up in Sunday School, but when I hit the teens, I just stopped going. Was I not indoctrinated? I was, and yet - today I'm an Agnostic (well, to be technically correct, I'm atheistic, since I simply can't believe in a God (any God) without sufficient proof, although I would indeed like to think there's an everloving father figure somewhere there in the sky, watching over me and preparing some nice place for me in the afterlife to "pay back" for all the suffering of this world (and while I'd like to believe that, I really can't)). Heck, I'd say actually that "Christian indoctrination" is what made me an Agnostic, by simply making me read stuff and thus gradually realize things just don't seem to add up as well as most of those who call themselves "Orthodox Christians" (i.e. the ones who have no idea what Christianity actually is, but just consider it as tradition) in Bulgaria think. So, if religious education is actually included, I wouldn't be surprised if agnosticism/atheism actually increases...

[Prodigal]

And Glory be to God for it. I knew I would get a response like that from this forum.

Ferrets, return to the faith of your homeland, It calls you!

[removeduser_487563287433]

The faith of my homeland involves drowning men in bogs. Are you volunteering?

[Seether]

I thought they were strangled or had their throats slit first?

[Visna]

I thought they were strangled or had their throats slit first?

I'm not really sure how the practice was in England, but Tacitus talks about the Germanic peoples executing outcasts by drowning them in bogs. Which seems unlikely imo, because bogs were revered, people would sacrific inanimate objects there, so using them for executions of cowards and traitors seems odd. I think a more likely explanation is the human sacrifices in the bogs were both living and dead. Of course, the practice had been around for millenia before Tacitus so maybe it had changed by his time. Again unlikely, pretty much all the discovered remains show the victims were honored. Whether they were coerced or it was an altruistic suicide for the greater good, who knows, and I think it would vary.

Ahem... On topic.

From the article

He said the biggest threat for Bulgaria was atheism and only faith can rescue Bulgarian people.

lol? Or for srs?

[Sphere]

And Glory be to God for it. I knew I would get a response like that from this forum.

Ferrets, return to the faith of your homeland, It calls you!

Indeed.

Think of the enormous of amount of luck it took to be born into the correct religion. Out of the hundreds of thousands of years of human history, and the thousands upon thousands of false religions, to happen to have been born at the right place and right time to be part of the one correct religion is incredibly improbable.

To waste such a thing would be a pity.

[Prodigal]

You're going to get these responses everywhere, not just on TWC.

Everywhere, eh? I didn't on the Orthodox forum I frequent.

Indeed.

Think of the enormous of amount of luck it took to be born into the correct religion. Out of the hundreds of thousands of years of human history, and the thousands upon thousands of false religions, to happen to have been born at the right place and right time to be part of the one correct religion is incredibly improbable.

To waste such a thing would be a pity.

Luck isn't a part of it. People are blessed to be born into the Faith, but those who find it of their own volition appreciate it that much more.

And just so we can get this whole "separation of Church and state" thing aside, I don't believe in it.

[Babur]

This is a defeat for secularism

why should religion be forced on people?