Pisenko K.A. Lessons of Religion in Public School — Norm of a Secular Lawful State: the European Experience of Legal Regulation of School Religious Education.

Abstract: This article examines the European experience of the legal regulation of religious education in the public education system. Interest to the this theme is caused by necessity to solve lasting in Russia for over a decade the discussion about the possibilities, forms and principles of teaching religious subjects in a system of secular public education. On an example of experience of the secular legal European states, such as the Great Britain, Germany, Poland, France, Belgium, Spain, etc., the author proves, that the lessons of religion in public schools are an integral and organic part of the education system, that allows to solve the problem as a full–fledged intellectual development schoolchildren, and moral and patriotic education in accordance with the child in the family and the country’s religious traditions. Main principles of the European education system in this part is, on the one hand, voluntariness of choice of schoolchildren and their families religious subjects, on the other — the full integration of religious subjects in the educational system in an equal status with other disciplines. The author proposes to use the main principles of the European system of religious education at the creation of legal mechanisms for the integration of religious subjects into a system of secular education in Russia, because they comply the criteria and principles of secularism, legal state, principles and norms of international law, the principle of voluntariness of religious choice, on the one hand, and allow at the same time accomplish the task of spiritual and moral education and intellectual development of the child in accordance with the his own and his family religious choice, on the other.

Keywords: