25.04.2008
Press-release on results of the round table Religious Freedom: Law, Education, Tolerance


On April 17, 2008 at the office of the Belarusian People’s Front ADRADZHEN’NE (8, Masherova Ave, Minsk) was executed the round table Religious Freedom: Law, Education, Tolerance, organized by experts of the site For Religious Freedom (www.forreligiousfreedom.info). Believers of different confessions took part in the round table, those who participate in educational and enlightening programmes in their congregations, as well as teachers of secondary schools, where religion is a subject, scientists, public figures, journalists.

Participants of the round table established,

- that the Belarusian society has got a possibility to restore the religious life at the end of 1980s, after 70 years of forced Soviet atheism,
- that euphoria of the first steps towards freedom and enthusiasm of thousands of believers were realized in hundreds of restored churches and thousands of serried congregations,
- that little by little the problems were determined, which demanded wide public discussion and state solution.


This natural process was hampered by Law On Freedom of Consciousness and Religious Organizations, adopted in 2002, some of the articles of which contradict Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and international agreements, signed by our country. Alarms of the human rights defenders were confirmed, they were seeking to stop adoption of discriminatory articles. Now, the local authorities, following the Law, don’t allow lease of premises to execute public worships, don’t allocate land lots to “ unloved confessions” in case they want to build churches, they punish those priests and believers by administrative arrests and fines, who execute public worships and meetings in private premises, without special permission, etc. The Belarusian Orthodox Church is in a privileged position (The Russian Orthodox Church in Belarus). In 2003 the Belarusian Orthodox Church signed an agreement with the state, as a result of which it became the only partner out of religious organizations cooperating with different ministries and departments, including the Ministry of education.

Participants of the round table are persuaded

that dissemination of religious knowledge in the society is demanded by the time,
that without this it’s not possible to change the spiritual atmosphere in the society, to stop amoral behaviour of considerable quantity of citizen, who are inclined to violence, drinking, stealing, irresponsible attitude towards life and health of their relatives and close people, especially children,
that it’s necessary to develop a network of private educational institutions, where the teaching process would include peculiarities of religious mentality.

For the Belarusian society, which is characterized on the one hand by its multiple confessions and on the other hand by its atheism, we need very well considered and tactful actions in the field of religious education. The world experience testifies: religious factor in the modern world can easily become a weapon of hatred, intolerance, even aggression towards differently minded. One can notice different manifestations of these in Belarus. The situation becomes even more complicated, because the majority of functionaries are people of Soviet mentality, they don’t understand and don’t accept arguments of the believers, they look at believers with suspicion, as at potential “disturbers of stability.” It’s possible to destroy such stereotype only by way of enlightenment, or bringing up children and young people in respect towards spiritual life and human rights.

Participants of the round table state,

that priority in religious education should belong to family and religious community,

that secular character of secondary school cannot be violated (“secular” is not a synonym of a concept “atheistic”) ,

that religious education should include not only the religious basis of this or other confession, but ethical norms and conceptions, including the tolerance concept,

that lease of premises should be allowed, in schools, cultural houses, and other public institutions, where it’s possible to organize classes on basis of religion,

that it’s necessary to insert corresponding changes into the Law On Freedom of Consciousness and Religious Organizations and into the Law On Secondary Education.

April 17, 2008

Minsk

www.forreligiousfreedom.info