Who should teach about religion in schools?

More important than who teaches is a contradiction that must be resolved first. At home children learn their parents’ morals, at school they hear that these do not bind them, and later the state demands strict obedience.

Whether teachers or representatives of faith communities should teach is a fair question. But it stays on the surface. First we need to see how contradictory the messages are that children receive today.

Children grow up in families, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, atheist and many others. There they learn morals according to their parents’ convictions. When they then go to school, they are often told that they are now free and no longer bound by the morals of their home. The teachings that all religions share are largely missing there.

Then comes the next break. While they are young, much is overlooked. As soon as they reach a certain age, the state demands strict obedience to its laws. In effect they are told they need not heed the morality God has given, yet they must obey laws made by people. This contradiction lets crime grow.

That is why this is not a question for any one party. It concerns the daily life of a country and the roots of crime. All political forces should think about it together. A good start would be to respect the upbringing given by parents and to teach in school the moral principles shared by all religions, such as the justice and kindness the second verse above speaks of.