New Law Curbs Religious Elements in Schools

Country: Sweden

Date of incident: October 15, 2008


(2008/2009) Sweden curbs the influence of religion in private confessional schools in a move to "prevent the spread of fundamentalism". Law entered into force in the beginning of 2009.

Sweden curbs the influence of religion in private confessional schools in a "move to prevent the spread of fundamentalism", so government officials say. The new rules being drafted by the center-right government ban religious elements in subjects other than religion, such as biology, Education Minister Jan Bjorklund told Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter. The rules will make it illegal even for faith-based schools to teach that religious doctrines are objectively true on the grounds that this would be “prosetylising”. Prayer, including religious services or assemblies, will remain legal, as long as no teacher in a classroom teaches that there is any reality behind it. "Students must be protected from every form of fundamentalism," Bjorklund was quoted as saying. There are 67 elementary schools and six high schools with a confessional orientation in Sweden, which is a highly secular country. Most of them are Christian. They are outside the public school system, but are governed by Sweden's law on education. Follow up: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/oct/07102301.html