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The non-confessional subject Religionskunskap was created to the curriculum of 1969 and replaced the older and confessional Kristendomskunskap which traces its origin back to the start of the elementary school in 1842 and even to the ecclesiastical inspections in the parish back to 1650. We know very much about peoples skills in reading long time ago in Sweden because the parents were obliged to teach their children read the Bible, the book of hymns and the catechesis of Luther (by heart) and the vicar visited every homestead to ask and inspect and make notes about the reading-skills. Therefore we know that in 1680 80% of the adult Swedes could read – almost the same figure as in 1980. This stress on reading is a fruit from the protestant tree. If you compare readingskills in Sweden and in France in the 19th century you will find a difference 80 – 20%. Anyhow the parent were not good teachers enough, therefore in 1842 the Swedish Folkskola, elementary school was created, but not in full activity, reaching every child until 1900, because the farmers would not let the children leave the work in fields and barns. So historically there are many connections between the Lutheran State church and education of people and school-development in Sweden. In the elementary school there were just a few subjects; reading, writing, maths, handicraft and cathecesis. From the beginning the elementary school was seen as a part of the baptismal/confirmation education of the church. In 1919 the cathecesis was replaced by stories from the Bible. In the 1951 a law of freedom of religion was decided. In 1958 the last connections between the Lutheran state-church and school was cut off. From the 1960:s “foreign religions” was more comprehensive presented in schoolbooks. So we are back in 1969.

The subject religionskunskap has often been put in question since then, either from religious people asking for more christanity and faith or from secular people who want no religion neither education in faith at all in school. Our organisation for teachers of Religionskunskap (FLR) was created in 1969 to develop and defend the new subject in school – to make clear that it is not confessional education we have in school, but also clarify that religions are essential to human life, culture and history and must have a place also in the Swedish curriculum.

Since 2000 The Swedish Church is no more a state-church but a free Lutheran church, even if there still are some connections to the state. During the last four decades Sweden has changed into a multiethnic, multicultural and multireligious society. Both these changes are important in order to understand the role of religion in school, especially the subject Religionskunskap. Om the one hand you can say that religious education is now a task for the churches and other religious groups themselves, on the other hand you can say – as we do- that it is an essential skill for people living in a “multisociety” to have knowledge and experience of different religions and cultures. The democracy needs it.

Recently the government and the department of education has presented an new curriculum for the Gymnasium (upper secondary school or senior high school). The Swedish gymnasium is a very comprehensive educational corpus which contains 18 national programs and a lot of regional-, local- and special-programs with both theoretical and vocational educations. Almost every pupil from higher secondary school continues to the gymnasium. Every program has a duration of three years and it must contain a nucleus of some indispensable subjects. Religionskunskap is one of these “nucleus-subjects”, a cours of 50 lessons called Religionskunskap A. But from time to time it is put in question if Religionskunskap is indispensable. In the new curriculum religionskunskap A is still there but the more advanced course Religionskunskap B has got a more weak position in favour for a new subject called “Hållbar utveckling” – “Sustainable development”. Nobody knows anything about this subject yet, or what skills the teachers teaching it must have, but it has to do with environment and pollution, that is clear.

On the local arena you can see another new subject arising and it is rather popular among teachers as well as pupils. Many higher secondary schools and gymnasiums offer a locally created subject called “Livskunskap” – Knowledge of Life. It contains courses about sexuality, gender, ethics in practice and so on, and Livskunskap has no connection to religions or education about religions.

Nils-Åke Tidman

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