Kathodon, The course of Religion, issue 17 (2001), pp. 96.

In the 17th volume of Kathodon magazine there are subjects developed with regard to the course of Religion in the Education through 7 articles. Another 3 articles are included in the volume concerning related and broader issues of religion and education.

             Metropolitan Theoklitos of Thessaliotitha indicates 6 proposals and ideas as the frame of dialogue between Church and State and also for inward reflection on essential and valid support of ecclesiastic education with concrete proposals.

              N. Matsoukas, refers to the relation of Orthodoxy and culture by stressing gnoseological dimension of the course of religion, and also to the value of the Bible and, at extension, the need of renewal of the course that should be actualized based on texts and in the spirit of criticism and dialogue.

             N. Zacharopoulos attemps through 8 concrete proposals to answer the question whether religious education should be practised in the young persons today and in what way by studying historically the phenomenon of spreading of religious ideas.

             I. Petrou investigates the place of the course of religion in the Greek educational system and focuses in the discussion that took place after the change of polity.

            In the 5^th text Pantelis Kalaitzidis poses the issue of change of physiognomy and character of the religious or “cultural” class, explaining the contemporary theological and cultural situation and the presuppositions needed for such a change to take place.

            In the 6^th text Stamatis Sakellion insists on the clarification of the ideological elements of the course, given that the Orthodox church is a minority in the European Union, and also to the fact that student progress and expression of faith should not be connected.

            In the 7^th text Panayiotis Onoufriou Tamvakis suggests a radical change of the course of religion: The course should be the first one in public education without attendance register, grading and exams.

            In the 8^th text Yannis Konstantinou deals with the 1^st part of article 3, paragraph 1 of the Greek Constitution which qualifies the religion of the Eastern Orthodox Church of Christ as the predominant religion in Greece and attempts the interpretation of this formulation.

            In the 9^th text Paris Papageorgiou speaks for the greek-orhodox ideology which does not identify with Orthodoxy and the reformed evangelical faith in the greek-speaking area.

            In addition, Charta Oecumenica is published in greek translation by Ioannis Petrou. 

The issue is completed with the column “Writers and Books”.