Prof. Dr Zorica Mršević
Faculty of European Legal and Political Studies
Novi Sad

EDUCATION ON RELIGIONS AND TOLEDO PROCESS

Abstract

Ten basic principles defined by the OSCE/ODIHRa are presented as recommended to participating states to be used as criteria for designing qualitative education on religions. The aims and the contents of the Toledo principles are presented and analyzed as aimed to be guiding while designing programs of education on religions rather than as education on doctrines of particular religion. The author presented very similar recommendations of the Council of Europe and some other international documents which are all unison regarding need of designing neutral, non doctrinal education of sociology, history and culture of religions. The expectations of such educational programs are to be contributions of religious tolerance, mutual respect and ground of permanent continued inter religious dialogue. In the second part of the text are presented research of the main messages of students, authors of the essay contest on religious education which matched to the Toledo process. The text is ended by presentation of religious pluralism which is not result of pluralistic religious education but rather as of opposite causal relations. Namely, religious pluralism caused need of wide designed education on religions of cultural but not doctrinal type.

Key words: Toledo principles, education n religions, religious tolerance, interrelations dialogue, OSCE/ODIHR recommendations, Council of Europe recommendations.