Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias (1946- )
Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias wished the parents of all students to understand unambiguously that if they choose “secular ethics” within the academic field of “Fundamentals of Religious Cultures”, it means that their children shall be force-fed atheism. Addressing the Moscow clergy on the occasion of the annual diocesan conference on Wednesday at Christ the Saviour Cathedral, His Holiness noted that, today, many parents think that “secular ethics” in the schools is the same thing as the foundations of etiquette, that is, cultured and human behaviour in today’s world. “That is why they opt for secular ethics, not realising that they are voting for atheism”, he said.
In his view, it is the duty of every priest to give his parishioners a précis of the school subject and stress the importance of parental choice in it. “Pastors must clearly say to parents facing this choice, ‘The future direction and way of life of your child lies in your hands’”, Patriarch Kirill said. In the patriarch’s viewpoint, the choice of subjects in this course that every parent is given is equivalent to the choice of whether or not they choose to teach their child to live only by the law of immediate pragmatic gain, or, to have them guided by their traditional beliefs”.
23 December 2009
Interfax-Religion
Voices from Russia 
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