Creationism in the Russian Educational Landscape

1. Entity type Lemma
2. Original titleКреационизм в картине российского образования
3. Language term Russian
4. lemma author Asliturk, Miriam
5. lemma category Education, Science and Orthodoxy - Scientific theories and disciplines > Biology - Culture and national identities - Scientific theories and disciplines > Biology:evolution - Ecumenism and dialogue > Education
6. Publication date 2009
7. lemma work Левит, Инга [Author]. Креационизм в картине российского образования
8. lemma manifestations Историко-биологические исследования.
9. Keywords Creationism - Evolution - Textbooks - Russian education system - Religious education - Darwinism - Biology - Russian Orthodox Church
10. Url Click Here
11. Citations
    1. <p>Левит, И., Хоссфельд, Уве & Олссон, Л. (2009). Креационизм в картине российского образования. <em>Историко-биологические исследования. </em>Retrieved from: <a href="http://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/kreatsionizm-v-kartine-rossiyskogo-obrazovaniya">http://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/kreatsionizm-v-kartine-rossiyskogo-obrazovaniya</a> </p>
12. Lemma body

    1. The article discusses a 2007 court case in St. Petersburg, Russia, in which a school girl, Maria Schreiber, demanded that the ministry of education allow an «alternative» to evolution to be taught in high school biology classes. The authors highlight this as emblematic of the tensions that have arisen in post-USSR Russian society. The article also sheds light on the influence of Western creationism in Russia, notably the dissemination of Protestant creationist ideas in Russian, and explains the distinction between Protestant and Russian Orthodox views as regards creationism. In Russia, representatives of both the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and of some Protestant churches advocate creationism, even though both confessions arrive at this position independently and remain faithful to their theological doctrines.

       The article also provides an overview of the publication of «alternative» textbooks for biology courses, some of which are now being used in both private and public schools. The ROC also tries to include an introduction to Russian Orthodoxy in all state schools. The attempt has generated considerable discussion in Russia, both from atheists, who believe in the separation of church and state, and Muslims, who state that the introduction of Russian Orthodox education in public schools threatens the multiethnic and multiconfessional nature of the Russian Federation and could thus provoke tensions. The authors conclude by making a distinction between two types of creationism — «scientific» and «clerical», and state that these two do not contradict each other and co-exist in Russia.