Eleven och den andre – Statliga attityder till religion och livsåskådning i riktlinjer om sammankomster med religiösa inslag i skolan 2012 och 1967

This study aims at investigating and comparing state attitudes towards confession in policies regarding meetings with religious elements at schools. Two state policies have been examined through a text analysis inspired by Critical Hermeneutics – the 2012 guidelines, currently in use, and a historic guideline from 1967. Results show that two different stands are emerging regarding confessional elements. In the 1967 policy, pupils are encouraged to meet and tolerate different religious perspectives including non-religious attitudes in order to develop a democratic consciousness. Half a century later, the 2012 policy consider confession as problematic and something from which pupils ought to be protected. The study ends with a discussion of how recent regulations align with the ambition of training pupils in the encounter with religious others in the multicultural society Sweden and Europe presently are part of. Perhaps, something could be learned from previous state regulations – that encountering otherness does not necessary lead students to question their own beliefs, rather it may expand their horizon of cultural competence