Ensino Religioso no Estado de São Paulo: Fundamentos e Perspectivas Frente à Diversidade Cultural

Abstract

Brazil is considered a multicultural country which has in its composition the most varied ethnic groups and religious creeds, where pantheism, monotheism, polytheism, spiritualism, atheism, among other forms of religious expression go hand in hand, on the streets , at work, in relationships, in the home and in schools. The Constitution of this country, defines it as a Secular State, or a State officially neutral regarding religious matters and should not support certain religions at the expense of others. In this sense, the objective of this study is to analyze the Religious Education, its fundamentals and prospects facing the Brazilian cultural diversity, to understand whether they meet the principle of secularism present in our legislation. Believing it takes a paradigm for analyzing the empirical Religious Education, this study addresses the issue from the model of the state of São Paulo. Thus, the specific objectives of this study are: conduct a study of the laws relating to Religious Education in Brazil and in São Paulo; analyze the curriculum and materials used in the lessons of Religious Education in the State of São Paulo, noting the elaboration of these, there was compliance with the principle of Secularism by the state in the face of cultural and religious plurality. This is an exploratory, descriptive and analytical, which uses the methods of survey and literature review and survey and document analysis. The analysis makes use of the qualitative approach. Religious Education needs to be analyzed and discussed, without partisanship or interests. Only then will this secular character in real state and the rights of citizens or religious denominations will actually be respected.