Religous Education in Compulsory School in Norway

The article is developed from a paper given on a Norwegian-Russian Conference held in Alta in Norway April/May 1995. It gives general information on religion in Norwegian society and an introduction to Norwegian school system as a background for understanding Religious education in Norwegian schools. Curriculum Guidelines for cumpulsory Education in Norway (M87)has a parallell modell for Religious education: a confessional approach 'Christian Knowledge' for the majority of the pupils and an alternative subject 'General Religions and Moral Education' for children who are exempted. A new schoolreform are prepared and a new common subject 'Christian knowledge with religions and philosophies of life' are to be given. World religions as a subject has been returned from Civics ans Sosial Studies. The new subject combines the traditions from the two parallell subjects in M87.