Religious Education in National Curriculum during the Period of Galician Autonomy

Abstract

Religious education held an important place in the proposed curriculum of national education in the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. In the statements and works of the thinkers of that period about religion, the important thing was not only how and what to teach but also what moral stance to adopt that would be in accordance with religious principles – therefore, how to live. The analysis of publications of these authors allows us to establish that religion played an important role. The aim was not only to share religious knowledge, although this too was important, but also to awaken in the nation, and mainly in the young people, the religious feelings and encourage them to actively practice their values and beliefs and experience a rich spiritual life. The issue of religion and faith played a significant role in the shaping of patriotic attitudes and the construction of national identity. Among the discussed problems, those regarded as the most important were involvement in the experience of religious feelings, life in accordance with the doctrine of the Church, the significance of a person’s actions that reflect their moral stance, and the problem of religious education at schools.