Knowledge of religion is important. It helps to understand different cultures and people. Aleksandra Sooniste is a teacher and doctor. She studied how Estonian students know about religion.
Currently, there is no separate religion subject in Estonian schools. Students learn a little about religion in history, civics, and foreign language classes. But this is not enough. Sooniste asked nearly 400 students about religion. The results were poor.
Students knew very little. For example, less than half knew that Ramadan is important for Islam. Very few knew which day is holy for Jews. Many thought that Jesus was born in Athens, not Bethlehem.
Students also got information from the media. But there is a lot of misinformation there. Schools should provide better knowledge. Young people themselves would like to learn more. 70% believed that religious education would help them live together peacefully.
When students learned about the stories of specific people, they became more positive. For example, a hypothetical Muslim was negative, but meeting real Muslims changed their opinion.
Sooniste recommends that every school should have at least one religion course. This would help students better understand the world. Religion is part of culture. Without it, many things remain incomprehensible.