O Ensino Religioso No Brasil E O Debate Sobre A Intolerância Religiosa Nas Escolas Públicas, Após A Lei 9.475/1997

Abstract

The objective of this article is to discuss aspects of religious intolerance after the publication of Law 9.475/97, which occurred in 1997. Religious education has existed in public schools since the Colonial Period and until the 19th century had a confessional character, with strong Catholic influence. It was only with the Federal Law 9.475/97 that Religious Education received a new configuration. From that year on, it tries to get away from the missionary aspect and becomes secular and multicultural, whose basic principle is the respect for all creeds. Thus, the objective of this article is to analyze the importance of this discipline for public elementary school students and to offer an understanding of the application of this discipline in the classroom. To reach this goal, we will go through the recent debates about Religious Teaching, based on academic studies that discuss the fact that this teaching still does not have a clear objective and that its application still causes distortions, discrimination, and proselytism in schools. The article also seeks to understand the reasons that lead to the practice of religious intolerance, even after the publication of the law.