One of the most discordant debates in Russian society is playing out in public schools like those in this city not far from Moscow, where the other day a teacher named Irina Donshina set aside her textbooks, strode before her second graders and, as if speaking from a pulpit, posed a simple question:

“Whom should we learn to do good from?”

“From God!” the children said.

Welcome or Not, Orthodoxy Is Back in Russia’s Public Schools – New York Times.

Religious instruction (or indoctrination), specifically Russian Orthodox Christian instruction, has been reintroduced in the Russian school curriculum, despite the protests of Jewish and Muslim leaders and those who say it weakens the separation of church and state. Religion was brutally suppressed during the communist era. Now Church leaders are reasserting themselves.

Tags: Russia, Russian+Orthodox+Church, Schools, New+York+Times