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<title> Religious Studies - a matter of life itself </title>
Every time the curriculum for Swedish high school is up for revision, there is someone who tries to argue that Religious Studies is not necessary for everyone to take. This is a standpoint I can not agree with. Instead, I would like to point out to you why I consider it being of great importance to keep Religious Studies as a compulsory subject in Swedish high school.

To start with, I would like you to stop and think of the picture that meets you every time you enter the streets of any Swedish town today. Look at the people you meet! Their skin color differs from one another's, their hair, their names - every where you look there is diversity. Today's Swedes are no longer necessarily blond with blue eyes - in fact, some women do not even show their hair but hide it under a scarf. However, if it was only the outside of people that differed, that would maybe not be a big problem, byt that is not the case. Not only do people look different but they do also act in different ways from what we may be used to. They speak and act in a way we do not always understand and this causes some of us to be frigthened. 

It is a most human reaction to be afraid of the things we do not understand. A recent example of what fear of the unknown might lead to is given by the debate preceding the building of a mosque in Uppsala. Many people were afraid of what a minaret would do to the city silhouette and how much the calling to prayer would disturb the neighbourhood. In the end it was decided that the minareth in question was not allowed to be built higher than the top of the nearby gymnastics hall and there would be no calls from the minareth, since almost none of the members of the muslim society of our town live near enough to hear it anyway. This is an interesting debate, I think, considering the summarized amount of hours that Swedish Church bells are ringing in a year. No one tries to argue that this is so disturbing that it ought to be forbidden.

On the contrary, I would like to argue that if we knew more about the people who have come to live in Sweden for various reasons, about their cultural backgrounds and the places where they used to live, much of the fear would fade away. Since religion is such an important part of culture, this is why Religious Studies is important for Swedish high school students.

Considering the above, my opinion is that a knowledge of different religions and cultures gives a person an understanding of other people, their lives and thinking. Understanding helps you to overcome your fear of the formerly unknown. Under-standing your neighbor's way of living in contrast to your own also gives you an understanding of Swedish society as it is today.

The question of Swedish society can also be highlighted by the almanac. Religious Studies as a subject studied in high school can give both native and immigrant Swedish teenagers an answer to why we have a holidays like Christmas, Easter and All Saints Day. As a matter of fact, our country and its laws are formed on a Christian set of values and beliefs. Religious Studies should be able to contribute to an understanding of the history and tradition of the country we all live in. 

Finally, some people might want to argue that Religious Studies are of no importance for a seventeen-year-old boy who wants to work as a meachanic. Why does he have to study such a specialized and theoretic subject? My answer to that is simple: Because the mechanic working next to him might bear the name Muhammed and he may very well prefer spending his Friday lunch hour praying instead of eating a pizza with cheese, tomato and ham on top. If the young man is given tuition in different religious beliefs, he will more easily understand Muhammed's choice and not just put him off as odd.

The aim of my argument has been to show that Religious Studies is a subject that deals with life itself and of understanding our own context. That is why it is essential to keep this subject as a compulsory subject for Swedish teenagers to study in high school.
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