History textbooks can and primarily should contribute to the strengthening of students’awareness of universal human values.However,history textbooks can also deepen the divisions,prejudices,and uncritical attitudes,contrary to the goals of education.The youth population,which is still building and creating their point of view towards the world is the main group in the education process.The learning period,in the elementary,as well as in the secondary education is of utmost importance for the development of every human.To that end,history,through the contents of the past largely shapes our perceptions of every individual,ourselves,and the others.Since we are living in a multiethnic and multi-confessional society,I have decided to conduct an analysis of the teaching contents of high school textbooks related to religion.Another reason for the analysis is the role of religion in the formation of Balkan nations,which have made it one of the key elements of their national identities.It is often given the role of raising and strengthening the national awareness,patriotism,as well as the country homogeneity,which most often leads to forming prejudices,divisions,and discrimination towards people of minority religions.The large volume of content related to the religion,and also the mere fact that Muslims are the second largest religion group in the population,I have decided to analyze the contents which are related only to the Islamic religion.The goal is to look for both the positive and negative sides of those contents in history textbooks in secondary schools,which are backed by state institutions that are supposed to take care of the development of competitive,creative,progressive,and ethically formed human potential.The critical review will give an additional impulse to the efforts of eliminating those parts of the teaching contents that create divisions and prejudices,especially in history textbooks,so that its studying can become the key factor in the building of trust between people of different religions.
1. Introduction According to Report No. 22, titled“Religion and Its Disciples Throughout the World,” published by the United Nations in 1956, the number of Confucian disciples worldwide reached 300,290,500,ranking fourth after Catholicism, Islam,and Hinduism. Lewis Hodous (1967)stated,“Confucianism was established as the state religion by Emperor Wudi(140-87 BCE) and retained this position till 1912.” Scientific literature indicates that the influence of Confucius’ teachings in Indonesia started at the end of the prehistoric period.
This work examined Bertrand Russell’s main arguments against the existence of God and his strongly negative opinion on the historic role of religions.These arguments were:(1)The idea that God is a First Cause is invalid because the cosmos doesn’t have to have a beginning;(2)If there were reasons for God to issue the observed natural laws and not others then God Himself was just an intermediary of older laws;(3)Considering all the defects of the world one cannot consider God as an omnipotent designer;(4)If God created both right and wrong then it is no longer a significant statement that God is good;And(5)most people believe in God just because they have been taught from early infancy to do it.The criticisms of cosmological neuroscience were as follows:(1)The particular cosmic wave that carries our Universe could have a beginning;(2)Although there were reasons for the natural laws which God issued,it cannot diminish the divine creativity of this act;(3)Although the world is indeed full of defects,they are as much parts of the cosmic order as its splendors,due to their common roots in the Law of Coexistence in Diversity;(4)Although right and wrong may ultimately be both in God’s blueprint,He is still benevolent due to the Law of Divine-Evil Asymmetry permitting wrong only under the dominance of right;And(5)although many believe in God only because they were taught to do so and hope it provides safety,this is an oversimplification unable to explain the genuine Faith of others.The devastating judgement of Russel that religions have been just“a source of untold misery to the human race”was also examined.This brief article could not detail all the positive social changes with which the religions of goodness(e.g.,Abrahamic religions)enriched history,such as introducing the respect for human life.But the paper did remind the reader of the God-inspired work of Lao Tzu,Rumi,Michelangelo,the Bach-interpreting Leonard Bernstein,Mother Teresa,Martin Luther King Jr.,George Harrison and others including the architects
