Attempting a Connection Between Teenagers’ Religious Consciousness and Citizenship Education in the Greek Educational System

Abstract

This paper is the first part of a wider project which seeks to explore the relationship between citizenship education and religious consciousness in the context of Greek education. According to Article 16 paragraph 2 of the Greek Constitution, education constitutes a basic mission of the state; accordingly, the purpose of Education is, among other things, the formation of young people into free and responsible citizens and the development of their religious consciousness. This paper aims to form the theoretical background within which a deep and thorough research will take place. It presents the discussion about the relationship between two concepts: the state-religion relationship within the Greek educational system as well as the possible relationship between religious consciousness and citizenship. The theoretical considerations will provide a first understanding but also serve as an index towards a formation of a wider well-grounded theory which will attempt to look deeper into the possible links between religious consciousness and the cultivation of democratic values of young people within a specific educational framework.