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Years ago, I attended a Catholic grade school throughout my impressionable young childhood. For those who know me, the notion of me in a Catholic school is as humorous as Pat Robertson in a Buddhist temple. My beliefs have always fallen on one simple principle: continually aim for self love and in turn, you will treat others in the same vein.  I would characterize myself as a very spiritual person, but one who bases logic as a key tool in understanding one’s purpose and meaning in life. Flickr photo by Simon Varwel

But now I live in Spain, a country who boasts of Catholics representing 78% of the population – a highly misrepresented number if we define Catholicism in the strictest of terms. Most Spaniards that I have met over my four year stay are more closely aligned with agnostic than they are with Catholicism. Few have read the bible, attend church, are familiar with the doctrines or are passionate about any of the church’s battles for morality. Instead, they define themselves based on what they were born into and what their family declares themselves as. In essence, if they were baptized, they are Catholic.

This wishy-washy religious affiliation is partially why I believe many Spaniards didn’t mind when Zapatero declared gay marriage as legal, speedy Vegas style divorces as acceptable or abortion as a legal right for the female. However, the Prime Minister has taken the separation of church and state to an entirely new level with the compulsory subject called Education for Citizenship for the last cycle of Primary Education and all Secondary education. The course, despite religious cries, speaks of highly controversial topics such as divorce, sexuality (yes, this actually exists) and abortion. So unlike some country’s stance of closing one’s eyes to reality, claiming that absence is the best guarantee to good citizenship, Spain has chosen to face the human need for both connection and separation head on.

Do I agree with such a course? Do I think it is the parent’s right to have full control over a child’s morality?

Although I am coming from a relatively ignorant stance, as I have not attended or seen such a course, the idea ignites my passion. As an adult and child educator, the amount of false information sweeping through our communities on such basic topics such as sex, astounds me. And although Europe is light years ahead of many countries in its presentation of subjects that are morally disturbing to the religious right, there is always room for more objective education. What parents educate in their home beyond science is their choice but to deny basic information that would help a child make an objective and critical choice for themselves when the time comes, for me, is criminal.

What do you think? Is this new compulsory course to promote civic and human values a good idea? Does your country have such a course, and if so, has it worked?

Saludos,

Gabriella

Gabriella Opaz is co-founder of Catavino.net – a website dedicated to Spanish and Portuguese wine