XII Simpósio de Ensino Religioso - Faculdades EST | Abertura Oficial e Palestra

Added: 2026-06-10

[00:00:21]Goodnight.

[00:00:23]We are beginning the 13th Religious Education Symposium at the Zero College in São Leopold, Rio Grande do Sul. What a joyful day!

[00:00:35]We have representatives from 18 states at this symposium. That's why we say goodnight, Brazil.

[00:00:45]Good evening to all those dedicated to religious education throughout the country.

[00:00:51]It was in 2002 that EST held its first symposium on religious education to bring together research and studies that were already taking place at the institution in specialization courses in religious education in the master's and doctoral programs in theology of our PPG.

[00:01:12]From the very first discussions about religious education that respected diversity, the university was present. It was also present with a significant delegation at the ratification of the new version of Article 33 in 1997 at the University of Brasília.

[00:01:36]Thus, the college is affiliated with Brazilian entities and institutions that seek to implement a pluralistic and inclusive religious education.

[00:01:50]We have ANTECRE, which brings together different postgraduate programs in religious studies and theology. We have FUNAPER, which has set the tone for reflections and studies on the subject since its creation in 1995.

[00:02:06]Our research group, curriculum, religious identity and educational praxis in college, whose coordinating group is featured here, is promoting this symposium with the support of NASP and the Observatory of Religion in School.

[00:02:27]Many hands are working together to build knowledge in the field of religious education in Brazil.

[00:02:42]Many hands are also working together in the organization of this symposium, our 13th symposium on religious education.

[00:02:46]On behalf of the research group, we thank you for all the collective work, for the 56 papers submitted, for the more than 100 people who participated in this event, for the dissemination and for the organization.

[00:03:02]We will have three nights of intense work on the identity of contemporary religious education from a decoloniality perspective.

[00:03:12]Today we are discussing the topic of religious education from the perspective of the National Association of Graduate Programs in Religious Studies and Theology, ANPEC.

[00:03:22]Tomorrow we will have a perspective from the National Permanent Forum for Religious Education, Fonaper. And on Wednesday we will have a panel discussion on diversity in religious education.

[00:03:35]Welcome, on behalf of our group, to our 13th symposium on religious education, this important field of knowledge in Brazilian education.

[00:03:48]I invite Professor Dr. Valério Guilherme Chaper, general director of Zest College, to give his welcoming remarks on this very special evening.

[00:04:01]Good evening, Professor Laude. Good evening to everyone who is watching us. I bring here a fraternal embrace from the administration of the Exesta college to each person who joins us tonight to begin another symposium on religious education here at Zest college. Well, it's no small feat, as Professor Laáudia has already pointed out, this is the 13th symposium, and we've been supporting this proposal since 2002. It's been over 20 years of journey.

[00:04:38]And we owe this support to many people, near and far. Some people have already left us, others remain steadfast and have other projects. And some people, like Professor Laude, continue to hold and sustain this space, raising this flag. I would also like to express my gratitude to Professor Charles, a professor here at CES Faculty, who is also one of the organizers of the symposium, to Professor Vanessa from UNASP, who is also here as a supporter, to the School Religion Observatory, and a special hug to Professor Claudete Ulr eh Ulrich, who will be speaking to us tonight.

[00:05:30]Thank you all.

[00:05:35]As I said, it's people like that who are sustaining and holding up this space. And this space is fundamental.

[00:05:45]It is a space for critical education, pluralistic education, an education committed to the challenges of a contemporary society that never ceases to leave us perplexed by its questions, its issues, and its abrupt changes. We need to respond to the spirit of our times. It is therefore necessary to reflect deeply, from the perspective of religious education, on the issues that are raised.

[00:06:23]Thank you to all of you who carried this banner.

[00:06:27]Thank you, as I said, to Professor Laud, who is an enthusiast and supporter of this proposal. That 's a lot of steps and a lot of struggles, isn't it? Professor Laud, keeping critical reflection on religious education alive is not such a simple task.

[00:06:45]Strength is needed in the eardrum to keep it always firm.

[00:06:50]I understand that this is a clear testament to how this faculty understands that it can contribute to deepening and expanding the meaning and scope of research in this changing world.

[00:07:03]It is with consistency, with coherence, and with boldness that this testimony is given.

[00:07:11]And I find it especially relevant that this congress focuses on a particularly significant theme, since the symposium aims to reflect on the identity of contemporary religious education from a decoloniality perspective.

[00:07:32]Sure, the question can be straightforward.

[00:07:36]Why link religious education and decoloniality?

[00:07:40]There are surely many reasons, I don't want to go into detail, I'm not here to give a lecture, I just came to offer my greetings. However, I cannot fail to mention that by using the term coloniality, this symposium places this exercise of reflection within the continuity of an event that I consider extremely powerful, because it inaugurates, it moves within the horizon of modernity.

[00:08:08]I return to that event that took place between 1550 and 1550 in Paladolimpico, Spain, a debate that I consider to be a foundational debate of Western modernity.

[00:08:24]There, in a college, people gathered—assistants and two debaters. And it wasn't a philosophical debate, it was a theological debate. On one side was Friar Bartolomé de Las Casas, defender of the Amerindian peoples. On the other side was Juan René de Sepúlvida, a theologian who argued that the Amerindian peoples were inferior beings, thus justifying the colonial project of all of Europe.

[00:09:00]The central question in this debate was whether or not the Amerindian peoples had souls. Defining this status—whether or not they had a soul—then the rights they could have, the rights they could aspire to in this new scenario, in which they were then annexed to the civilizing project of Europe, to the colonial project of Europe, followed.

[00:09:26]As I said, it's a debate that underpins the modern Western world. And this debate is theological, it's a religious debate. The founding dispute is a religious matter, and once resolved, it consecrated all subsequent catechesis.

[00:09:43]It is the resumption of this debate, its redefinition, that gives us a framework for the task of this symposium. It is the decolonizing task.

[00:09:55]And decoloniality is a constant struggle against all remnants. This mentality from 1550 and 1551 still insists on insinuating itself behind our thoughts, causing them to remain colonial thoughts. That's why it's a constant struggle. And it is for this reason that I wanted to commend the courage of this symposium and wish it to be an auspicious time of dialogue, debate, and discovery. May this symposium be a blessed time.

[00:10:33]Good evening and a good symposium to you all.

[00:10:37]Thank you for your kind words, Professor Valério. And now I give the floor to Professor Dr. Charles Clems, professor in our graduate programs and coordinator of the Bachelor of Theology at IAD, to introduce today's guest and conduct the session for this first evening. We wish you a good symposium.

[00:11:04]Good evening everyone. Thank you, Professor Laud, for the presentation, and also to Professor Dr. Valério, our general director at Zest College.

[00:11:17]Well, it is with great pleasure, then, that I invite Professor Dr. Claudete Bisrich to join us tonight. She holds a doctorate in theology specializing in religion and education from Faculdades Zest, and also a post-doctorate in education from the Federal University of Espírito Santo. She is the president of the Board of Directors of AMPETECRE, the National Association of Postgraduate Studies in Research in Theology and Religious Sciences. Wow, quite a resume, professor, I'll be so brief as to give you some context. Here in her presentation, but she is also a professor in the undergraduate theology course, in the degree program in religious studies, and in the postgraduate program (master's and professional doctorate) in religious studies at Faculdade Unida de Vitória, in Espírito Santo. She is also the coordinator of the degree program in religious studies at Faculdade Unida and the coordinator of the research group on religion, gender and violence, human rights and education.

[00:12:24]Researcher member of the Cultures research group, rural education partnership, and researcher in the Public Theology in a Latin American context research group.

[00:12:36]Professor Claudete, it is a pleasure to have you with us at this symposium on religious education at Zest College.

[00:12:47]You are a researcher, you know, on religious education in this educational field. So, greetings and thanks for your participation.

[00:13:02]Good evening to everyone, all students, teachers, and researchers in religious education.

[00:13:15]I appreciate the invitation from the universities and also congratulate them on this symposium, the 12th symposium on religious education.

[00:13:28]I participated in the first one; I was here listening to Professor Laud in 2002 because I did my postgraduate studies in religious education at EST colleges, I think in one of the first classes.

[00:13:41]So this is the struggle of religious education today, it's religious education that expands, that includes all our cultural and religious richness. It 's a joy to be part of this religious education movement, which is expanding more and more. So, it will be a pleasure to talk to you all tonight as well. And here we are, Charles, together, right, having a dialogue.

[00:14:17]Yes, that's it. Hey, professor, so, right from the start I also want to invite the people who are watching us to send their questions through the YouTube chat. People who registered for the Congress and have access to the event through Even3 can also send their questions through there, right? And as far as possible, then, we will bring these questions up for debate. Our activity today will be more of a chat, a conversation, right, teacher? So, perhaps to begin, as president of the Board of Directors of AMPETECRE, meaning you are very active in AMPETECRE, the National Association of Postgraduate Studies in Research in Theology and Religious Sciences, could you introduce AMPETECRE and show some possible connections with religious education?

[00:15:19]Thank you for your question, Professor Charles. So, Petecre has a long history. She started in 2008 in São Paulo.

[00:15:31]The National Association for Research and Graduate Studies in Theology and Religious Studies is the most important association, I want to emphasize this, the most important in our field, in field 44, which is the field of theology and religious studies at CAPES. So, it's very important, and recovering this history also shows the whole movement for our area, the area of ​​theology and religious studies, to have visibility.

[00:16:09]She's still around for a long time, right? At CAPS, she was connected with philosophy.

[00:16:17]While still at CNPq, it's linked to philosophy, but we are increasingly involved in this process of disassociating ourselves from it and showing that our area is a scientific one, that theology, religious studies, is a scientific field and has much to contribute, especially in this moment we are living in Brazil, in Latin America and throughout the world, where there is an instrumentalization of religion.

[00:16:48]So, uh, I wanted to remind you of something very important: we, QUECRE, are made up of 23 programs in theology and religious studies. There are 11 programs in religious studies and 12 programs in theology.

[00:17:11]So it's important to remember that, for example, we have this event here that is being organized by UNASP and Zeste College. The college has been part of AMPETEC since its inception, so to speak. And UNASP is our newest participant in the dacre. So it's really great to participate in an event, right, with these entities that are part of AMPET.

[00:17:41]ATC organizes, uh, in the beginning, the first events, right, of Petecre were, firstly, the first was in 2008 and the second was in 2009. Then, the congresses started, national congresses as well, with an international perspective, started to happen biannually.

[00:18:03]And it's always important to realize that the theme of religion is always present. So, ah, religion, human rights, religion, migration and human mobility, religion and socio-environmental crisis.

[00:18:22]Well, the last congress was the biggest of all, and it was the first time it took place at a public university. That's very important too, right? Within our association, we have community-based entities, private entities, but also public entities. And that's very important, right? It says this, it shows this plurality, this encounter also of the various institutions that work with theology and religious studies.

[00:18:53]So, our last congress took place in Paraíba, in João Pessoa, last year, in September, and as I said, we had more than 1000 people registered. That was really, really cool, and also with almost more than 800 communications. So this shows the growth of our area.

[00:19:15]Ah, so it's interesting, isn't it, that, firstly, in history, theology and religious studies were classified, as I've already said, as a subfield of philosophy, but in 2017 there was an emancipation.

[00:19:33]Theology and religious science have emancipated themselves from philosophy and have also gained their own place in the tree of knowledge of CAPS (Center for Psychosocial Care). Regarding the classification of Area 44. So, when we talk about Area 44, it's our area, the area of science, religion, and theology.

[00:19:55]Well, it's a specific area, right, where we're going to work with religion. Theology also works with religion, and the science of religion also works with religion, but in different ways. So, it's important to remember this issue of PETEC, but I also wanted to mention that in 2021 the Forum of Scientific Associations of Religious Studies, Theology and Religious Education, which is Facreter, was also created.

[00:20:26]This forum brings people together, right? It's like an umbrella.

[00:20:33]Well, and he has several institutions, for example, the Brazilian Association of Philosophy and Religion, the Brazilian Association of Biblical Research, the Latin American Association of Literature and Theology, Seila itself, Soter, Fonaper, and the Brazilian Society of Systematic Theology. So, these institutions form this larger umbrella that is the faction.

[00:21:04]Why is this important? Because here I'm going to make the connection, right, also thinking about the connection with your question, right, with religious education. So, it's very important because religious education is one of the areas of applicability, right, of our field. It's in religious education, in basic education, that's where we'll be focusing our area of ​​expertise, we'll be thinking about its applicability, that's where we'll be working.

[00:21:41]Yes, and also our master's and doctoral students, many professors, also come from basic education.

[00:21:49]Well, at the last congress, something cool also happened in Paraíba.

[00:21:58]It was the first time we had groups of teachers from basic education, specifically those involved in religious education, participating.

[00:22:09]Since we are a postgraduate association, we are also welcoming teachers from basic education, because there is no training, no continuing education, for example, in master's or doctoral programs, if we don't have initial training.

[00:22:32]Oh, and it was really great to have the teachers from both the public and private school systems participate in our congress in Paraíba. So this relationship is also an issue that CAPES itself, right, the MEC, is asking for, that postgraduate programs also have a relationship with undergraduate programs, and we have undergraduate degrees in theology, we have a teaching degree in religious studies, and there is also a bachelor's degree in religious studies.

[00:23:10]Therefore, there needs to be a relationship, a link between one program and another, and they shouldn't be separate things.

[00:23:21]So it's also important to highlight, for example, one where Fonaper, but also AEGC, acted and was also approved on December 28, 2018, the national curriculum guidelines by the Ministry of Education and the National Education Council, which established the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate course in Religious Studies. Well, and I'll say this, it's the first course that was actually recognized by the MEC (Brazilian Ministry of Education). We have other courses, right, like the one at FURB, which is older, a course for training teachers of religious education. But here, then, this resolution that established the national curriculum guidelines for the undergraduate course in religious studies for the training of teachers for religious education.

[00:24:28]Another issue, which is also related to the national curriculum guidelines for religious education, is something we'll be addressing very soon, right? In 2018, the national curriculum guidelines were established, and in 2017 we already had the training and, moreover, the promulgation of the National Common Curriculum Base. And in these two, let's say, we know that the whole issue of religious education is present in the National Curriculum Base, it's easy, it wasn't simple. The people who worked there first had several versions of the National Curriculum Base. We can be quite critical, right? The national curriculum framework, its bias is more technological, more technical, let's say, right? From a more technical perspective, but thinking about religious education, it is a great victory that religious education is included in the national curriculum. So, let's say, these are two issues together here, right? The national curriculum guidelines for undergraduate courses and the promulgation of the national curriculum framework. And in these movements, I want to highlight the participation of Fonaper, right? You 'll have a lecture tomorrow, the National Permanent Forum for Religious Education, it was very important. And many professors who are also connected to postgraduate programs and to Ampetecre itself participate in Fonaper. So here we have a meeting, here we have a joint movement in the struggle.

[00:26:29]So I think it's crucial that we consider that we need to work much more collectively for our field. Well, another important point, for example, is to consider that religious education is a curricular component of elementary school education from the first to the ninth grade.

[00:26:51]And when we think about religious education, there are discussions, right? So, is religious education a field of knowledge or not? Let's put it this way, there are discussions on this issue, but B, the National Curriculum Base, recognizes religious education as a curricular component and an area of knowledge.

[00:27:19]So, as a curricular component of basic education, right, elementary school, early years and later years, and also as an area of ​​knowledge.

[00:27:32]And if it's an area of ​​knowledge, that means that religious education needs to be researched, needs to be studied, needs to be published, right? Research needs to happen, and these kinds of meetings need to take place, like the ones we're also having.

[00:27:55]And we need to think about religious education, something that also shapes this issue of a transponential dimension, let's say, right? Well, to avoid using the word "disciplinary," religious education is related to education and to religious knowledge.

[00:28:17]So, we need to consider religious education from the perspective of the school.

[00:28:24]We no longer think about religious education from the perspective of one religious denomination or another. We think about religious education from the perspective of the school. Therefore, the national curriculum framework is a fundamental and extremely important milestone for non-denominational religious education. So I wanted to emphasize that we work from the perspective of a pluralistic, non-denominational religious education. That's what we need to be working on in our schools, because we are also remembering that in article 210 of the 1988 Federal Constitution, we have present, right, that religious education is a right in schools and also the change, there is also a change in the LDB of 9394 96, with law 9475 of July 22, 1997, which gives a new wording for religious education. And religious education then becomes a normal component of public elementary schools. And there's something very important, right, that this law guarantees respect for the religious and cultural diversity of Brazil, where any form of proselytism is prohibited.

[00:30:05]Therefore, religious education is not a place for proselytizing or evangelizing; it is a place for dialogue and research on the religious phenomenon. And the religious phenomenon, it is different, it is plural, it is not the same everywhere. So even though we have the national curriculum as a guide, right? This is a document that guides us, a standard, but it will also need to be interpreted and understood differently in the various spaces and contexts of this immense country of ours. Because there are certain religious traditions or religious manifestations in some places, or philosophies of life, that don't exist in other places. So, this issue of the contextualization of religious education is very important.

[00:31:02]And so Fonaper was born, it's quite interesting, isn't it, that Fonaper was founded in 1995, with its headquarters in Florianópolis.

[00:31:13]And Fonaper also holds congresses and events every year, which demonstrates precisely the importance, and at the same time how religious education is still a place of contention. So religious education continues to be an area of ​​much contention.

[00:31:35]And why is that, right? Because there's still this idea that we'll only talk about coloniality later, right? It's colonial, it's a lack of respect for the different religious and cultural expressions of our country. So, something else I also wanted to highlight is that religious education, as part of the national curriculum, is an area of ​​knowledge focused on holistic development and the development of citizenship.

[00:32:09]Look at this, how important it is to develop citizenship.

[00:32:16]I have duties, I have rights, I need to know what it means to be a citizen in this country, in our Brazil.

[00:32:28]Ah, so I teach the National Common Curricular Base, which is geared towards the integral development of the student, focusing on respect for diversity, ethics, a dimension of otherness, and intercultural dialogue, and can no longer be treated in a confessional way. That is why teachers need initial training and ongoing professional development.

[00:32:59]And what we are doing here is part of ongoing training. But when these teachers pursue postgraduate studies, they are also undertaking continuing education, perhaps within the field of education and religion, right? where religious education is addressed.

[00:33:23]Therefore, the thematic units of the national curriculum include identities and otherness, religious manifestations, religious beliefs, and philosophies of life. So, each of these thematic units presents countless, countless possibilities for research and dialogue.

[00:33:49]as well as practical pedagogical approaches in the process of mediating knowledge.

[00:33:55]And the question always comes up again, right?

[00:33:58]Teachers ask themselves, how does the transposition of religious knowledge, of the themes that the BNCC (National Common Core Curriculum) presents to us in each year of elementary school, take place?

[00:34:11]It's important to consider the debates, right, about religious diversity in the religious education curriculum component.

[00:34:18]And something else that's also very important today, right?

[00:34:20]We need to think not only about religious tolerance or intolerance, but also about religious racism. And why is that so important, right? When we talk about religious racism, we realize that some religious traditions in this country, in our country, are targets of attacks, they are targets of demonization.

[00:34:47]And that's... it's very sad because every person has a right, right? The Constitution gives us the right to freedom of conscience and freedom of belief, but we still have a lot of religious racism, and there are many diverse religious traditions, especially religions of African origin and also religions of indigenous origin.

[00:35:16]But it's also quite interesting today that some Catholic communities, regardless of where they are located, are also suffering attacks. So there is a certain kind of religious racism. Some of these things mean that it's not just a matter of racism related to skin color, but also racism related to certain things that are acceptable and unacceptable, right? So, it's important that we pay attention to this. And as teachers interact with children in the classroom, the children, and the teenagers, bring these experiences into the classroom context.

[00:36:04]Another important issue, of course, is philosophies of life.

[00:36:10]There are many philosophies of life as well; it's always important to consider plurality. So, I think that religious education today, and what the National Association for Research and Graduate Studies itself works on, is the issue of respect for plurality. There is no one Catholicism, there is Catholicism; there is no one Protestantism, there is Protestantism; there is no one manifestation, one religious tradition that is African, Afro-Brazilian, no. Always in the plural, view issues from a plural perspective, because we too are plural. Each one of us here carries within us a plurality of facets.

[00:36:54]Well, recognizing this plurality as a richness makes life much more beautiful, it makes life much richer, and it also makes life much more... really, with this desire to get to know the other, to learn more about one's own history.

[00:37:17]Oh, and another thing, I also wanted to raise another issue, which is also a methodological one, something we also highly value: research and dialogue.

[00:37:36]So, yes, and this methodology is also present in the National Common Curriculum Base. So, research, ah, let's say, is necessary, uh, for teachers, right? I think that teachers need to be researchers too, so that their classes become classes that the children want to attend.

[00:38:11]Therefore, dialogue and research, researching and discussing what is being researched, is very important. And these are the guiding principles that also orient us, within the diversity of religious knowledge and philosophies of life.

[00:38:33]And another issue, which I think is important, and which I've been thinking about a lot, is that today we need to address religious literacy again, so that religion is truly something private, right? It has a public dimension, but it's also the right of every person. So, religious literacy, respect for diversity, right, and without that evangelizing, confessional, and proselytizing character. So, that's a big step forward in that direction as well.

[00:39:14]Ah, but it's also important to say that there are many challenges to implementing this approach. It also uses research as a methodology, and it involves dialogue, because we still have a significant lack of teachers who are truly qualified to work in the way that the National Common Core Curriculum ( BNCC) itself outlines.

[00:39:58]Therefore, teacher training is a challenge for both undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

[00:40:08]It is a challenge to train this type of teacher who has this perspective of otherness, this critical perspective, this empathetic perspective, and also a perspective of inclusion of Brazilian religious and cultural diversity.

[00:40:31]The lack of training, and on the other hand, the lack of resources, even though we already have various materials, right, but there is a shortage of teaching materials, both for students and also for teachers. So here too is an important task for undergraduate and graduate studies: creating teaching materials for religious education, which precisely reflects the religious and cultural plurality of Brazil.

[00:41:09]Well, because we still have many sectors among us that advocate for confessional religious education. For example, we still have the state of Rio de Janeiro, which is still a state that offers confessional religious education, but there is a diversity of manifestations of other beliefs, other religious traditions, and other philosophies of life. So, when we think about citizenship, we need to think about this holistic education, also from the perspective of providing our students with the knowledge built by humanity.

[00:41:59]Besides, right? Ah, this broad and critical understanding of the religious phenomenon, enriching ourselves first and foremost, right? but also to our students, preparing them for citizenship, which also means acting ethically and responsibly in a pluralistic society, in a democratic society.

[00:42:34]So, religious education also plays this important role.

[00:42:39]And I wanted to remind you, right, of the four objectives that the National Curriculum Base sets for us, and which, precisely, I put what I was talking about, right, in the form of objectives, it says, first, to provide learning of religious, cultural and aesthetic knowledge based on religious manifestations.

[00:43:09]perceived in the reality of the students.

[00:43:12]So here, the student is important. It is from this student that we will be reflecting on religious, cultural, and aesthetic knowledge. and teachers as mediators of knowledge. To provide knowledge about law, freedom of conscience and belief, with the constant aim of promoting human rights. Look, it's fundamental that human rights are included among the objectives of religious education.

[00:43:56]And human rights are also a factor of much dispute and misunderstanding in our society. And religious education includes the promotion of human rights among its objectives.

[00:44:19]The third objective is to develop skills and abilities that contribute to dialogue between religious and secular perspectives on life, exercising respect for freedom of thought and pluralism of ideas in accordance with the Federal Constitution. So, this issue of dialogue also involves exercising respect for diversity, for different perspectives on understanding the religious phenomenon, on understanding how religion manifests itself or does not manifest itself.

[00:45:03]This is also important because not everyone, you know, Brazil is growing, uh, the census has shown this, right, that what is growing is the number of people who have no religion. Therefore, this element also needs to be included in our classes, contributing to the education of their personal sense of life based on values, ethical principles, and citizenship. So this pedagogical foundation is centered on an interreligious perspective, an intercultural perspective, an ethics of otherness, on welcoming and respecting all forms of life and religious experiences.

[00:45:48]And so it's important, right, for us to also consider that this document, which serves as a norm, is also, when it speaks of religious education, connected to the whole. So, the National Common Curriculum Base lists 10 competencies, and religious education, in its description, lists six competencies.

[00:46:18]And within these competencies, I thought I wanted to mention something that is very important, the sixth competency which states: to debate, problematize and take a stand against discourses and practices of intolerance, discrimination and violence of a religious nature, in order to ensure human rights in the constant exercise of citizenship and a culture of peace. So, these two elements, I wanted to emphasize that they are present in the BNCC document, both in the objectives and in the skills to be developed, which are the issue of human rights, respect for human rights, and the issue of a culture of peace.

[00:47:03]So, think about how religious education has an important role, right, to be developed and assimilated by us, teachers and researchers, together with our students in initial and continuing education.

[00:47:28]So, uh, uh, putting it here, you know, I wanted to make it very clear that everything is related, we're not, let's say, realizing that postgraduate studies, master's and doctorate degrees, right, the lato sensu programs need to be related to initial training, need to be related to the foundation. It needs to be related to the classroom, it needs to be related to our children, to our young people, because we want, you know, the construction of a democratic society, it is done at the base, it is done there with the children, it is done with the teenagers. And here we have a very important role in our training and in the mediation of knowledge.

[00:48:21]And that's why the National Association for Research, right, for Postgraduate Studies in Theology and Religious Studies is very clear about this. It is an association that brings together postgraduate programs in Theology and Religious Studies with a critical perspective and a perspective that is both active and militant.

[00:48:44]For example, uh, I just wanted to remind you that last year, for example, PTETEC had, uh, we managed to, you know, hold a public hearing, because there was that whole issue of, uh, uh, the Bible Bill.

[00:49:00]So, to put it this way, we ca n't be disconnected from what's happening around us. And for that, it's very important, right, to have an association, and it was very fundamental for the promulgation of the BNCC, right, as I said, there were teachers involved, right, female teachers involved in the movement and also for the national curriculum guidelines for teacher training. So, let's say, we are together and at the same time we have this perspective of thinking critically about the debate, right, theological and the science of religion. So, I think it's fundamental that our theology and religious studies programs, uh, the professors need to know, right, also the national curriculum framework.

[00:49:53]And when we're going to advise a student who comes to our programs to do, for example, a master's degree or a doctorate that includes religious education, we also need to be familiar with the legislation, we need to be familiar with the movements, we need to be familiar with the struggles, right? And it's a long struggle, and we say today, right, that we're in a decolonial process, right? I'm getting to that point, but I'd like to ask Professor Charles if he has any further questions before we discuss decoloniality.

[00:50:33]Yes, teacher. Well, thank you very much for your presentation and for the background you provided, including Forer, Ampetecre.

[00:50:43]Well, we're at a religious education symposium with almost 60 papers submitted, more than a hundred people participating as listeners as well, and you followed this whole process at Ampetecre, right, and also at Fonaper.

[00:51:01]Ah, now, thinking about our congress and the research themes that emerge—culture of peace, religious education, praxis of religious education, now with the element of artificial intelligence, also education and ethics from a decolonial perspective, educational practices of inclusion, the environment—these are always themes that keep appearing in these symposia and congresses, right? As I said, artificial intelligence is now entering this field as well. But considering all this history that you told, Dacre, Fonaper, how do you, as a researcher and teacher, see the construction of religious education in these congresses? Because here at the university, whenever we have selection processes for postgraduate studies, the area of religious education is one of the most sought after, it's also one of the areas with the most research, right? So, people are interested, they get involved, but at the same time, you've also mentioned the challenges throughout all these years, this field of disputes that we're in regarding religious education, the obstacles we face in teacher training, teaching materials, and so on. But, uh, how do you view the research in this story that you're a part of, how does your research relate to religious education? Uh-huh. Thank you, Charles. So, research on religious education, I think it has a very, very long history; it follows, I think, this movement, right? And she, uh, I don't know, here at the United College, we have a lot of work on religious education, right? I think it's a little bit, right? I think that the united college has a bit of that bias, right? I don't know, I think it's even a field of research, I was thinking when I was preparing for this meeting of ours that I think it's a field of research to see, let's say, how many works have been produced, let's say, since the formation of FONAPER in 1995, how many works on religious education, master's theses, doctoral dissertations have been produced.

[00:53:13]I think we have a huge amount, right?

[00:53:16]So, what does it show? I think that religion is part of Brazilian culture and it involves people, right? Well, religious education, as it is, is also part of the formation, I think, of many of us who also went through school, right? Well, and suddenly we had a religious education that wasn't very pluralistic; it was often more confessional, right?

[00:53:54]So, there's this need to seek something new. I think this is a movement, right, especially of people who are searching. So research, I think it's fundamental, and as you mentioned, it covers various topics, right? Because religion, you know, is part of a culture that is in motion. That's why, for example, religious education and artificial intelligence.

[00:54:20]Why? Because religion is already present in artificial intelligence, right? No, it won't be there anymore, it's already there. So, how are we going to work on this with our children?

[00:54:31]Because religion is always that which reconnects us, that which seeks us, right? That which transcends us, you know, but is part of the culture, it can't be separated from culture and history.

[00:54:44]So, these burning issues in society will always be related to the research we conduct, because that's what worries us, that's what concerns us, as researchers and professors. And that which troubles us will also lead us to research. And I think that each historical moment will have its points, will have its strongest points for research. And I believe that today, for example, there's the whole issue of artificial intelligence, but also very much the issue of environmental sustainability, gender issues are also being researched, right, because those are the things that are in motion, that are what's disturbing, I'll use that theme like that, right? Yes, and that's what leads people to search, to research.

[00:55:37]So, these are the themes that are also present in the classroom. Often, these are also questions about the person's own life, right? A person has a concern and they will research it. Well, I think that would be interesting, right? Ah, Professor Charles, that could even be a topic for a doctoral thesis, to think about each historical moment, the history of these since 1995, right? Ah, what were the topics covered in the research, theses, and dissertations? A postdoctoral fellowship, for example, would be a very interesting thing to undertake, wouldn't it? But I think it's the anxieties of historical times that make us research. For example, when I did my work on teaching religious education, I worked on the issue of gender, the issue of gender, you know, and the issue of religious education, which doesn't even appear in the national curriculum, because at that historical moment there was all that controversy, right? Regarding the gender issue, right? So, but these are questions, uh, I think, that depend on each moment, right? And to think that religious education is a political issue, right? Oh, and religious education, let's say, religious instruction isn't the same as teaching about religion, right? This is very important. We are talking here about teaching religious knowledge, and this religious knowledge is interconnected with our lives, with our daily lives, our lives of struggle, our lives of movement, our questions, our doubts, our anxieties. So, that's how I understand the research. And that's why, for example, the importance of... well, this has an area, right, one that is education and religion, if I'm not mistaken, where this research is often placed together, right, which is fundamental, I think it's necessary, important, right, but always also with this perspective, right, which I think is super important, right, that we interconnect our area of knowledge, but also with the area of ​​education. In a relationship of interdisciplinarity, right, in a relationship of plurality as well, that's how I think research, but research in religious education, I think it would be important to map, I think it's a very important issue to map each historical period, what were the relevant themes, right, because they are the themes of the classroom, I think, right, they are the themes that children and adolescents bring up, and they will lead teachers to research, right, because we are always in motion, let's say, our training is for life, right?

[00:58:42]Yes, inclusive, and Patrícia Jardini brought up the issue of the culture of peace, for example, which we research quite a bit in the educational environment and in religious education. So, just like with the culture of peace and environmental issues, we always focus on those from the perspective of theology, religious studies, and religious education. And then I wanted to connect this to a question Vanessa asked here, which was: "What is the importance of the emancipation of theology and religious studies in relation to philosophy? I don't know what you think, professor, but it's precisely this bias that will occur in the interpretation of these themes, different from what it would be through philosophy.

[00:59:28]Would it be something like that?

[00:59:30]Uh-huh. This says, we are, they are distinct areas, right?

[00:59:37]Yes, they are totally distinct areas, we managed to achieve this separation already at CAPS, right?

[00:59:45]We are already an area, right? Because until the 2000s, theology was only in seminaries. We weren't recognized as, let's say, everything has to do with the history of education in Brazil, right? We weren't seen as an area of ​​knowledge, it was much more linked to seminaries, right, and to that religious tradition. Today, for example, theology, let's say, has to have a broad curriculum, right? And when If you're going to graduate from a particular tradition, you have to, you know, delve deeper into that tradition, in a different way, but each faculty has its own curriculum, and this curriculum is approved by the Ministry of Education, the MEC (Ministry of Education) comes, observes, evaluates, whether the curriculum is in accordance. And in this curriculum we have a broad critical approach, of a contextual theology. I'm going to talk about theology here, but it also applies to the science of religion, right? When we work with the science of religion, you have to work including pedagogical, didactic elements of education. And in theology you have to have a broad perspective of theology. It's no longer a theology solely focused on a particular religious tradition, but you will also work with this theology in, you know, how it develops in context, in history, in, in, in, right? So, in this sense, then, ah, decoupling, I think that's fundamental. I see it as a movement, you know, that we're in This movement, right, is so that we can be more recognized, because that also means resources, there are also political issues involved, right, that we can't forget, right, that are also involved. So, this recognition that theology, for example, we are in a moment of polarization, right, in Brazil, where the Bible is instrumentalized, where people's faith is instrumentalized, right? And theology comes precisely to question why this happens, or why people allow themselves to be manipulated in this way, right? What is happening. So, these are the questions of theology: which God is being preached, is this the Christian God, or is this the God preached by a certain tradition? So, it's fundamental that theology asks these questions. Philosophy doesn't ask about God, it does n't ask about religious knowledge. The question of philosophy is different. And our question is this question, right, of our, I'll speak of the word, of our transcendence, for example, right? Oh, and I really liked the Pope... For example, now, you know, he's writing this latest document where he criticizes artificial intelligence and talks about this immanence and this loss of transcendence. I think that's very important for us to think about, right? When suddenly we lose this relationship of being self-sufficient, right? I think theology comes to say: "No, you are not self-sufficient." You need the relationship that is established with others, with nature, and also with transcendence, right? And this relationship with transcendence can take different forms, but it will always be a relationship that transcends you and connects you with the other in a relationship of otherness. So, in that sense, as I understand it, Charles, this question posed here by Vanessa, right?

[01:03:29]That.

[01:03:29]That.

[01:03:30]Okay, so that we can delve into the issue of decoloniality, Mateus Carlos Einstein asks to what extent the National Common Curriculum Base favors or limits a decolonial approach to religious education. Uh-huh. Thank you, Mateus, for your question, right? So, Mateus, I think I highlighted before, right, two important elements that are present in both the national and curricular base, which are human rights in the objectives, right, and in the competencies, the issue of a culture of peace, and also, in one way or another, the issue of human rights. I think that these two elements present lead us to a process of questioning the process of coloniality, of knowledge, of traditions, and of the way spirituality, let's say, religious manifestations are expressed in our country. The question, for example, is why certain traditions are valued more than others, why some traditions are demonized and others are not.

[01:04:55]So, what is decoloniality? That's exactly it, it's about questioning, you know, deconstructing, in fact, the effects and structures of a domination that were imposed on us by historical colonialism. So, we ca n't forget that we are a colony.

[01:05:19]We were a colony of Portugal for many years, and it was there that Christianity, or certain forms of Christianity, were imposed upon us. So, decolonizing, decoloniality, is about rethinking this history of domination and how the history of African peoples was denied, how the history of indigenous peoples was denied, but now, with the process of decoloniality, we have research on African peoples, we have research on indigenous peoples, but also on Roma people, riverine peoples, and so many other peoples, the Pomeranian people, for example, I am Pomeranian, right? Oh, and I've also been rethinking my traditions, because, for example, I really like folk healing practices, which have been demonized, but folk healing has to do with plants, with knowledge of plants, with touch, with the blessing of an older person upon you. So, it was something that was demonized because it wasn't explained.

[01:06:30]So, decoloniality tells us that there are also other forms of knowledge, other ways of understanding this world.

[01:06:43]And also the whole issue that we need to break with the logic of exploitation, exclusion, and also this hierarchy. A social system that places some groups at the top of the pyramid and others below. So, it says, uh, that when we think about this issue, decoloniality also reminds us, for example, that we need to break with the hierarchy of race, class, and gender. So, this is an important issue. The question of knowledge: what knowledge was imposed upon us, and what other knowledge was denied to us? So, the question of knowledge is also very important, right? And the question of being, the shaping of new ways for us to position ourselves in the world, is also important.

[01:07:39]So, let's say, in Latin America, it's also important to remember the thinkers who talk about the issue of decoloniality, especially. I really like Henrique Duciel, don't you? And when he spoke of, when I read about the concealment of the other, I only truly understood what it meant when I had the opportunity to visit Peru, when, let's say, where there was a whole place, where the place of the Sun God was, today there is a place, right?

[01:08:13]All of that space was destroyed, right? And on top of that place, a Jesuit training house was built, if I'm not mistaken, something like that, right? I don't remember exactly which group it was right now, do I? And then I understood what this covering up of the other person is all about. To conceal the other is truly to destroy the other, to end the other, their knowledge, their power, their very being.

[01:08:38]And here I remember Henrique Dúcio, right, how important he is, Walter Minholo, and also Caterina and Valt, who are important references for us to work with the issue of decoloniality.

[01:08:53]But I wanted to tell you that I'm currently working in our research group with a Brazilian intellectual who I think is fantastic, Antônio Bispo Santos; he brings another dimension to the discussion.

[01:09:07]He says: "Look, decoloniality focuses on deconstructing European theories, counter-colonial thought." Because he says: "No, I am against colonialism because colonialism is not over yet." Countercolonial thought emphasizes the continuity and resilience of ancestral ways of life and knowledge. For example, what we've seen happening today is in the areas inhabited by quilombola communities, where there's water, forest, and also indigenous peoples' living spaces. These are places of attack. So, in fact, we are still, you know, in a... in... neocolonialism, it is still present, right? And he says, for example, that we should consider, he doesn't say that decolonialism isn't important, but he also says that we should include countercolonial thought.

[01:10:20]And maybe I think what he says is important, right? He said that besides monotheism, ah, what is the critique of this single truth, right? He proposes the recognition of cosmos, plural and polytheistic visions.

[01:10:38]Ah, and where, for example, spirituality, as I mentioned, for example, from my experience, you know, from the Pomeranian people, this importance also of the blessing that is linked to plants, that is linked to the knowledge of the older person, right?

[01:10:55]Ah, he's talking about this issue of people going beyond monotheism and also recovering a spirituality integrated with nature and the territory itself.

[01:11:07]And he also uses a term that I think is fantastic, right? He says: "When two rivers converge, they don't remain in competition; the moment arrives when they join together, they converge."

[01:11:24]And then he says that here the concept of confluence, where different forms of knowledge meet, they come together to share energy and resilience without losing their own identity. I find this term " confluence" wonderful, and it also suggests a living methodology.

[01:11:46]Well, maybe there's a challenge here for religious education too, right? Often our classes are still very much like a banking institution, as Paulo Freire says, right?

[01:11:58]And we can have wonderful classes with our students.

[01:12:03]And he himself suggests that, right? He calls it a living methodology, right? It suggests an education that takes place outside the four walls of a classroom, in contact with the Earth and oral traditions, treating spirituality as a daily and communal practice, and not merely as theoretical content. Perhaps there's something very important here as well: we need to break away from the idea that spirituality is solely a theoretical concept taught in schools, and we also need to value the fact that our students bring their own experiences of spirituality.

[01:12:43]Maybe they don't know how to elaborate on this yet, but it comes along with their family experience, their life story, their neighborhood, their relationships. So, I think this is something important: we can do wonderful things in religious education, for example, by visiting the neighborhood and seeing how many churches there are, or if there are any terreiros (Afro-Brazilian religious centers), or if there are other traditions in the area where the school is located.

[01:13:19]So, I remember Vigotes, right, who says that it's important that there's also a relationship between education and its context. And often we are at school, but it's like an island.

[01:13:30]A, the school is not connected to its surroundings, to its reality.

[01:13:37]So, I think it's important for us to also think about our Brazilian authors, you know. And I wanted to remind you a little bit of Antônio Bispo here, who I think is very important in this matter of thinking about contraception.

[01:13:55]Yes, but let's not forget that the decolonial perspective identifies and challenges the coloniality of knowledge. So, our knowledge is colonized, right?

[01:14:09]Ah, there are still many people who think that everything out there is better than what we have here in the country, here in our Brazil, right? There are people who don't want to get to know, you know, who don't know their own country, but they want to travel abroad, you know, to Europe, to the United States, I don't know, to do tourism and stuff, but they don't know their own country.

[01:14:31]So, let's put it this way, we've been led to believe that things are better out there than here.

[01:14:36]And in that sense, I think it's fundamental that we, as teachers of religious education, have this, let's say, this clarity. It's about valuing the prior knowledge that our students bring, and in this process of building peace and human rights, we see a counter-colonial and decolonial perspective, and a critical, affective perspective, right? I think affection is very important, especially from an empathetic perspective. So that's it, right? We're here for more questions.

[01:15:17]Well, we're almost at the end. Well, I just wanted to make a quick aside, you know?

[01:15:21]You mentioned Antônio Bispo, I'm actually reading his book, "The Earth Gives, the Earth Wants," right? Well, he says something like: "Ah, there he is, look. This wasn't planned, you know, everyone? This wasn't planned. I don't have mine here in my hands, right? Oh, no. Look here. But look here. It's here, teacher. It's here too. It wasn't planned, right? Uh, it's really a very good reading of his, isn't it? A different language, and so here's a tip about this reading. Uh, teacher, we still have several questions here, right, that we won't be able to answer all of them, but I wanted to mention that Diego Gomes sent his question. Ah, so Patrícia Jardini, whom I mentioned, Vanessa, Leonaldo as well, Oscar Leman, Marcelo Amorim, right, several people, uh, uh, discussing the issue of teacher training, also about what the essence of religious education is, in short, right? We would have uh several topics, right, to discuss here together, but we are now at 20:18.

[01:16:30]Uh, from here to Our working groups will begin shortly. Those who registered for the religious education symposium received the list of today's working group rooms in their email, right? And they can choose which working group they want to attend, which topic they want to join. So you can choose, and it will be the same tomorrow and on Wednesday as well, right, Professor Claudete? On behalf of Zest College, I want to thank you for your presence, for bringing all this history of Petecre, Fonaper, and to say that we continue in this fight for religious education, in this area of ​​dispute between religions, between faiths, the fight for space, for training, for recognition, right? And so, our thanks. I don't know if you have any final words.

[01:17:31]Thank you, Charles. I want to thank everyone for their presence, for the invitation from the college, and also to say that religious education is activism, because we also have to fight for what we want. In public competitions held by our municipalities, it's important to be present, and also, very clearly, to have people with training in the area. So, I also wanted to remind you that it's fundamental that we pay attention to our public competitions and that, in the space where we are, we fight for religious education to truly be part of the school curriculum, not just, you know, because there are some schools that are trying to change the name, but I think, I believe, that as it is in the national curriculum base, which is our guide, our orientation, and this is also our responsibility. So the teacher is also an activist, right, Charles? We need to fight for this too, right? It's not just knowledge that is fundamental, right? But we also have to fight for our rights, which are also the rights of children and adolescents. So, thank you very much, and until next time. And if you have any more questions and want to send them to me, okay?

[01:18:53]No problem, we're here.

[01:18:55]Okay. So, thank you very much, Professor Claudet. And with that, we conclude this first night with the first lecture here, but we'll continue with the working groups. Good night to everyone and thank you very much. Good night.