Safe Spaces or Freedom of Knowledge?

In my childhood, nearly all Finns were Christians. Most were Evangelical Lutherans, but there was also a small minority of Orthodox Christians. However, many had strong doubts about the literal truth of the Bible, yet this didn’t prevent them from belonging to a church community or lead to the removal of religious topics from schools.

Over the decades, however, more and more people left their church membership, and religious education in schools became optional for those not affiliated with any church. Additionally, due to immigration, more people of other faiths—particularly Muslims—settled in Finland, and arrangements were made to provide religious education for them as well.

Now we have reached a point where the child of an atheist Finnish family received 1,500 euros in compensation from their hometown for hearing about Jesus at a school event. And very recently, a performance of Baroque music was canceled in a Finnish school because it was seen as referencing Christian traditions.

These cases have led many Finns—including several atheists, among them one example, another, and a third—to speak out, asking whether an understanding of cultural history is no longer part of the curriculum. So far, there has been no response.

It is clear, however, that the cases described above show that Finland has gone too far in this notion of a “safe space.” Instead of preventing genuine issues, we’ve ended up in a situation where children are shielded from the realities of the world, which in turn weakens their readiness to navigate the often contradictory world of adulthood.

I hold this view firmly, not least because I don’t believe in gods, but also because I highly value people’s right to learn about all aspects of the world. Moreover, I believe such knowledge helps them succeed in an increasingly diverse world.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Hassan Nasrallah Has Been Killed, but Lebanon Is Unlikely to Become the Switzerland of the Middle East Again

The demands of the vandals
Demonstrations cause trouble in Helsinki and Sweden