Christian sign will remain on school in Sweden

The Swedish Daily Dagen reported last week about the 19th-century shield on the school with the Bible text: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A local from Eskilstuna had taken offence to that and written to the newspaper Eskilstuna-Kuriren. The director, Hans Stockselius, had promised to remove the Christian sign.

It was clear that the local government was not happy with the principal’s promise from the start. The history of the building cannot be taken away from the building, said Jimmy Jasson, chairman of the municipal board. “Our whole society is incredibly characterised by Christianity”, according to Jansson.

After that, the director has backed away and said he would leave the sign alone for the time being. Stockselius still thinks that he had taken his decision based on the Education Act, which states that education in municipal schools must be non-denominational. Not clear is whether this means that Christianity is a denomination or a religion that transcends denominations.

“The sign shows a text with a Bible quote, and it may be that someone with another religion or a non-faith feels offended by this message. My interpretation of the submitter in Eskilstuna-Kuriren is that the submitter writer experienced it just like that”, says Hans Stockselius, who emphasises that the school must counteract violations.

The shield has been there for more than 190 years already. The local municipality will decide about its future.

Jimmy Jansson, chairman of the municipal board, tells Dagen that the sign could be added to an information board that explains the historical background so that the message is not perceived as a religious proclamation addressed to the students.