BERLIN, April 14 (UPI) -- A ruling to make the teaching of ethics and world religions in schools in Berlin compulsory has drawn the ire of conservative politicians in Germany.
The ruling by Social Democrats want to require students to be taught a general survey of the world's religions without any special bias towards the Christian faith, the Deutsche Welle reports.
Lessons organized by churches would be optional and would not free students from attending the new ethics classes.
Federal politicians from the conservative Christian Democratic Union and Bavaria's arch-conservative Christian Social Union are furious, the report said.
At a special parliamentary session in the federal parliament, CDU's representatives said Berlin's plan is an aggressive assault on the Christian faith in German society. The head of Germany's Protestant church council said everything must be done to prevent Berlin from becoming godless.
Social Democrat Wilhelm Schmidt said the plan will not prevent anyone from taking lessons in the religion of their choice.
