A Christian preschool in Sweden has banned children from saying grace at mealtimes, talking about the Bible, or saying “Amen.” The decision to forbid children at the school in Umea to engage in religious practices was reached after a school inspection. The municipality’s supervisors in charge of education noted that the Christian activities violate Sweden’s educational policies, Swedish National Broadcaster STV reported.
Sweden’s Education Act prohibits schools from having confessional elements during school time and says children should be able to opt-out of religious practices.
Inspectors believed the preschool, run by the Salvation Army, didn’t give children a choice as to whether they wanted to participate in elements of the day such as saying grace before a meal.
