Jedziński: When they were teaching us atheism, they were teaching religion

The basic achievements of the first 100 days of the new government are raising the minimal salary rate, lowering the price of electricity and starting the project of renovation of buildings – said Zbigniew Jedziński, an MP from the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania (AWPL) in his interview for the “Salon polityczny”  (“Political Saloon”) in the “Znad Wilii” Radio (“Upon Neris”).

“Despite amendments to acts, which have been widely discussed, such as compulsory religion classes in schools and prohibition of abortion, the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania has proposed amendments to the Act on Education, the Act on National Minorities, and we also support the plan that was worked out by the coalition” – Jedziński was enumerating the achievements.

The Member of Parliament agrees with the opinion of the Prime Minister, Algirdas Butkevičius – there will be no revolution in the taxation system.

I am for progressive tax, because the matter relates most to those people, who have the lowest income” – he emphasized.

The MP believes that it will be a great mistake to oppose and stop the project of an act about compulsory religion teaching at schools. In his opinion, the Constitution has been interpreted in a wrong way in this case. Because what is wrong with the fact that young people are to become familiar with the history of religion?

“Teaching religion does not mean forcing people to go to a church. Even in the Soviet times, when we were taught atheism, we actually had religion classes” – said Jedziński.

The Member of Parliament said that he voted against the project of searching for shale gas.

“I voted for stopping this project, because two basic aspects should be considered: the ecological and the economic one. The process of shale gas mining is dangerous, from the ecological point of view. The mining looks as follows: water mixed with other chemical substances is pressed into a rock under huge pressure, and the substances are toxic. In this way, the water splits and crushes the rock, which makes it possible to get the gas out to the surface, but the water and the chemicals stay in the soil for ever and they can pollute the surface water. The second dangerous possibility is the migration of methane, which can get out to the surface in some cases. Another aspect is the economic advantage, or lack of it. There is only small hope for improvement of the economic situation of the state, because the American company, “Chevron”, will receive all the rights to the shale gas. “Chevron” will give Lithuania only 2 to 10 per cent. I think that the gas will not evaporate and in the future, our country should start mining it” – said Jedziński.

Source: http://pl.delfi.lt/aktualia/litwa/jedzinski-podczas-nauki-ateizmu-uczyli-nas-religii.d?id=60970439

Tłumaczenie Emilia Zawieracz w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Emilia Zawieracz within the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.