This article discusses and analyses the epistemological dilemma arising from the inclusion of Religious Education as a discipline in the curriculum of elementary public schools. It situates this debate within the epistemological dilemmas related to religious freedom in a federal republic and continues the political debate on the separation of church and state. It analyses the different Brazilian constitutions and their relation to this dilemma. The author also discusses some official statements issued by the National Council of Education on the discipline of Religious Education and related topics.
religious education; public school; religious freedom