These days, problems of relations between the church and the schools are at the focus of attention of sociologists. In present-day Russia, religion, particularly the Orthodox religion, is acknowledged to have the right to contribute to the formation of the Russian state and culture. According to the findings of recent sociological surveys, many Russians see the religious heritage as a vital component of the national culture, as a characteristic of spirituality and morality in combination with universal human values such as love, peace, and justice. In 2003, the demand for traditional moral, ethical, and spiritual values, and their increasing role in the upbringing of the rising generation, prompted the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation to publish a number of documents that recommended the introduction of subjects relating to religious themes in the schools. The authors carried out a pilot survey in February 2007 to determine the "opinions of teachers in the primary grades of the general education institutions of the city of Stavropol" in regard to the introduction of the school courses "Principles of Orthodox Culture" and "History of World Religions." The majority of the schoolteachers of Stavropol concur that it is appropriate to introduce the elective course "History of World Religions" in the schools. They advocate that teaching this course from the fifth through the eighth grade will and expose students to traditional spiritual and moral values, foster deeper knowledge of world religions, and improve relations between people of different religious faiths. Apprehensions in regard to these relations are mostly linked to the introduction of "Principles of Orthodox Culture" which, despite assertions by representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church to be completely culturological in character, is at times viewed as promoting specific religious instruction. (Contains 1 table.)