Complexity Theory Challenges and Horizons for Religious Education

MA Student (Philosophy of Education), Buali University, Hamedan The main objective of this paper is to study the complexity theory challenges and horizons for religious education through descriptive-analytical method. Complexity theory is a survival, adaptive and evolutional theory, which can be described as the science of study of comparative systems which deals with complex problems and has its roots in biology. This theory maintains that causes in this world are very complex and that the effects are not the result of one cause and hence lays emphasis on feedback, adaptation, disturbance, autocatalysis, communication, self-organizing, high sensitivity, unknown attractions and non-linearity. The main thrust of this paper is to explain the challenges and horizons for religious education in the light of the characteristics and presuppositions of complexity theory. Religious educa tion lays emphasis on such issues as hierarchy, absolutism, voluntariness of behavior, reality, esotericism, and certainty of boundaries. The findings of this research indicate that in the light of complexity theory, such issues as vague skepticism, no-responsibility, anti-representation, rejecting hierarchy, moral relativism, uncertainty and breaking of boundary can be considered as challenges of religious education. The horizons of religious education are faith in a metaphysical force, generalism, role of human freewill and determination, goal-orientedness of existence, unity in multiplicity, hidden and inner aspects and mutual causal relationship.