Explanation and Investigation of Purposes and Principles of Religious Education Based on Religious Experience Approach and Its Criticism Based on Islamic Education

The subject of religious experience is a fundamental subject for religious thinkers as well as those people who develop religious studies as an academic discipline. The purpose of this paper is to investigate religious education based on religious experience approach. According to Franken’s deductive methodology، objectives and principle of religious education have been investigated. Research findings revealed that religious education based on religious experience emphasizes mainly on emotional aspect through religious rituals and ceremonies. The accomplished criticism indicates that religious experience approach pays attention to the priority of religious sentiments and affections over cognition in forming faith and as a result it pays attention to religious education، therefore; they believe that understanding is secondary while in Islam understanding is superior to sentiments and affections. The author of the present article concludes religious education based on religious experience conformed to Islamic education is done with regard to three cognitive، affective، and volitional principles