نشریه اسلام و پژوهش های تربیتی
پیاپی 2 (پاییز و زمستان 1388)

The human is the subject of education, and any plan in this regards is based on a particular anthropological view. In this view, education, religion and humanity are always concomitant. The advent of new views in the theoretical and philosophical spheres, especially in the sphere of philosophy of education, has caused new challenges for human education-especially religious education-including the challenges of modernism and postmodernism. These views have been developed and reinforced through the process of globalization. They are unable to provide a stable meaningfulness for humanity or to endow human beings with freedom and self-sufficiency; they leave human beings in the boundless ocean of relativism and pluralism. The present article goes beyond these two views, introducing religious education with its characteristics; it introduces a universe on the basis of Divine Commandment according to basic assumptions of religious education from an Islamic viewpoint, such as the unity of existence, the occultation, and inwardness.

The present study aims at extracting and explaining the common points of religious education in Islam and Christianity. To do so, the Quranic verses and Islamic traditions have been compared with the Bible and other Christian religious texts on the definition of religious education, the goals of religious education, teacher-centrism and student-centrism in religious education, devices and sources of knowledge in religious education, teaching methods and pedagogical materials in religious education, and education values. A common pattern of religious education, which is the primary goal in the present study, would prepare the ground for mutual understanding and unity among Muslim and Christian communities, providing a basis for the inspiration of religious education methods.

Religious education, like many other notions common in education, has been reviewed and studied by those practitioners who approach such discussions analytically. Because of the abstract nature of religious knowledge and its doctrinal basis, some regard religious education as a process leading to indoctrination. There are still some others who hold that indoctrination is a threat to any type of education, for there would be indoctrination whenever any material is transmitted through an immoral method. The present article, having studied the distinction between education and indoctrination, has investigated two existing criteria for indoctrination: content and method. In any form of education, including that of religious knowledge, the immoral way of presenting materials would lead the process of education to indoctrination Having mentioned the standards of true education from the viewpoint of analytical philosophy, the present article has stressed that in Islamic education, the above mentioned standards have been affirmed, and theoretically speaking, Islamic education is consistent with the definition of true education presented by analytical philosophers.

As the most prominent of current disciplines in anthropology, education and psychology are dependent upon each other. As the most conspicuous domain of educational values, religious education is inspired not only by reliable religious doctrines but also by psychological elements of religion and psychology of values. A real religious education helps one find out the real object of worship and feel obliged to worship it, through discovering clear examples of spiritual tendencies. Making contacts with the Creator of these innate tendencies towards perfection and prosperity is possible only through religious education in its exact sense. Religious education, in turn, plays an important role in strengthening, forming and orienting motivations, emotions, tendencies, instincts and instinctive behaviors. In religious education, one can study the role of factors such as instincts, motives, emotions and tendencies. In order thus to play its relevant role effectively, each one of the above-mentioned factors occupies its own especial place impact and order in religious education.

The cognitive approach to religious development is an approach focused on the development of understanding religious notions and the thinking method for religious doctrines throughout life, especially during childhood and adolescence, suggesting some phases and prescriptions for developing piety and religious education. In the present article, this approach has been described briefly and has been evaluated along five lines of attributing a magical thinking to childhood, an anthropomorphic image of God in childhood, the level of effectiveness for findings from Christian doctrines, the relevance of a developmental-cognitive framework for determining the phases of piety, and sufficiency of the reasons for delaying teaching religion to children.

In the present article, after stating the literal and terminological meanings of "education principle", we have studied a series of the most important principles of education. These principles are extracted and explored using the Quranic verses and Prophetic traditions as well as the sayings by the Prophet's Household. The principles extracted and introduced are as follows: youthfulness, individualism, social differences, and inclination towards family, nature, and choice. Some of these principles have been paid attention to by all philosophers and experts in the fields of education. Here, however, we have made use of Quranic verses and traditions to have a new look at these principles, discussing them in a more detailed manner. The other principles are considered as peculiar to an Islamic system of education, being specifically a matter of concern for Muslim philosophers.

Today, our children are in a boundless sphere of information and communication, and are subject to innumerable religious messages. This makes it necessary for us to take care of these young audiences. One of the issues with which it is necessary for practitioners in the realm of education to be familiar, is the children's perception of religious subjects and notions at different ages. Surely, the basis of children's religious thought can be found in these same notions and perceptions. If we seek to plan for a religious messaging appropriate for children, it is necessary for us to step into the children's world, looking at religious knowledge from their viewpoint. The stages of development and evolution of children's and the youth's religious perception are divided into three periods of intuitive religious thinking, objective religious thinking, and abstract religious thinking.Accordingly, we may plan children's religious education for two general age periods: 5-9 years old, and 9-13 years old. The children's religious education must be properly mixed with games, humor, entertainment and story-elling, so that there is an effective and attractive relationship between the child and the educator. In the second period, using poetry, songs, plays, and scientific or artistic activities, as well as various entertainments, are among the necessary tools for education.