Religious education at school.

Abstract

The responses of natural (physics, chemistry, biology, etc.) and human sciences (philosophy, sociology, psychology, neurology, etc.) to metaphysical questions have limited the sphere of influence of religions. Therefore, religions are no longer concerned with explaining the world or seeking answers to metaphysical questions. Despite losing the capacity to be a source of questions related to their domain and failing to generate values that can be used in human relationships, religions still manage to keep their positions in defining individual and societal identities. Moreover, they can still function as equivalent to the state authority in Muslim countries. In the modern state, while religion is counted among the fundamental social institutions such as law, family, education, culture, and economy, in Muslim countries, religion holds a superior position above all other institutions except the economy. In Muslim states, non-religious rules operate in the economy. While there is sincere compliance with global law regarding finance, trade, communication, transportation, and standards of goods and services, there is a reluctance to allow universal norms to influence group identity, social law, governance, and personal and societal relationships. How does a feudal mindset, which hinders social-political and cultural development, become one of the preferred options when capitalism engages with society? It is not our concern that religion has become instrumentalized, but rather that capitalism has rendered its values dysfunctional, unable to generate new values to the extent that it relies on religions. Therefore, our concern is not with religion itself, but rather everything discussed in the context of religion here pertains to capitalism. Because it was capitalism that called for it to enter the public sphere and granted it an undeserved role in public regulation through its organizational practices. Especially in the last quarter century, the world, particularly Turkey, has witnessed events that demand the question "why"; for example, why do twenty individuals possess more wealth than two billion people worldwide! The answer of religions to this question is "God's wisdom is unquestionable," which implies "it should be so" in a religious context. The transformation of this religious answer into critical consciousness undoubtedly requires organized education. Therefore, in this discussion, I aim to examine the relationship between capitalism-religion and religion-education.