Religious Education as Conditioned by Modern Psychology and Pedagogy

This study explains religious education and teaching in line with the realities of modern psychology and pedagogy. The principle of growth is very important in modern psychology. According to this principle, the child passes through a series of different stages and only gradually reaches maturity. The differences between a child and an adult are not only quantitative but also qualitative. In other words, the child is not a reduced form of the adult, there are many differences between the two in terms of mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects. For this reason, in religious education and teaching of the child, it is necessary to help the child realize the spiritual aspects of his own life, instead of imposing the ideas and beliefs that are beneficial to the adult by reducing them to the child's level. Another point to be considered in this topic is not to introduce the child to the religious aspects of life early because excessive familiarity at an early age can have much harm. Firstly, it can bring about a certain dislike in the child as well as cause boredom. Secondly, it can lead to disrespect for spiritual matters in the child. Thirdly, the child may be afflicted with doubt and pain about the reality of anything beyond the senses or the value of life. Even if none of these harms occur, too much familiarity at an early age reduces something of the richness of the deep religious experiences the child may have in the future. In summary, it is necessary to accept the principle of gradual development of religious knowledge and experience in children's religious education and teaching. For this, children's instincts, desires, and interests during growth need to be carried out comprehensively from different perspectives and in cooperation with many researchers.