Rethinking Formal Religious Education in Iran: A Philosophical Approach to Theoretical Shifts and Practical Reform

Document Type : پژوهشی

Authors

Mostafa Moradi ¹

Narges Sajadieh ²

¹ Assistant Professor, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

² Associate Professor, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10.22067/fedu.2026.93279.1420

Abstract

Abstract
This paper examines the quality of formal religious education in Iran and explores ways to improve it from a philosophical perspective, drawing on what is termed an Islamic approach to action. It argues that a paradigmatic shift is necessary within formal religious education. The proposed shifts include: a movement from objectification to rational, subject-centered understanding; from indoctrinative, answer-centered instruction to rational questioning and dialogue; from presumed certainty to rational doubt and hypothetical reasoning; from absolutism to truth-seeking; from static religiosity to dynamic religious practice; from rigid jurisprudential approaches to flexible educational perspectives; and from emotional-cognitive dependency to independent and sincere pursuit of truth.
Synopsis
This study aims to address two central questions: first, whether school-based religious education—considered one of the main pillars of religious upbringing in post-revolutionary Iran—has been successful since the Islamic Revolution of 1979; and second, why, despite the considerable emphasis placed by the official education system on religious instruction, it has failed to realize its fundamental goal of cultivating a genuinely religious generation. 
To explore these questions, it was initially demonstrated, drawing on existing empirical research and national surveys, that formal religious education in Iran has not achieved the desired outcomes despite its extensive institutional presence. Subsequently, employing a philosophical lens, the study attributed this failure to the paradigms underpinning the national educational system—paradigms that systematically overlook learners’ agency, choice, and autonomy. Within the prevailing model of religious education, a form of social engineering appears to guide the process, aiming to construct and control learners’ beliefs and behaviors. Accordingly, by adopting an Islamic approach to action, the authors proposed several paradigm  shifts intended to reform school-based religious education. They contend that these transformations would amount to a Copernican revolution within religious pedagogy; without them, religious educational endeavors will continue to remain sterile and ineffective. 
Proposed Paradigm Shifts 

From objectification to rational subject-centeredness: this first shift posits that any religious curriculum must be fundamentally grounded in learners’ freedom of choice and volition. Current educational programs, which leave little or no room for student agency, contradict the existential and moral nature of learners as articulated in Islamic sources. Subject-centered religious education, therefore, constitutes an essential philosophical principle for any meaningful curriculum design.
From indoctrinative answer-centeredness to rational questioning and dialogue: the second shift concerns pedagogical methods. While current practices primarily emphasize belief inculcation, the proposed transformation advocates for a model founded upon rational inquiry and dialogical engagement. The objective is not to impose beliefs but to foster understanding through reasoned conversation.
From presumed certainty to rational doubt and hypothetical response: in the third shift, doubt is legitimized as a constructive component of learning. Previous studies indicate that one major obstacle in Iranian religious education is the neglect of students’ uncertainties in religious classrooms. The disregard of intellectual doubt leads to artificiality and ineffectiveness, whereas acknowledging it cultivates authenticity and cognitive resilience.
From absolutism to truth-seeking: this paradigm shift critiques any static or absolute interpretation of religion. Fixed dogmatic interpretations often enable ideological manipulation and exclusion of alternative perspectives. Truth-seeking religiosity, in contrast, situates rational justification at its core while maintaining openness to interpretive diversity. No single religious or pedagogical interpretation should be treated as final or immutable.
From static religiosity to dynamic religious practice: focusing on teacher selection criteria, this shift argues against rigid and external measures of religiosity. Instead, intrinsic religiosity, as formulated by Gordon Allport, should serve as the guiding criterion. Teaching is thus redefined as a qualitative and evolutionary vocation rather than a fixed institutional role.
From rigid jurisprudential approaches to flexible educational perspectives: this transformation advocates moving away from mechanistic and algorithmic treatment of students within religious education. Profound cognitive and behavioral change cannot be engineered instantly; rather, the natural process of intellectual suspension and gradual internalization should be recognized and respected.
From emotional-cognitive servitude to independent and sincere truth-seeking: the final shift addresses the nature of the teacher–learner relationship. Religious education should not rest upon emotionally manipulative or uncritical dependency. Teachers, as facilitators of truth-seeking, must sustain warm and supportive relationships that validate students’ capacity for doubt and intellectual autonomy. Affection and acceptance should never be conditional upon students’ adherence to prescribed religious propositions.

Collectively, these seven paradigm shifts offer a transformative framework for reimagining religious education in Iranian schools. Adopting such an approach allows the system to move beyond its current instrumental and prescriptive model toward an intellectually autonomous, dialogical, and existential mode of religious formation—one that validates freedom, inquiry, and rational engagement as essential to authentic faith development. 
Conclusion
This paper undertakes a critical examination of the existing form of religious education within the national school system, aiming both to identify its major challenges and to propose a series of paradigm shifts as potential pathways out of the prevailing theoretical and practical impasse. Within this framework, seven fundamental challenges have been explored, each accompanied by a corresponding paradigm shift intended to address its underlying causes. Notably, five of these proposed transformations (excluding the fifth and sixth) possess broader relevance beyond religious instruction and can be systematically extended to other educational domains, including moral–social and scientific education. 
From this perspective, it becomes evident that overcoming the current stagnation—manifested in the gradual decline of schools’ effectiveness and vitality—necessitates serious engagement with these challenges and shifts. They represent not only corrective measures for the persistent inefficiencies of school-based religious education but also foundational strategies for revitalizing the entire educational system through a deeper philosophical reorientation. 

Keywords

formal religious education

paradigmatic shift

educational reform

Iran

Islam

Subjects

• Educational Philosophy

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