obligatory religion courses

1. TAKE THE RED PILL
“You cannot buy the revolution. You cannot make
the revolution. You can only be the revolution. It is
in your spirit, or it is nowhere.”
Ursula K. Le Guin
MELİS DİLEK
FATMA EROL
ÜMİT CAN TUNCER
SELİN TUZLAN

2. OBLIGATORY RELIGION
COURSES
Take the Red Pill

3. • Definition of the problem
• Brainstorming
• Fish Bone
• Matrix Diagram
• Gannt Card
• Survey
• Literature Review
• Solutions
http://www.ironpaper.com/webintel/wp-
content/uploads/2014/06/Content-300x199.png

4. PROBLEM:
• Obligatory religion courses in Turkey are both a
vialation of human rights and an obstacle to
objective education.
https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20141017205831-14800216-systematic-problem-solving-and-
the-psychology-of-problem-learning

5. BRAINSTORMING
• Politics
• Governments
• Society
• Education system
• Recruitment
• Traditions
• Parents http://mindspower.com/mantras-to-innovation/brainstorming-technique/

6. CAUSES OF
OBLIGATORY
RELIGION
COURSES
PARENTS
BELIEFS
GOVERNMENTS
TRADITIONS
EDUCATION SYSTEM
SOCIETY RECRUITMENT
STROKES
SUPERTITIONS
PSYCHOLOGICAL
OPRESSION
TRADITIONAL
NON-INNOVATIVE
IDEOLOGIES
CONSERVATIVE
REDUNDANCE
OF TEACHERS
NARROW
MINDED

7. MATRIX DIAGRAM
Members Traditions Governments Parents Education
system
Society Recruitment
Melis 5 7 3 4 6 1
Fatma 4 7 5 3 6 2
Ümit 6 7 5 4 7 1
Selin 6 7 4 5 6 1
Total 21 28 17 16 25 5
% 23.52 31.36 19.04 17.92 28 5.6

8. GANNT CARD

9. Obligatory religion courses decision
of ECHR
• European court of human rights (ECHR) anounced the decision
regarding the 14 Turkish complainants who are against
obligatory religion courses in Turkey.
• The court came to the conclusion that Turkey must
immediately abolish the current religion courses from the
curriculum.
• The court also stated that the current system in Turkey may
lead to conflicts between children and parents because of the
subjective content of the course.
16.09.2014
http://www.ntvmsnbc.com/id/25538213/

10. • In the 19th Council of National Education in Turkey, obligatory
religion courses are decided to put in the curriculum of 1,2
and 3rd grades. The time spared to the course was increased
to 2 hours in high schools.
• According to the news of DHA (a news source), the offer to
develop the content about Alawism(a common belief system
in Turkey) in religion course books, was rejected by the
council.
http://www.birgun.net/news/view/ilkokul-1e-zorunlu-din-dersi-getirildi/9875 6.12.2014

11. SURVEY
1. Do you support obligatory religion courses?
2. Do you believe that religion courses are objective?
3. Do you think that obligatory religion courses cause ‘othering’?
4. Do you think obligatory religion courses should be turned into
elective courses and applied under the name of ‘history of
religions’?
5. Do you think that obligatory religion courses contribute to the
pediatric development of children and help become good
persons?
6. Do you think wearing turban during primary and secondary school
cause sexism and othering among children?
7. Have you ever experienced a problem due to obligatory religion
courses or witnessed it happen?
8. Do you think obligatory religion courses lead to anxiety disorder in
children?
9. Do you think that in obligatory religion courses children are taught
to be open minded towards others’ beliefs?

12. SURVEY ANALYSIS
• We conducted an online survey on 72 people,
most of whom we assume are students from
Boğaziçi University. And got these results…
http://www.engagingsolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/survey-grafenwoehr-community.jpg

13. • Do you support obligatory religion courses?
ANSWERS
YES
PARTLY
NO
69,44
16,67
13,89

14. • Do you believe that religion courses are
objective?
ANSWERS
YES
PARTLY
NO
77,46
14,08
8,45

15. ANSWERS
YES
PARTLY
NO
%44,44% 31,94
%23,61
• Do you think that obligatory religion
courses cause ‘othering’?

16. ANSWERS
YES
PARTLY
NO
%61,97
%23,94
% 14,08
Do you think obligatory religion courses should be
turned into elective courses and applied under the
name of ‘history of religions’?

17. ANSWERS
YES
PARTLY
NO
%52,78
%22,22
% 25
Do you think that obligatory religion courses
contribute to the pediatric development of
children and help become good persons?

18. ANSWERS
YES
PARTLY
NO
%63,89
%27,78
%8,33
Do you think wearing turban during primary and
secondary school cause sexism and othering
among children?

19. ANSWERS
YES NO
%52,78
%47,22
Have you ever experienced a problem due to
obligatory religion courses or witnessed it happen?

20. ANSWERS
YES
PARTLY
NO
%38,03%35,21
%26,76
Do you think obligatory religion courses lead to
anxiety disorder in children?

21. ANSWERS
YES
PARTIALLY
NO%70,83
%16,67
%12,5
Do you think that in obligatory religion courses
children are taught to be open minded towards
others’ beliefs?

22. LITERATURE REVIEW
• The subjects we are going to discuss:
• What is religion?
• Why are the religions subjective?
• Causes of the problem: Government and Society
• Why should religion courses be removed?
http://havebiblewillpreach.com/wp-
content/uploads/2013/03/books_01_1219898_75483334-
copy.png

23. What is Religion?
• A religion is an organized collection
of beliefs, cultural systems, and world
views that relate humanity to an
order of existence according to
Wikipedia.
• We may find a thousand more
definitions thanks to the subjectivity
of the religion.

24. The Real Questions Are:
•Why do we
think that
religions are
subjective?
•Why do we
think that
religion courses
should be
removed from
primary
education
programme?

25. Why are the religions
subjective?
• Let’s start with the amount of religious
differences and their formation.
• How many religions have existed there on
earth through ages?
• A)2 
• B)16 
• C)256 
• D)4200

26. Why are the religions
subjective?
• Yes, there are approximately 4200
religions in the human history
according to Kenneth Shouler in the
‘’The Everything World's Religions
Book: Explore the Beliefs, Traditions
and Cultures of Ancient and Modern
Religions’’(2010) (p.1)

27. Why are the religions
subjective?
• Why is it thought that only one religion is
true and it should be in the course of
primary schools?
• That’s just like saying: Platon and Socrates
were wrong, Descartes’ words had been
spoiled by his followers and the one and
the only omniscient thinker is Nietzsche.

28. Why are the religions
subjective?
Christianity
32%
Islam
23%
Hinduism
15%
Buddhism
7%
Chinese Folk
Religion
6%
Others
including non-
belivers
17%
Religious People of the World (2012)

29. Why are the religions
subjective?

30. Why are the religions
subjective?
•What’s more even these disciplines of
religions differ in themselves such as
Sunni Islamism, Shea Islamism,
Protestants, Catholics, Orthodoxes
etc.

31. Conclusion:Why are the
religions subjective?
• They can be all wrong or right.
• Their ideologies may be perfect or
not.
• Almost all of their beliefs change if
people are born in a different part of
the world
• These are the conclusions of the
subjective aspect of religious beliefs.

32. Cause of the Problem:
Government and Society
• In Turkey , government has a huge
influence on religion and its courses.
• The government manipulates society
and therefore society becomes a main
problem too

33. Cause of the Problem:
Government and Society
• Imagine a country where all the
investment is on religious purposes,
• The ones that believe something else are
called “drug users(Tinerci)”,
• Apart from being called “drug users”, they
are injured or even killed just because of
possessing their own ideas and trying to
speak up their cause.

34. Cause of the Problem:
Government and Society
• Government also acquires sympathizers from
the certain parts of the society, not only
guaranteeing its next election but also making it
harder for others to suggest anything that will
oppose them.
• It causes a separation between people.
• Moreover, people begin automatically to
discriminate each other because of these acts of
government.

35. Cause of the Problem:
Government and Society
• As the seperation occurs, people begin to
raise their children according to their
“subjective” beliefs.
• This causes a growing gap between people
as it passes down to generations.
• Government is no longer a part of it. In
that way society corrupts itself without
even thinking why.

36. Cause of the Problem:
Government and Society
• In such a country, teaching kids to only
look at the one side of the coin is
extremely harmful.
• In order not to live in a chaos we should
learn every aspect of the facts and respect
to each others ideas unlike what our
government wants and our society forces
us to do.

37. Why should religion classes be
removed?
•In the schools children are taught
many lessons such as:
•Mathematics
•History
•Science
•Language
•RELIGION
http://lensofhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/history-1.jpg
http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/557CD13C-
834F-4CF1-93CB-9AF7FC914863/86529/mathb.jpg
http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/A95AF6CB-
E26C-40BF-A41A-65460FEDB247/86530/science.gif
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/reife014/myblog2/stock-
vector-greetings-in-ten-languages-51825088.jpeg

38. Why should religion classes be
removed?
• As seen previously RELIGION is very subjective
and the only subjective lesson in the programme
except philosophy.
• Philosophy is in High school programme and is
very subjective too. But it is taught to students
when they are older and able to comprehend
the components of subjectivity very clear.
• That’s where we should see RELIGION classes
appear.
But we don’t.

39. Why should religion classes be
removed?
• In an older age, students can argue with
their free will and infer information that
are likely to be true or not.
• When they are young they might just
recieve the intel without questioning and
processing and it may cause false
perception of reality.

40. Why should religion classes be
removed?
• What happens when we teach young
children the following:
• 2+2=43
• Mount Everest does not exist.
• Unicorns are real and the only one that
can communicate with them is Barack
Obama

41. Why should religion classes be
removed?
• They would believe them.
• With repetition over the years those
facts would become their reality.
• After a certain age they would not
believe otherwise of these false facts.

42. Why should religion classes be
removed?
• The previous “false” arguments are very
similar to the religious arguments.
Religious arguments can be both true and
false and the only justification is available
in the person’s mind.
• Why teach our children these kinds of
knowledge while there are tons of positive
sciences and OBJECTIVE facts that are
actually very useful and don’t kill people?

43. Why should religion classes be
removed?
• Religion classes take up too much time
and space in the overall programme.
• The subjects that are taught are very
similar to each other which gives it the
impression of ‘’a lesson that is nothing but
repetition’’

44. Why should religion classes be
removed?
• Here are the number of religion classes*
that are given from 4th grade to 8th:
• 5x[(19x2)+(18x2)]=370 hours of religion
classes in 5 years.
*According to a Schedule made by religion teachers of Central
Yozgat Fatma Temel Turhan Primary School in 2014/2015
15,4 days or 2,2 weeks or half a month.

45. Why should religion classes be
removed?
• In the 5 years of primary education
there are only 6-7 units that are
revolved upon:
• Belief
• Worshipping
• Life of Prophet Mohammad
• Religion and Culture
• Ethics

46. Why should religion classes be
removed?
• Although subjects differ from time to time
they are all repeated in high school too
over and over again.
• With that amount of time children can
advance their mathematics or science if
the religion classes were to be replaced by
them.
• Or they would have playtime to enjoy their
childhood outside of schools.

47. THE HISTORY OF OBLIGATORY
RELIGION COURSES IN TURKEY
• 1924-1927 The Period of Obligtory Religion Courses: In Primary school
and Secondary school religion courses were obligatory, in high school no
courses.
• 1927-1946 The period that obligatory religion courses were
abolished:In Primary school ,secondary school and high school
obligatory religion courses were detached from the cirruculum.
• 1948- 1982: Period of Selective Religion Courses: Primary school
,secondary school and high school: religion courses were selective;
Primary school ,secondary school and high school: moral knowledge
courses were obligatory.
• 1982- 2014: The Period of Obligatory Religion courses : a.Religious
Culture and Moral knowledge courses are obligatory b. Selective
Religion Courses (2012) “Koran, Life of Prophet, Basic Religious
Knowledge”
• Source : “Yeni Eğitim Sisteminde Seçmeli Din Dersleri: İmkânlar, Fırsatlar, Aktörler, Sorunlar ve
Çözüm Önerileri”, İlke Yayınları: 6 Araştırma Raporları: 5, İstanbul, 2013.

48. Religion Courses In the World
• Austria: Children belonging to minority religions, like Jewish,
Buddhist study religious education in their various
denominations. At many schools, secular classes in Ethics can
be attended alternatively.
• France: The government does not fund religious education,
However subsidizes private teaching establishments including
religion courses under strict conditions of not forcing religion
courses on students.
• Finland :In Finland religious education is compulsory subject
both in primary and secondary schools and in high schools
however there is not emphasis on only one sect.

49. Religion Courses In the World
• USA: In USA religion courses are provided through
supplementary such as Sunday School, Hebrew school… they
are taught to in the place of their families’ worship.
• Spain: Religion courses are selective in state schools.
• Sweden: Religion courses are obligatory in state schools yet
worshipping is not taught in schools, informationsabout all
religions are given evenly.
• Greece and Cyprus: Religion courses are started to be given in
the 3th grade. Students who aren’t Orthodox are able to be
exempted. Turks living in Western Thrace have their own
moslem theological schools

50. MEB 9th Grade Religious Culture and
Ethical Knowledge Course Book p.19,
2014

51. PEDAGOGICALLY…
• "And as the capacity for believing is strongest in childhood,
special care is taken to make sure of this tender age. This has
much more to do with the doctrines of belief taking root than
threats and reports of miracles. If, in early childhood, certain
fundamental views and doctrines are paraded with unusual
solemnity, and an air of the greatest earnestness never before
visible in anything else; if, at the same time, the possibility of a
doubt about them be completely passed over, or touched
upon only to indicate that doubt is the first step to eternal
perdition, the resulting impression will be so deep that, as a
rule, that is, in almost every case, doubt about them will be
almost as impossible as doubt about one's own existence."
• —Arthur Schopenhauer, On Religion: A Dialogue

52. As an example, let’s look at Japan:
In Japan, there are many Christian schools and universities with mandatory
religious education. Any religious education at private middle and high
schools requires the teacher to be accredited by a university teaching the
religious education standards. Private schools with a traditional connection
to Buddhist sects generally do not mandate any religious study. Religious or
political education, or clubs that promote a specific religious or political
group, are prohibited at public schools.
Whereas in Turkey
The content of religious education is still prepared by the state. The state
ensures that children are first exposed to accepted interpretations of Islam
before exposing them to other religious teachings.

53. • It is a well known pedagogical fact that education should be given according
to the cognitive and physical development of the child. With this in mind,
we have a three-fold answer to our question.
1) Between ages of 6 and 11, children are capable of internalizing only
concrete concepts. They can find simple solutions to simple problems,
understand commands and exercise the necessary actions. What they cannot
do is to contemplate abstract concepts and take actions about them.
• In this period, one can talk to a child about all concrete things such as
apples, toys and cars, but the child cannot make sense of concepts such as
god, heaven, hell, demon and so on. Therefore, such a child would not have
a healthy cognitive development because s/he would grow up in a terrifying
environment where someone who watches her/him all the time, making
notes of every single action and which s/he cannot see nor touch nor hear,
an entity which will punish her/him for all her/his faults. The child would
further grow strong guilt feelings whenever s/he does something
(intentionally or unintentionally) that the religion orders her/him not to do.
This would have deep psychological consequences.

54. • After age 11, on the other hand, the child enters a critical stage in
cognitive skills where s/he develops critical thinking skills. Therefore, the
teaching of dogmatic, unquestionable knowledge would hinder this
development.
• 2) Another harmful aspect of the “religionization” of education was
deliberately introduced by the policy makers. The 1982 Constitution
defines the religion course as “Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge”,
thereby implying that morality is a concept directly linked to religion. Via
compulsory religious courses, the borders of “morality” are framed and
restricted by a particular sect (the Sunni interpretation) of a particular
religion (Islam). This approach not only indoctrinates the unfounded
claim of “no religion means no morality” but also undermines the
education of morality and of religion.
• 3) As a direct consequence of secularism, public education should see to
it that each individual is provided with the critical thinking skills that
would enable her/him to reach her/his own conclusions about the
world and give her/him the possibilities of self realization.

55. SOLUTIONS
• Obligatory religious courses can be substituted for History of
Religions courses which could hopefully be taught in a more
objective way. (Even History classes lack objectivity, though).
• History of Religions wouldn’t again hopefully force the
children to adopt certain belief systems and dogmas that may
result in prejudice, anxiety, and tendency to other ‘’the
others’’.
• As a first step to an education system that is based on
objectivity and science, government at least make a draw back
and shift obligatory religion courses into high school
curriculum.

56. SOLUTIONS
• The excessive amount of money spent on obligatory religious
courses, vocational religious high schools and Faculty of
Theology (whose cirriculum is subjective and mainly focused
on Islam) can be diverted to create optional subjects for the
non-islamic students.
• Government shouldn’t abuse the youngest minds through
dogmas and preset beliefs in the creating process of which
children do not have the chance to participate but to obey
without using their cognitive functions moreover blocking
them.
• Using children to create an obedient generation can only be
perceived as a despicable but and nothing more.

57. SOLUTIONS
• The so-called elective but practically compulsory religion
courses should be abolished. Religious practices should not be
taught to non-adults.
• The new regulations on the dress code that promotes the
imposition of headscarves on female children should be
withdrawn.
• If religion teachers will be trained, they should get proper
pedagogical formation.
• Mixed-sex education should never be questioned.

58. REFERENCES
İmece Circles by Dr. Hayal Köksal
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_religious_groups
• http://www.religioustolerance.org/mapwrldrel.htm
• http://www.dinibil.com/default.asp?L=TR&mid=3103
• http://www.meb.gov.tr/2014-2015-egitim-ogretim-yilinda-okutulacak-ilk-ve-orta-ogretim-
ders-kitaplari/duyuru/7013
• http://www.dersfen.com/bilgi-kutusu/667-ataturk-fen-bilim
• http://www.birgun.net/news/view/zorunlu-din-dersinin-cocuga-olumsuz-etkileri-
uzerine/9913
• http://akademikperspektif.com/2014/11/16/turkiyede-zorunlu-din-dersi-uygulamasi/
• Yeni Eğitim Sisteminde Seçmeli Din Dersleri: İmkânlar, Fırsatlar, Aktörler, Sorunlar ve Çözüm
Önerileri”, İlke Yayınları: 6 Araştırma Raporları: 5, İstanbul, 2013.
• www.ozgurdusuncehareketi.org

59. TalimveTerbiyeKuruluÖğretimProgramları:
http://ttkb.meb.gov.tr/www/ogretim-programlari/icerik/72
Ortaöğretim“Hz.Muhammed’inHayatı”9.SınıfÖğretimMateryali:
http://ttkb.meb.gov.tr/dosyalar/kitaplar/hzmuhammedinhayati_9.pdf–s.41.
Ortaöğretim“Kur´an-ıKerim”9.SınıfÖğretimMateryali:
http://ttkb.meb.gov.tr/dosyalar/kitaplar/kuran%C4%B1kerim_9.pdf–s.85
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/20293658.asp
http://www.ttb.org.tr/kutuphane/okulabaslama.pdf
http://www.egitimsen.org.tr/genel/bizden_detay.php?kod=217&sube=0#.UQZLPx
3VdHJ
http://haber.sol.org.tr/kent-gundemleri/444-sistemi-tokatta-da-bircok-sorunla-
basladi-haberi-59890
http://siyaset.milliyet.com.tr/tbmm-ye-4-4-4-sikayeti-
yagdi/siyaset/siyasetdetay/02.04.2012/1522766/default.htm

60. • Sadly, while we are working on this project, the new policies
on education are being introduced in Turkey. We are
desperately witnessing the regression of Turkish education,
and want to end our utterances with our leader’s saying.
Hopefully, these will be the ultimate guide of our education
system one day...
• «I do not leave any verse, any dogmas, any strict rules as a
heritage. My heritage is science and logic (…) Time passes
rapidly. Even the concept of happines of people changes. In
such a world, it is denial of logic and science to claim that
there are inalterable facts. My wills and intentions of success
for the Turkish folk is obvious. Those who want to internalize
me, would be my inheritors if they adopt the guidance of
science and logic.»
• M. K. Atatürk

61. Special
thanks to…
DR. HAYAL
KÖKSAL

62. Thanks for your
attention…