Critiquing Faith Development Theory and Its Measurements from An Islamic Perspective

Year 2024, Issue: 18, 121 - 143, 28.12.2024

Üzeyir Ok , Carsten Gennerich

https://doi.org/10.53112/tudear.1556541

Abstract

The Faith Development Theory (FDT), primarily grounded in cognitive development models, has made significant contributions to the understanding of religiosity and has explained the role of the human factor in the developmental trajectories of religion and spirituality. After James Fowler's original study, the theory was extended and revised by subsequent international researchers in terms of its theoretical framework, research instruments, and empirical findings. However, it has seldom been critiqued from an intercultural perspective. This study aims to critically evaluate both the conceptualization of FDT and the instruments used to measure it. An iterative, reflective critical review of related literature was employed as the research method in this theoretical study. The findings from the literature review suggest that the use of terms like “faith” or “religiosity” within FDT can be misleading and may create tensions between theology and psychology. It is argued that dimensions such as indifference to religion, doubt, and forms of conjunctive faith in religious contexts should be integrated into the theory. Furthermore, FDT's focus on cognitive structural development has led to the neglect of the interior dimensions of religiosity, including levels of commitment and emotional aspects. Additionally, FDT appears less relevant for analysing Muslim contexts. Finally, the theory promotes a secular approach to religious development, with “developed” stages predominantly reflecting a Eurocentric, Enlightenment-oriented perspective on religiosity.

Keywords

faith development, religiosity, styles, Muslim, critique

İnanç Gelişimi Kuramı ve Ölçüm Çalışmalarının İslami Perspektiften Eleştirisi

Abstract

İnanç gelişimi kuramı, öncelikle bilişsel gelişim modellerine dayanan bir teori olup, dindarlık anlayışına önemli katkılarda bulunmuş ve din ile manevi gelişimin gelişim süreçlerinde insan faktörünün rolünü açıklamıştır. James Fowler’ın orijinal çalışmasından sonra, inanç gelişimi kuramı, teorik çerçeve, araştırma araçları ve ampirik bulgular açısından sonraki uluslararası araştırmacılar tarafından genişletilmiş ve revize edilmiştir. Ancak, kuram nadiren kültürler arası bir bakış açısıyla eleştirilmiştir. Bu çalışma, inanç gelişimi kuramının hem kavramsallaştırılmasını hem de onu ölçmek için kullanılan araçları eleştirel bir şekilde değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu kuramsal çalışmada araştırma yöntemi olarak, ilgili literatürün tekrarlı (iterative), düşünsel-eleştirel (reflective) bir incelemesi kullanılmıştır. Literatür taramasından elde edilen bulgular çerçevesinde, inanç gelişimi kuramı içerisinde kullanılan "inanç" veya "dindarlık" gibi terimlerin yanıltıcı olabileceğini ve teoloji ile psikoloji disiplinleri arasında gerilim ve belirsizlik yaratabileceğini öne sürülmüştür. Çalışmada dine yönelik ilgisizlik, şüphe ve dini bağlamlardaki birleşik inanç (conjunctive faith) biçimleri gibi boyutların kuramı zenginleştirecek şekilde yeniden entegre edilmesi gerektiği savunulmuştur. Ayrıca, inanç gelişimi kuramının bilişsel yapısal gelişime odaklanması, dindarlığın içerik boyutlarının, dine bağlılık düzeyleri ve duygusal yönler gibi boyutların göz ardı edilmesine yol açtığı ifade edilmiştir. Bunun yanı sıra, inanç gelişim kuramının, Müslümanların yaşadığı kültürel bağlamlarda kültürel adaptasyon çalışması yapılmadığı takdirde dindarlığı analiz etmek için daha az geçerlilik kriterine sahip olabileceği belirtilmiştir. Son olarak, teorinin, dini gelişime seküler bir yaklaşımı teşvik ettiği ve "gelişmiş" olarak ifade ettiği aşamaların, çoğunlukla Avrupa merkezli ve aydınlanma (enlightenment) odaklı bir dindarlık anlayışını yansıttığı yönünde düşüncelere yer verilmiştir.

Keywords

inanç gelişimi, dindarlık, stiller, Müslüman, Eleştiri

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