Tanrı ve Çocuk: Çocukların Tanrı Algıları ve Bilişsel Evre Teorilerinin Çıkmazı

Gelişim psikolojisi alanındaki bazı bilim adamları, çocukların belirli bir yaşa kadar Tanrı'yı Tanrı sıfatlarıyla kavrayamadıklarını, bunun yerine Tanrı'yı insanüstü bir biçimde (antropomorfik) somut laştı rabil dikle rini belirtmişlerdir. Ancak çocuklarla yapılan bazı araştırmalar, küçük yaştaki çocukların çoğunun soyut bir Tanrı imgesini kavrayabildiklerini ve Tanrı'nın özelliklerini insanlardan ayırt edebildiklerini göstermiştir. Bu makale, dinin gelişim psikolojisinde çocukların Tanrı kavramlarının nasıl açıklandığını ve bu kuramların çocukların soyut Tanrı kavramlarını nasıl aydınlattığını açıklamaya çalışmıştır. Bu amaca ulaşmak için, pastoral ve pratik teolojide yaygın olarak kullanılan ve 4 aşamadan oluşan ‘pastoral döngü’ (deneyim, analiz, teolojik yansımalar ve eylem) yöntem olarak kullanılmıştır. Sonuç olarak, çocukların zihinleri, dinleri veya kültürel geçmişleri ne olursa olsun, doğumdan itibaren soyut Tanrı kavramını algılama ve kavrama yeteneğine sahip olabilecekleri bu makalede yapılan çalışma analizleri ile değerlendirilmiştir. Son yapılan çalışmalar, Tanrının çocuklar tarafından her yerde var olan, biçimsiz, her şeyi bilen ve her şeye gücü yeten bir varlık olarak anlaşılabilir olduğunu ileri sürmektedir. Bu da soyut dinî varlıklar ve dinî düşünme söz konusu olduğunda, çocukların dinî düşünme gelişiminin yalnızca bilişsel evre teorileri ile değil aynı zamanda farklı teorik yaklaşımlarla açıklanabileceğini göstermektedir

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Din Psikolojisi, Dini Düşünce Gelişimi, Bilişsel Gelişim, Evre Teorileri, Tanrı Algısı, Tanrı İmgesi, Çocuk

God and Child: Children’s God Concept and Deadlock of Cognitive Stage Theories

Some scholars in the area of psychology of religion have stated that children until a certain age cannot comprehend God as a God but instead, they can concrete God in a superhuman format (anthropomorphic). However, some studies conducted with children have shown that most of the children at a young age can comprehend an abstract God image and can differentiate God’s features from humans. Therefore, this article will attempt to clarify how children’s God concepts have been explained in the developmental psychology of religion and how these theories illuminate the children’s abstract God concepts. To achieve this goal, the pastoral cycle was used as a method, which is a common one in pastoral and practical theology and consists of 4 stages: experience, analysis, theological reflections, and action. As a conclusion, regardless of their religion or cultural background, children’s minds may have the ability of receiving and comprehending the abstract God concept since birth. God can be understood as an all-present, formless, all-knowing, and allpowerful being by children. This illustrates that the religious thinking development of children has different explanations along with the stage theories including Piaget’s one, when the issue comes to the abstract religious entities and religious thinking.

Keywords:

Psychology of Religion, Religious Thinking Development, Cognitive Stage Theories, God Concept, God Image, Child,

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