Propagation of religion does not achieve results by repeating beliefs; The truth cannot be imposed/ Ahmadvand: Every critical question is not necessarily a sign of opposition to religion

Dr. Yasir Ahmadvand, a cultural expert, said in a conversation with the preacher: In the field of religious thought, after the revolution, new fields were provided for research and production of scientific works. Topics such as Islamic philosophy, theology, Qur'anic interpretation, jurisprudence, ethics, Islamic political thought, and the relationship between religion and new social issues were expanded in various scientific and research centers.

Missionary - Mohammad Aref Moazi: Knowing the truth and distinguishing right from wrong has become one of the most important challenges of today's society. The expansion of virtual space, access to contradictory information and the dissemination of false news, has doubled the necessity of strengthening the power of discernment and critical thinking. In the meantime, what is the responsibility of universities, seminaries and religious media in intellectual guidance of the society?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the religious preaching experience before and after the Islamic revolution? Examining these questions shows that the expansion of cultural centers and activities alone is not enough and it is a serious necessity to go from answer-oriented education to reasoned dialogue, to answer people's real questions and educate knowledgeable and truth-seeking people.

In this regard, Dr. Yaser Ahmadvand, a cultural expert, has investigated these issues in a conversation with the Missionary Thought and Culture Base.

In the following, you will read the details of Dr. Ahmadvand's conversation with the preacher;

Belief becomes deep and stable when a person can understand its reasons. Knowing the truth is not achieved by imposing a belief or repeating a message.

*** In order to know the truth and distinguish the right from the wrong way, man needs criteria and signs based on which he can evaluate his beliefs and choices. From your point of view, what are the most important criteria for knowing the truth and what is the responsibility of the scientific community, universities and religious institutions in introducing these criteria to the society?

The university approaches its mission when it encourages students to ask questions, research, intellectual independence and scientific criticism. Seminaries and religious institutions will be more successful in intellectual guidance of the society when, along with the explanation of religious doctrines, they provide the basis for a deeper understanding of them. Knowing the truth has been one of the most basic concerns of man throughout history. Man has always tried to understand what is right, what is wrong and on what basis he can judge between these two. The importance of this issue increases when we know that many intellectual and belief differences do not come from ignoring the truth, but rather from the difference in the ways of knowing and the criteria for judging it.

The first point is that there should be a difference between the truth and the human perception of the truth. The truth is not subject to the desires, tastes and interests of people, but human knowledge of the truth may be limited, incomplete or even incorrect. The same issue clarifies the necessity of rationality, reasoning, examining evidence and being ready to correct previous perceptions.

Of course, the ways of knowing the truth are not the same in all fields. In experimental sciences, observation and testing are important. In philosophy, rational reasoning and logical coherence play the main role, and in religious knowledge, in addition to reason, the validity of sources, the correct method of understanding texts, and paying attention to scientific and exegetical tradition become important.

Knowing the truth has a very important place in Islamic education. The Holy Qur'an has repeatedly called upon man to be rational, considerate, and avoid following without knowledge. In verse 36 of Surah Isra', it is stated: "And do not follow what you do not know." This verse shows that from the Qur'an's point of view, it is not acceptable to believe and judge without having knowledge and knowledge.

On the other hand, in the Islamic tradition, reason and revelation are not opposed to each other, but each can help to know the truth in its own place. Of course, the exact explanation of the ratio of reason and revelation is not the same among different Islamic schools, and these disagreements are part of the dynamic history of Islamic thought.

In such a framework, the responsibility of universities, seminaries and cultural and religious institutions goes far beyond the transfer of information and education of a set of beliefs. It is necessary for these institutions to teach the society how to think, ask and evaluate correctly.

The important thing is that knowing the truth is not achieved by imposing a belief or repeating a message. Belief becomes deep and stable when a person can understand its reasons and rationally defend it against questions and different views.

Therefore, one of the most important responsibilities of scientific and religious institutions is to cultivate people who, in addition to being familiar with religious and scientific knowledge, have the ability to recognize, analyze and judge. Such an approach not only does not lead to the weakening of religious beliefs, but can also provide the basis for the formation of a conscious and deeper faith.

The success of scientific and propaganda institutions cannot be measured only by the number of centers and cultural products

*** If we examine the performance of the scientific community, universities, and religious propaganda media during the Islamic Republic, to what extent have these collections been able to guide people's thoughts and beliefs and help distinguish truth from untruth? What were the most important strengths of this experience and in what areas have we encountered weakness or failure?

One of the important issues is the predominance of the message transmission approach over intellectual education in part of the educational and propaganda activities. To examine the performance of scientific and religious institutions after the Islamic Revolution, it is necessary to consider the historical and social conditions of the country. The Islamic revolution was not only a political change, but also provided the basis for extensive changes in the country's cultural, educational and propaganda structures.

One of the most important features of this period was the significant expansion of scientific, educational and cultural infrastructures. The development of universities, seminaries, research centers, specialized institutions of Islamic sciences, centers for answering religious questions and cultural media created capacities that did not exist before the revolution in terms of scope and diversity.

In the field of religious thought, after the revolution, new fields were provided for research and production of scientific works. Topics such as Islamic philosophy, theology, Qur'anic interpretation, jurisprudence, ethics, Islamic political thought, and the relationship between religion and new social issues were expanded in various scientific and research centers.

Another important achievement of this period was the development of religious education in different regions of the country. The expansion of the network of mosques, cultural and missionary activities, the presence of missionaries in cities and villages, and the formation of popular and cultural groups, made it possible for more parts of the society to access educational and religious programs.

In the meantime, the role of public institutions and voluntary activities should not be ignored. Many cultural and religious programs after the revolution have been formed with the direct participation of the people, and this social bond has been one of the important capacities of religious propagation in this period.

Another feature of this course is trying to link religious teachings with social issues and public responsibilities. Concepts such as seeking justice, social responsibility, serving the underprivileged, popular participation and defense of the country's independence found a prominent place in an important part of cultural and religious activities after the revolution.

Also, the expansion of religious media, the production of written and multimedia works, the development of Quranic activities, and the formation of specialized centers to answer religious questions are among other capacities that have been created or strengthened in this period.

Despite these achievements, it is not possible to evaluate the success of scientific and propaganda institutions only by the number of centers, programs and cultural products. The more important issue is to what extent these activities have been able to help deepen beliefs, increase awareness and strengthen people's discernment.

One of the important issues is the predominance of the message transmission approach over intellectual education in some of the educational and propaganda activities. Sometimes, an attempt has been made to convey a set of specific answers to the audience, without providing sufficient opportunity to examine the basics, ask questions, and have a critical dialogue. Such a method may be useful for elementary education, but it alone cannot answer the intellectual needs of today's society.

Understanding the needs of the new generation and strengthening the scientific and religious dialogue has become more important

Another issue is the necessity of greater coordination between the propaganda content and the real issues of the people. Iranian society has experienced extensive changes in the past decades. Changing lifestyles, expansion of education, increasing access to information and the formation of new questions in the field of religion, ethics and social issues require that preaching methods be revised in accordance with these developments.

Also, in the field of religious preaching, harmony between speech and behavior is very important. When values such as justice, honesty, human dignity and responsibility are promoted, the degree of practical adherence to these values also affects the trust of the audience.

In general, the experience after the Islamic revolution has had important achievements in terms of creating infrastructure, developing scientific and religious activities, expanding public access to Islamic knowledge, and strengthening the social presence of religious institutions. However, the current stage needs to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of these activities more than the past. In other words, after several decades of quantitative development, it is now more important to pay more attention to the quality of education, the depth of communication with the audience, the recognition of the needs of the new generation, and the strengthening of scientific and religious dialogue.

Of course, accurate judgment about the success rate of these collections requires field research and valid data and should not be based solely on personal impressions.

Before the revolution, in some currents, the main goal was to overcome the intellectual rival, not to understand the opposing point of view

*** Religious, moral and philosophical debates about the truth and the right way of life have been discussed in Iranian society before the establishment of the Islamic Republic, and religious scholars, intellectuals and various intellectual currents have played a role in this field. What were the strengths of the experience of preaching and promoting religious thought in that period, and what are the differences between the previous methods and the methods of preaching after the revolution? Can past experiences be used to improve today's methods?

The atmosphere of ideological competition before the revolution did not always lead to scientific and fair dialogue. In some currents, religious and philosophical discussions were affected by political competition, and sometimes the main goal was to overcome the intellectual rival, not to understand the opposing point of view. To examine the experience of religious preaching before the revolution, it is necessary to distinguish between the intellectual and religious capacities of the society and the political and cultural conditions prevailing in that period.

Before the revolution, Iranian society had a deep-rooted tradition in teaching and propagating religion. Seminaries, mosques, religious boards, Quranic circles and lecture sessions played an important role in transmitting Islamic knowledge and maintaining people's relationship with religious institutions.

Along with this traditional flow, from the middle decades of the 14th century, new attempts were made to answer intellectual and social questions. The spread of new education, the society's familiarity with western ideas and the presence of various political and ideological currents provided the context for religious thought to face new questions more seriously.

In such an atmosphere, personalities such as Allameh Seyyed Mohammad Hossein Tabatabai, Master Martyr Morteza Motahari, Ayatollah Seyed Mahmoud Taleghani, Engineer Mehdi Bazargan, and Dr. Ali Shariati, each of them played a role in expanding intellectual and religious issues with different foundations and methods.

One of the positive features of the intellectual activities of that period was the effort of some religious thinkers to answer the questions that arose from the society's encounter with the new schools. Topics such as the relationship between science and religion, religion and politics, freedom, justice, materialism and the place of religion in social life were discussed in the works and speeches of many thinkers.

Also, direct communication between some religious scholars and audiences, especially in mosques and religious circles, was one of the strengths of that period. Many missionary activities were based on personal trust, social connection and voluntary participation.

However, one should not imagine the pre-revolutionary space as a completely free, dynamic space with wide possibilities for religious propagation and research.