INTELLECTUAL WOMEN’S UNDERSTANDING OF RELIGION IN TURKEY

Abstract

Relation between intellectual and religion is very interesting. Specially intellectual women’s understanding of religion is more important in Turkey. In this article, we studied intellectual women in three categories. These are modernist, traditional and Islamist intellectual women. We know that there are different understandings of religion. The sources of these differences are social, cultural conditions, sexuality and external effects. Modernist intellectuals’ understanding of religion base on reduction. According to them, religion must change. Religion must take into consideration modern idea. In this context, the key words of modernist intellectuals are positivism and sociological truth. Synthesis is the most important quality in the traditional intellectuals. They always emphasize traditional understanding of religion. They appreciate social values and forms the process of modernization in Turkey. As far Islamist intellectuals, they comprehend religion as codes of meaning of societies. Islamist intellectuals oppose reduction and synthesis. The whole intellectuals do not appropriate understending of formalistic religion.