The Possibility, Validity and Usefulness of Religious Psychological Studies

Religious psychological studies explore religious cognition, religious feeling and behavior from the view of psychological theories, and present a new psychological understanding of them. Since the development of these studies in the West, there have been theoretical disputes about the possibility, validity and usefulness of psychological understanding of religion especially among Christian scholars. These studies have expanded in Iran, but no theoretical discussions have developed so far. The aim of the present research is to give an account of the views of the proponents and opponents about these studies in the West, present the strategies for promoting the quality of research, develop theoretical discussions, and contribute to the Islamization of science in Iran. The research method is descriptive-analytical. The research findings indicate that the proofs of the opponents and proponents of psychological studies of religious are concerned with the determinism or non-determinism, reductionism or non-reductionism, conflict or non-conflict inherent in the scientific and religious explanations, practical usefulness or non-usefulness, the results of psychological religious and authority or non-authority of the psychological understanding of religious concepts and statements.