The concept of habit in religious education

There are attainments that a person gains consciously or unconsciously throughout his life, which he turns into experience and knowledge. Although there are many definitions, these attainments can be seen as the result of a process consisting of habit, wont, temperament, and faculty. In addition to making life easier, practical, and more dynamic, the concept of habit lies at the center of human behavior. While behaviors accepted and praised by the society are generally defined as good, behaviors that are not accepted or approved in the same way are defined as bad. The basic concept that constitutes an act that is accepted as good or bad behavior is expressed by habit. Accordingly, this concept,a which is qualified as good or bad habit to determine attitudes towards behaviors that are prioritized or postponed, today has become one of the important subjects of education. The primary purpose of this study is to discuss the positive or negative approaches related to the "Concept of Habit in Religious Education", which is also the main topic of this thesis, in the context of religious education and to evaluate the situation. After briefly discussing the philosophical and scientific evolution of the concept of habit, the subject will be expanded with the methods of application of operant conditioning in religious education. In this context, practice of gaining good habits and getting rid of bad habits in terms of religious education as a result of operant conditioning methods constitute the second important aim of the study. The main point and the ultimate aim of the thesis is to examine whether the positive demeanors that give rise to moral behaviors and virtues turn into negative demeanors over time when considered in the context of religious worship. Even though it is good to make moral acts and virtues a sustainable habit, when a habitual behavior is considered in the context of religious life and worship, over time, mindfulness/consciousness behind the means of an act disappears and those behaviors can turn into actions performed without a thought. In this study, it will be discussed that habitual acts can have negative consequences on religious attitudes and behaviors and how the desired mindful life of worship is affected. The process of how the concept of habit, which is mostly positively characterized and accepted, can become a negative and undesirable situation in the context of religious education, will be determined and possible solution proposals will be examined by focusing on religious resources.