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Abstract: The present study addresses Edwin Cox's views about religious education. After introducing his life and studies, the article examines how he approached religious education on educational base and what his similar and different views with other religious educationists are. It is remarkable that Cox supports the religious educational understanding not based on belief by highlighting the secularization process and determines specific pedagogical criteria by redefining the aims of religious education on an educational base in the framework of his understanding. By referring the search results, he argues that traditional religious education embraces teaching of doctrines and rituals of Christianity is ineffective for students in learning major religious concepts. In addition, he reasseses fundamental hypothesis and aims shaping the traditional religious education. In order to save religious education's position in the program, he states that religious education needs to be developed with an educational approach and its aims should be reformed. Summary: Edwin Cox played an important role in religious education, especially in the transformation of paradigm since 1960s. Cox has been an important and influential figure in this field, as being actively involved in the creation of the day-to-day work on all the components of religious education, and in the conduction of projects and research. Cox, who is so influential in the history of religious education, still continues to be a source of inspiration for new approaches and methods with his views. Cox's views have not been sufficiently discussed in the paradigm shift in religious education in our country. Instead, the ideas of religious educators such as Sheperd, Hull and Grimmitt were made more research topic in the field and their effects in this field were evaluated more. When Cox's works are examined, it will be seen that he is at least as effective as other religious educators in this paradigm shift. It is important to examine his views in terms of understanding of the transformation process in religious education as well as his influence to the new approaches in it. From the terminology of religious education to the programs, from the teachers to the educational aims, to understand and evaluate all the views of Cox, who is an important contributor in ensuring the transition from confessional religious education to educational religious education, will contribute positively to the understanding of the educational concept of educational-based approaches.     Cox argues that religious education based on Christianity is inadequate in terms of today's changing circumstances and points out the need to develop a non-dogmatic understanding of religious education. According to him, religious education approaches aimed at developing beliefs are designed to meet the needs of traditional societies. Since the individuals of modern societies’ needs have been changed, the reason for continuing religious education to focus solely on the teaching of the Bible and Church history for Christians is out of date now. Today's individuals are grown in a secular society. The decline in the effect of religion in social life has made it impossible for children to socialize by participating in religious activities, and this has led to a decline in the knowledge and experience of children in religion. Therefore, on the basis of secularization, religious education must take into account this kind of socialization process of children and should adopt an educational approach accordingly. The emphasis on social change and secularization distinguishes Cox from other contemporary religious educators. Cox does not see traditional religious education based on faith as educationally sufficient either. To him, religious lessons that are performed in a monotonous manner cannot attract children's attention and interests. Religious lectures have diverged from children's daily experiences, existential problems and social problems, and in this way they have become unable to take the expected contributions. As a matter of fact, the results of some research have shown that the information taught in these lessons was not remembered and that basic religious concepts were misrepresented. Moreover, due to this kind of teaching style, the children have become less interested in religion and religious lessons. According to Cox, religious education should be restructured according to the social changes, scientific developments, and educational backgrounds. Moreover, the tension between scientific thought and religious thought necessitates a different view of religion and its teaching. Religious education should take into account the social and cultural world in which children live, and should take their interests, needs and expectations into centres of their educational status. With such an approach, religion and religious education will become meaningful in children’s eyes and will turn into an education that will serve as an auxiliary role in building their existence by answering their questions about the meaning of life. Religious education will thus be based on a justifiable ground in the program with such an educational contribution. Cox, who is trying to restructure religious education through educational approach, argued that the confusion in the naming of religious education should be clarified and he found it appropriate to call it Religious Education instead of Christian Education. The attempt to establish an educational basis of religious education is reflected both in the nature of religious education and in its purposes. In the educational sense, universally accepted religious education; should develop children's minds and change their perspectives; should be related to the disciplines accepted in the academic world; and the content and material used in practice should be valuable in terms of contemporary culture and be attracting children's attention. Cox elaborated on the objectives of religious education in his works and redefined the goals of religious education according to his own educational understandings by analysing the basic objectives and their inadequacies that led to the understanding of religious education based on faith. According to him, objectives must be realistic and achievable. At the same time, there are also priorities and importance in the orders of objectives. The acceptability / utility of the objectives in society, and the value of them for the students and the teachers must be taken into consideration. Although the acquisition of biblical teaching and moral conduct, which is one of the goals of traditional religious education, is accepted as a part of religious education, these can neither be the sole purpose of it nor the purposes of religious education be reduced to them. Religious education has to take non-religious worldviews into account as well as religious ones in society. The aims of religious education, which is determined from a purely religious point of view, are not compatible with the pluralistic and secular society structure of today. There is a similarity between Cox's views on religion, religious education, and religious experience in secular societies and Ninian Smart's views. According to Cox, religious education has an educational value with its potential to respond to children's search for meaning, and this field should base itself on this search. Cox specifically emphasizes the symbolic and subjective nature of the religious language and states that religious education should have a function to facilitate transition from literal thinking to abstract thinking in adolescence.

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