Abstract:

This research addresses the effect of theology education on religious reconciliation culture and focuses on the views of students about the subject. In the research, qualitative methods were used because students’ views on the topic were presented. The theoretical data on the religious reconciliation culture was examined by using the document analysis method; the themes of the study were reconciliation, conflict, other, empathy, and communication. The students’ views on this issue were obtained by using a semistructured interview form prepared by the researcher. Interviews were conducted with 27 senior students who graduated from the Faculty of Theology of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, the study group, in the 2018–2019 academic year. Data obtained from the students were evaluated in the four main themes by using descriptive analysis and content analysis. The results demonstrated that although the majority of the students believed that the education they received could potentially cause othering and conflict; they think that this education contributes to both empathy-communication and establishing a religious reconciliation culture.

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