Marife Turkish Journal of Religious Studies

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.