Maritain s politics and the aim of religious education

ABSTRACT

Jacques Maritain, one of the most eminent Catholic philosophers of our time. Maritain believes that is must be based on the Christian idea of man as being more a whole than part, and more independent than servile. But the purely scientific idea of man tends only to link together measurable and observable data taken as such, and is determined from the very start not to consider anything like being or essence, not to answer any question like: Is there a soul or isn t there? Is there freedom?Aim of religious education needs primarily to know what man is, what is the nature of man. Thus the fact remains that the complete and integral idea of man which is the prerequisite of religious education can only be a philosophical and religious idea of man. Thus the prime goal of religious education is the conquest of internal and spiritual freedom to be achieved by the individual person, or in other word, his liberation through knowledge and wisdom, good will and love. Politics means the recognition human ends and of its deepest springs: justice and freedom, human rights and natural law.