سید باقر سیدنژاد

The present study aims to elucidate the relationship between religion and development and to examine the role of religion as either an obstacle or a catalyst for development by delving into the thought system of Ayatollah Khamenei. In this regard, the ideas and thoughts of Ayatollah Khamenei regarding religion and development are analyzed to respond to the fundamental question of this research: ‘Is religion an obstacle to development or a driving force for it?’ He has presented his specific views on the role of religion in human development and progress. Ayatollah Khamenei's perspective is significant regarding his position as a contemporary religious thinker. This paper employs a mixed-methods approach to investigate the topic. In the first phase, a library research method was utilized to gather comprehensive and in-depth information. This involved systematically referring to existing sources, including books, articles, and statements by Ayatollah Khamenei, and collecting data. In the second one, a systemic analysis method was employed for a deeper interpretation and analysis of the research findings. The systemic analysis of political thinkers’ ideas is a novel method for examining and interpreting the thoughts of political thinkers, and it is designed in five key stages: Research design, data collection, data analysis, reporting findings, and research validation. The findings indicated that religion is not only an obstacle to development, but it also acts as a driving force for it. The religious teachings derived from Ayatollah Khamenei's thought system, which have their roots in his specific worldview, play a vital role in achieving development in both individual and social dimensions.

The distinction between "Religion" and "Religiosity culture and religious beliefs in the sensory and phenomenological perspective" has sociological significance and demonstrates a distinct pattern of sociology. The present study in the first section with critically approaches to the "Sociology of Religion" explains the inadequacy of its conceptual and perceptual organization in explaining sociological relationships of religion, with an emphasis on the inherently reductionist and methodological nature of this prevalent discipline. To this aim, the author explains that a "Correct understanding of religion - especially Islam - can be considered as a foundation that influences the existing understanding of sociology of religion" and examines the relationship between religion and society from a distinct perspective compared to the prevailing literature worldwide, highlighting the distinction of this approach compared to the intradisciplinary literature, which mainly involves an essentialist and fixed perception of religion and religious society in the dominant intellectual-religious traditions in the Islamic world. The author argues in this field with an "Ijtihadi" and "Intra-religious" approach about the combined and creative role of "Social Traditions of God" with "Faith and distinctive characteristics of Islamic spirituality" in constructing a new identity for society. By referring to the idea that "When people take steps towards God and the kingdomin a planned manner, they become closer to each other and a global community takes shape," it reaches a new level of religious and Islamic society. In fact, forming the institutions with common and distinct featuressuch as mosques, pilgrimage, and recently the Arbaeen of Imam Hussein (AS) in relation to the historical and glorious experience of the Islamic community in Medina shows that the Islamic society is a society established on justice and fairness, which follows its principles by creating sensitivity towards "Perceptive and Cognitive" levels, "Moral and Inclination" values, and "Behavioral and Action" aspects, within the framework of "Faith and Righteous Deeds."

In the present study, the dignity of science and technology in modern civilizations is evaluated as the vital status of the ontological and of "Being" and "Not-Being" type, while emphasizing that the problem description in religious models of new civilization cannot be reduced to the acquisition of modern and strategic science and technologies; Accordingly, this article, while reviewing and critically interpreting Modern Science, in its philosophical and final evaluation of the perspective of science and technology in alternative civilization, emphasizes that the question is the question of "one distinctive awareness infrastructure for thinking," and "redefinition and quality of confrontation with science and technology." While has presented a different configuration of these relations and civilization-making structures that make a difference the way of facing the world and science. Regarding the experiments and the existing capacities after the Islamic Revolution, the transformation of a modern civilization formed how and around what very different and distinct theoretical organization or concept. As a conclusion, while trying to explain the religion of religious society, it emphasizes that science and technology are "Detrimental," "Direction-Finder," and "Renewable" phenomena. Therefore, the religion-based culture and order as the point of consensus and unity of all religions and spiritualists, start their identity limits vis-à-vis science and technology by distancing from the materialistic configurations and technical thought, without negating the science and technology.