The Distinctive Features of Religious Schools

3. The general principle found in secular educational institutions is the principle of relativity. This means that our knowledge and every theory we hold in this world are relative, not absolute. The consequence of this philosophy is that in modern educational institutions, ethics have become a relative concept. Here, every principle only holds relative value. This theory, at its extreme, transforms into the philosophy known as utilitarianism, which states that only that which has evident material utility is valuable. Anything devoid of this quality is not worthy of consideration. Under this theory, educated individuals can only turn human society into a kind of animalistic jungle. This educational system has, in practice, achieved exactly that outcome. In contrast, the philosophy of religious seminaries is based on the principles of eternal truth. Religious seminaries have a command from God on every matter. They firmly believe that this command is entirely true and, therefore, unchangeable. It is eternally binding and must be followed. This philosophy naturally gives rise to the concept of eternal ethics, within which a stable moral system is formed, where no question of change arises in any circumstance. 4. A major gap in the secular educational system is that it lacks knowledge of the starting point in any matter. Its entire reliance is on personal experiences and observations. Due to human beings’ inherent