Bu çalışma, özgürlük tartışmalarına girmiş olan Rus asıllı, İngiliz vatandaşı, felsefeci ve siyaset bilimcisi Isaiah Berlin’in iki özgürlük kavramı tezi çerçevesinde din ve özgürlük ilişkisini tartışma konusu yapmaktadır. Makalede negatif özgürlük ve pozitif özgürlük arasında dinin konumu tartışılmaktadır. Isaiah Berlin’in “Two Concepts of Liberty” adlı makalesi çalışmanın ana kaynağı olmuştur. Berlin, negatif özgürlük ve pozitif özgürlük şeklinde iki özgürlük türü belirleme gayreti içerisine girer, ancak sonrasında her iki özgürlüğün tam olarak birbirinden kesin ifadelerle ayrılamayacağını belirtir. Bir şeyi yaparken engellenmemek negatif özgürlük iken bir şeyi yapmak için özgür olmak talebi pozitif özgürlük olarak belirtildiğinde, din özgürlüğü nasıl konumlanır? İki özgürlük arasında din nerede olur? Bu sorunun cevabı, bir problemi doğurmaktadır. Negatif ve pozitif özgürlük tam olarak tanımlanamadığından ve her iki özgürlüğün sorun teşkil eden yönlerinden dolayı din iki özgürlük arasında tam olarak yer edinemeyecektir. Öyle ki, Berlin’in kendisi de makalesinde din olgusuna pek fazla değinmez. Değindiği kadarıyla aktardığı bilgi ise dinin iki özgürlük arasındaki yerini belirlemeye yetecek düzeyde değildir. Bu nedenle Isaiah Berlin’in yeterince temas etmediği din ve iki özgürlük ilişkisi bu makalede derinlemesine ele alınıp incelenmeye çalışılmıştır.
Liberty is a concept that has both thought and action time in one's home, and therefore wars have been fought for it, and debates continue on it today. It is known that, like many concepts originating from humans, the concept of liberty has various meanings depending on the geography and conditions of time. In addition, the relationship of liberty with some concepts and facts add very diffe- rent features to liberty. An even more different idea is that liberty has been felt with different perceptions from individual to individual or society to society. It is essential to conduct research on liberty and similar issues, which are perceived and valued differently in the lives of individuals and societies, and whose pre- sence or absence is important for life. Another concept that has a similar function to liberty is religion. The demand to add meaning and value to one's life leads the individual to the desire to connect to the sacred and introduces the individual to the concept of religion. The indi- vidual's ability to realize himself and add meaning to his life by choosing the sac- red or sacred things that he desires with his own free thought can only occur within the existence and framework of the concept of liberty. The context of the relationship between liberty and religion is that a person can express his opinion openly, choose his belief freely, learn and share his belief in the dimension of knowledge, put the requirements of his belief into practice in the dimension of experience, and not be hindered in the social and political dimension. No matter where in the world there are people and societies, there is also a religion or be- lief system. Throughout history, all societies have produced religious systems ofdivine or human origin. Liberty is also needed to live/keep beliefs alive, but the- re are cases where this need is ignored or even prevented. For example, in the early years of Islam, the oppression, cruelty and coercive practices of the Meccan polytheists against Muslims were a major obstacle to the free practice of faith, and liberty of religion was one of the mandatory justifications for the migration to Medina. The pages of history are full of similar examples. These examples are in different shapes and sizes today; It manifests itself as individual, social, politi- cal, cultural and ethnic. Today, liberty of religion appears as a frequently discus- sed and up-to-date phenomenon within liberty theories.
