Here children and adults learn and assimilate the values...

Here children and adults learn and assimilate the values, convictions, and patterns of perception, interpretation, and action of the faith community through participation in myriad events of worship, fellowship, service expression (Dykstra, 2001). A Christian university functions in two different but essentially related ways for its students.

It will at once and the same time be a home which provides security and peace for its inhabitants, and also a place of orientation from which students will be able to explore and take possession of the wider world around them (Thiessen, quoted in Astley et, al., 2004). Goals of Education After definition of education, another discussion, which is necessary to be put forward here (Ontology and education), is description of the goals of education.

As mentioned in “ontology” the ultimate aim of man’s creation has been submission to God. It is interesting that the ultimate aim of man’s education from the viewpoint of Islam is submission to God too, that is the aim of man’s education is not separate from the aim of his education, and these two aims are in harmony and consistent with each other.

In other words, each step that man takes in the direction of the aim for which he has been created, that is “submission to God” is considered as worship and thus educational. It is not inopportune that Imam Sajjad – one of the Muslim Imams in Sahifah Sajjadieyyeh, the collection of his prays, requires God that his life to be spent doing the things he has been created for. Considering this fact, it can be deduced that man’s education is not restricted and confined to any particular place and time.

It may be that formal education suffers from such a limitation but informal education does not. If religious instruction is to work, its aims must be formed in such a way that they can be taught and learned. If aims are such that they cannot be taught or learned, they are not religious instruction aims (Lee; cited from Astley, Francis & Crowder, 1996).

Some of the Islamic thinkers and scholars have considered the goals of education as follows (Bureau of Houzeh and university Cooperation, 1998): Viewpoint of Ibn-Sahnun: acquiring of literacy, and learning reading and writing, Learning the Qur’an, and making acquaintance with it, learning religious ceremonies and traditions and becoming committed to the religion and religious ceremonies, and guidance to the good affairs.