Be good; God is on television<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Tune in to virtually any local TV station during prime time
\nthese days and God-believing folk will find that the Supreme
\nBeing as they know Him has turned into a malevolent entity.<\/p>\n
The television programs, regular soap operas with God's name
\nattached to their title, carry a formulaic story line in which
\nsinners of all kinds, from corrupt state officials and gamblers
\nto a misbehaving son, will be punished by God with a very painful
\ndeath, ranging from literally being burnt in hell, eaten by
\nflesh-eating worms to being swallowed alive by the earth.<\/p>\n
By the drama's end, after a noisy commercial break, a preacher
\nwill appear on screen to give a sermon about what sinners will
\nface in the afterlife in return for their misdemeanors and will
\nremind viewers not to commit sinful acts.<\/p>\n
In the past three months, all television stations but the
\nstate-run TVRI and news channel Metro TV, have broadcast such
\nprograms, which boast titles such as Rahasia Ilahi (God's
\nSecret), Takdir Ilahi (God's Design), Titipan Ilahi (God's Own)
\nand Azab Ilahi (God's Wrath).<\/p>\n
The saturation of airwaves with religion-infused programs took
\nplace after private broadcaster TPI, owned by the Bimantara Citra
\ngroup, hit the big time with sermon-filled soap operas, and
\nenjoyed an astronomical increase in ad revenue.<\/p>\n
Along with talent scouting shows for dangdut singers and young
\ncomedians, religious programs elevated the status of TPI from the
\nleast-watched TV channel last year to a highly popular TV station
\nearlier this year.<\/p>\n
TPI public relations manager Theresia Ellasari said that her
\ncompany could claim originality for their shows and affirmed that
\nthey had lasting appeal.<\/p>\n
"We have better stories and better packaging; that is our
\nstrength," she told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Ellasari said that just like comedy or dangdut music, shows
\nthat promoted religious piety would find true devotees in any
\nera.<\/p>\n
Data from AGB Nielsen Media showed that from four programs in
\nthe weeks following last year's fasting month (November) until
\nlate May 2005, the number of religious program had swollen to 35.<\/p>\n
Viewers, however, have every reason to feel uneasy with the
\nprograms these days as they have started to show some worrying
\nsigns.<\/p>\n
Frustration and escapism<\/p>\n
Some of the soap operas have already degenerated into campy
\nhorror shows, in which devout religious leaders become engaged in
\nArmageddon-like battles against demons (portrayed with red skin
\nand two horns on their head) and ghosts of all kinds.<\/p>\n
There was also growing concern that the programs only added to
\nthe sense of powerlessness on the part of the public against
\ngrowing social ills such as corruption, as sinners would only get
\ntheir just deserts in the Great Beyond, which therefore renders
\nmore worldly laws impracticable.<\/p>\n
"I don't believe that the endless supply of religious soap
\noperas will right the wrongs in our society. I don't believe that
\npeople can find their way to salvation just by watching
\ntelevision," media analyst Veven S.P. Wardhana told the Post.<\/p>\n
Veven also doubted the claim by television stations that the
\nreligious dramas were based on true stories. "How can miracles
\noccur so often?" he queried.<\/p>\n
Ellasari said that it never ran out of good scripts as it
\nobtained a steady run of stories from articles printed in
\nHidayah, a traditionalist-leaning Islamic magazine. Some of the
\nmaterials for the show were based on hadists (written documents
\non words and deeds from the Prophet Muhammad).<\/p>\n
Veven said that religious programs gained currency after the
\npopulace was dealt a series of natural disasters such as the Aceh
\ntsunami and unbearable social ills such as corruption.<\/p>\n
"In the face of such incomprehensible calamity people tried to
\nescape from reality. They also grow desperate, as corruption
\nremains unbridled; religious programs are a kind of escapism," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Despite their dubious quality, the country's religious
\nestablishment has embraced the programs with open arms.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) has mulled the idea of
\ngiving awards to TV channels that run them.<\/p>\n
Secretary-general of MUI Din Syamsudin was quoted by Gatra
\nweekly as saying that there had been an internal discussion about
\nthe possibility of such an award.<\/p>\n
In the past few years, MUI has given awards to TV stations and
\nprint media that have made a contribution to enlivening Ramadhan
\nfasting month.<\/p>\n
Ismail Yusanto, spokesperson of Hizbut Tahrir, also a
\ntraditionalist-leaning Muslim organization, said that the
\nreligious shows breathed fresh air into TV programming.<\/p>\n
He said the programs came as a relief for viewers who were
\nbored to death by dumbed-down TV.<\/p>\n
Veven, however, begged to differ.<\/p>\n
He said that the religious programs likely offended non-Muslim
\nviewers or Muslims who rejected simplistic and doom-laden
\ninterpretations of their religion.<\/p>\n
Veven, who is also the director of the Institute for Media and
\nSocial Studies, said that despite their present appeal, religious
\nshows -- like any other TV programs -- were simply a passing
\ntrend.<\/p>\n
"I assume that their shelf life will be only six months, so we
\nshall only have to deal with them for another month or two," he
\nsaid.<\/p>",
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