Fostering religious tolerance<\/p>\n
A Chaedar Alwasilah, Dean, Faculty of Language and Arts Education,
\nIndonesian University of Education (UPI), Bandung,
\nchaedar@bdg.centrin.net.id<\/p>\n
Indonesia takes pride in being a multicultural, multilingual,
\nand multireligious country. The motto Bhineka Tunggal Ika (unity
\nin diversity) is preserved as an inseparable and fundamental part
\nof the state emblem of the Republic. In international forums,
\npoliticians and political leaders used to overvalue the
\ndiversity, tacitly promoting it as a good model for other nations
\nto emulate.<\/p>\n
However, in the last four years that collective pride seems to
\nhave waned. Admittedly, the prevailing conflicts in Aceh,
\nKalimantan and Maluku have religious overtones. Some even
\nbelieve that religious fanaticism is indeed behind the conflicts
\nand has fueled the hostility and made the opposing parties almost
\nirreconcilable.<\/p>\n
As a result, religion as a divine institution tends to be
\nerroneously interpreted as a set of teachings that propagate
\nexcessive and blind bigotry, hatred, prejudice and intolerance.<\/p>\n
The 1945 Constitution guarantees that all Indonesian citizens
\nshall exercise their religious freedom. There should not be any
\nfear, anxiety or suspicion to practice religious obligations at
\nhome, in schools, offices or public places -- a phenomenon that
\ndoes not exist in the United States. Religious education in
\nAmerican public schools is politically unacceptable; therefore,
\nit rarely surfaces in curriculum discussions.<\/p>\n
This suggests that compared to the U.S., Indonesia recognizes
\nreligious freedom individually and politically, as well as
\ncollectively. Ironically though, religious tolerance in Indonesia
\nis not any better than that in the U.S. -- at least at present.
\nThere have been misinterpretations and distortions of religious
\nteachings in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
In multicultural, multireligious and multiethnic settings, the
\nfollowing are a good reminder to bear in mind.<\/p>\n
Choosing a particular religion is a personal right and
\nprivilege, hence forcing others change their established faith is
\na sheer violation of human rights. Even God the Almighty does not
\nexpect all humans to believe in the same religion, otherwise all
\nwould have been converted into the same religion as God has the
\nunlimited might to do so.<\/p>\n
All religions teach their followers to respect other
\nreligions, suggesting that forcing others to change their
\nreligion is a transgression against religious wisdom. However, on
\na critical analysis and comparative examination one may
\nvoluntarily change his or her religion.<\/p>\n
Religious faith is to be materialized in three domains, i.e.,
\nbelief, utterances and actions. True believers strive to be
\nconsistent in the three domains, while inconsistency is a sign of
\nhypocrisy. Any religious groups provoking hatred, enmity,
\nconflict, instability or disorder are not practicing religious
\nteachings, thus they are hypocrites.<\/p>\n
The three principles above constitute the essence of religious
\nintelligence, namely ability to hold an unshakable belief in the
\nexistence of the Almighty and consistently exercise His teachings
\nin belief, utterance and action.<\/p>\n
Religious intelligence has two dimensions: vertical and
\nhorizontal. The vertical dimension implies man's direct
\nresponsibility to God as evidenced through worship, while the
\nhorizontal dimension suggests man's social interaction with
\nothers. The current social conflict -- when motivated by
\nreligious conviction -- reflects man's inability to strike a
\nbalance between the two dimensions. Instead, they create the
\nsocial conflict on behalf of religious teachings.<\/p>\n
From the premise above, it is evident that the present
\nreligious education in public schools needs to be reviewed and
\nredefined to meet the present challenges. Modern educational
\npractices are governed by the principle that learning should be
\nmeaningful. The present religious education seems to be deficient
\nin meaning for the great majority of students.<\/p>\n
To be meaningful, religious education should be redesigned
\nusing the following guidelines.<\/p>\n
Depending on how you see it, religion could be either abstract
\nor practical. The most fundamental ideas are usually high
\nabstractions that are not appropriate until students have reached
\na certain level of understanding in a variety of other areas.<\/p>\n
The less thorough religious teachings are, the more easily
\nthey can be understood by beginning students. To be meaningful,
\nreligious education should begin with the most practical aspects,
\nnamely how religious teachings are applied in daily life such as
\ntolerance, mutual respect and cooperation -- regardless of
\nreligion, ethnicity or social status.<\/p>\n
The less fundamental religious teachings are, the more
\nuniversal they become. By providing students with universal
\nteachings such as tolerance, mutual respect, cleanliness, order
\nand cooperation, students are led to an understanding of
\ncomparative religions, which is the surest way of establishing
\nreligious tolerance.<\/p>\n
Religious teachers should keep in mind that they are tasked
\nwith developing students to practice religious teachings, not
\nnecessarily training them to be expert theologians from day one.
\nPerforming religious rituals have a social function, i.e., to
\nfoster collective participation.<\/p>\n
It is necessary to develop awareness of other existing
\nreligions at as early a level of education as possible. Having
\nstudents observe and report upon others' religious rituals will
\ndevelop religious tolerance and understanding of other religions.<\/p>\n
From the foregoing discussions, it can be hypothesized that to
\nfoster religious intelligence among students, religious education
\nshould focus first and foremost on exercising ethical codes,
\nnamely behavior addressed toward other believers.<\/p>\n
Gradually, the focus is on ritual practices and eventually on
\nbelief patterns. Thus, the canon to be held by religion teachers
\nis the same as that to be held by other teachers, namely, one
\ngoes from real to abstract, from worldly to spiritual and from
\nsimple to complex.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fostering-religious-tolerance-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}