Religion and rationalism<\/p>\n
The article The rise of Islamic protestantism in Indonesia
\npublished in The Jakarta Post on May 18 tries to reveal that
\nIslamic protestantism is a response to the hegemony of organized
\nreligion in this country.<\/p>\n
What is the cause? What we have learned from clerics until now
\nis almost dogma. \"You should do what Allah prescribes, and do not
\ndo what is forbidden. That is all\". They cannot answer if we ask
\nthem \"What is the gain of shalat (prayer), what do we gain by
\nfasting (puasa), and what is the meaning of the haj pilgrimage?
\nWhy did Allah create Ramadhan and Idul Fitri? Why is a dog cursed
\nas a filthy animal? Why is pork considered haram (forbidden)?<\/p>\n
What we now need is religious thinkers, so at least they will
\nreveal the sacred meaning of our religious rituals. Being
\neducated, we have to criticize. What has happened in the world
\nhas always been a principle of \"cause and effect rule\". Religion
\nmust not be a dogma but must be rational, and can answer all of
\nthose questions mentioned above.<\/p>\n
What cleric Yusman in Malang did by praying in two languages
\n-- Arabic and Indonesian -- is not wrong and can be understood,
\nbecause people want to know and understand the meaning of those
\nrituals. The Indonesian Muslim Council (MUI) must open the
\npeople's \"eyes and minds\", because if they cannot answer those
\nquestions, should they fool the people of this nation?<\/p>\n
If so, there will be many more fundamentalist people like
\nAmrozi and Imam Samudra in this country. So it is better for the
\nMUI to hold a dialog with religious thinkers, to solve this
\nproblem.<\/p>\n
AGUS UTORO
\nSerang, Banten<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/religion-and-rationalism-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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