Religion, peace and conflict<\/p>\n
Ignas Kleden, Sociologist, The Center for East Indonesian
\nAffairs (CEIA), Jakarta, ceia@centrin.net.id<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, religion seems to be a safe base for people to
\nfall back on. People faced with pressing difficulties tend to
\nseek security in their religion by relying more on their
\nreligious community, taking God more seriously and relearning
\ntheir prayers. However, religion is not only a means of rescue in
\nthe private domain. Social problems and political troubles are
\noften seen in relation to religious life.<\/p>\n
One can easily come across social critics or high-ranking
\npoliticians who contend that corruption, bribery and poor public
\ngovernance in Indonesia are due to a lack of religious awareness.
\nIn the same vein, juvenile delinquency, new permissiveness in
\nurban life and a conspicuous lifestyle are believed to result
\nfrom a decrease in religious discipline.<\/p>\n
People are more inclined to offer an easy explanation for the
\nsocial and political problems by referring to the degree of one's
\nadherence to religious norms, which one is supposed to implement
\nas a member of a religious community.<\/p>\n
Social problems originate first of all in a social structure,
\nhence social development and social changes should be tackled
\naccordingly. The same can be said of political problems. A good
\ncitizen is not automatically a good follower of a particular
\nreligion and vice versa. There is no guarantee that a faithful
\nfollower who regularly attends religious services will become a
\nfaithful taxpayer.<\/p>\n
It is also very uncertain that those who say their prayers
\nwithout fail will have more sensitivity toward justice and
\ninjustice. Indonesia is a religious country per excellentiam and
\nyet it is still one of the most corrupt states the world over.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, people who bravely sacrifice their lives in
\ndefense of human rights, or for the rights of children,
\nminorities or any other underprivileged group, turn out to be not
\nalways those who practice the obligations assigned by their
\nreligious norms. From a formal point of view, these people are
\nnot so much good religious followers as they are good citizens.<\/p>\n
It seems that, linguistically speaking, the Indonesian
\nlanguage does not have the vocabulary to enable that needed
\ndistinction. The Indonesian word beragama comprises both one's
\nmembership in a religious community and the degree of personal
\ninternalization of religious values. There is no equivalent in
\nIndonesian as of yet for the concepts of religiosity and for
\nbelonging to a denomination. As a result, people tend to equate
\nthe spiritual dimension of living religiously with the
\norganizational aspects of one's membership in a religious-based
\ngrouping.<\/p>\n
The lack of a distinctly differentiating concept seems to
\nbecome not merely a linguistic deficit, but also indicates a
\nsociological deficit. People tend to equate a formal adherence to
\na religious institution as a spiritual struggle for perfection.<\/p>\n
Psychologically speaking, religion is not only a membership
\ngroup but also a reference group. It is not only a physical
\ncollective made up of members as its constituents, but also a
\nplace where one identifies oneself according to the certain
\nknowledge, ideals, norms and values of that group.<\/p>\n
The lack of this distinction might not be recognized
\ntheoretically. However, it brings about serious consequences,
\nwhose manifestation is discernible in the practices of religious
\nteachings and religious education.<\/p>\n
If religion as a membership group is emphasized, it will tend
\nto become inward-looking, rigid and exclusive. Conversely, if the
\ndimension of a reference group is given the main attention and
\naccentuation, a religion tends to become outward-looking,
\ninclusive and tolerant. This happens to be the case because
\npeople can refer to and appreciate the same values they share
\nwith each other, although they might belong to different
\nreligious communities and come from different denominations.<\/p>\n
The inward-looking and exclusive attitude or the outward-
\nlooking and inclusive inclination is often reflected in religious
\neducation. But are children and students taught and motivated to
\nrespect and love one another as members of a religious community,
\nor first and foremost as human beings?<\/p>\n
Are people from other religions treated as fellow travelers in
\nthe common search for the truth and the common struggle for
\nperfection, or are they just discarded as the miserable who are
\nled astray by undesirable signs of darkness? Is salvation then
\nregarded as an attribute of a social group or the fruit of one's
\nperseverance in certain values and norms?<\/p>\n
It is often underestimated that political affairs have a lot
\nto do with the instructional atmosphere and educational situation
\nin classrooms and lecture halls. Instruction in religion is a
\ngood case in point.<\/p>\n
If religion is introduced as a reference group with an
\ninclusive nature, it can become a way to help understand and
\nrespect other people, even if they come from different
\ndenominations. They are perceived and seen as fellow human
\nbeings, the very bearers of human rights, who deserve our
\nrecognition and respect even if they turn out to become murderers
\nor executors of high crimes.<\/p>\n
But if religion is treated only as a membership group, which
\nis self-contained and exclusive, the outsiders will be easily
\nfaced with suspicion, misgivings, prejudice and even animosity.
\nThose who are not with us must be against us.<\/p>\n
Therefore it is up to religious teachers and spiritual
\neducators if they want to make religion a means of building
\nintegration that is instrumental to long-lasting peace, or
\nwhether they turn out to contribute unwittingly or consciously to
\nthe distribution and proliferation of hatred, in which many
\nongoing conflicts might have originated.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/religion-peace-and-conflict-1447893297",
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