Religious tolerance and the need for understanding<\/p>\n
Benny Susetyo, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesia has been independent for 59 years but the religious
\nlife of the country has been going for a much longer period.
\nDespite some ups and downs, the nation's religious coexistence
\nhas been generally stable.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, this coexistence amid religious diversity has not
\nbeen without some serious disturbances. There is a fear in some
\ncircles that the tolerance we have maintained is only
\nsuperficial, and is in fact a time bomb that could explode at any
\nmoment.<\/p>\n
Continued tolerance depends on our attitude toward other
\nreligions. In other words, how we perform our religious duties
\nand behave toward other believers is very crucial to the
\npreservation of harmony. The only way to safeguard religious
\ntolerance is to accept religious, ethnic and racial pluralism as
\na reality.<\/p>\n
In this way, understanding pluralism means viewing religions
\nas mediums to guide mankind to achieve common good. This is not
\nthe \"good\" claimed by one group that is detrimental to others.<\/p>\n
Viewing religions in their symbolical and formal frameworks
\ntends to make them a means of mutual combat. This only leads to
\nseeing other groups as separate from the rest of the community in
\nthe common nation-building effort.<\/p>\n
The ebb and tide of the nation's religious coexistence is
\ninseparable from the way we conduct religious worship and view
\nother religions.<\/p>\n
In the context of pluralism, what we need to protect is the
\nfreedom of worship according to the belief embraced. The public
\nrequires the freedom to exercise their most fundamental right --
\nperforming religious duties as guaranteed by the Constitution.
\nSadly, this seems easier said than done. Something seems to have
\ngone wrong, as religions are only ritually understood, which
\nentails the single interpretation that religious truth merely
\nbelongs to a certain creed.<\/p>\n
This attitude makes the presence of other religions appear
\n\"hostile\". Consequently, the potential for conflict increases.
\nThings further worsen when political and economic factors spur
\nthis potential. Not surprisingly, such issues as
\n\"Christianization\" and \"Islamization\" have been utilized more to
\nserve certain political interests than to indicate some
\naccountable truth.<\/p>\n
In fact, \"Christianization\" and \"Islamization\" involve how to
\ncombine attempts to disseminate common good and enhance
\ntolerance. In the view of Father Magnis-Suseno SJ, tolerance is
\nmisunderstood if regarded as creating uniformity, let alone
\ndemanding that people consider their beliefs relative. However,
\nit is the capability to respect something different and beyond
\none's conviction that signifies tolerance.<\/p>\n
The fear of Christianization, for instance, is in my view the
\nroot of many of the issues facing us. This is because religions
\nare only perceived as political communities or formal
\norganizations, rather than seen in terms of their comprehension.<\/p>\n
Religious orientation so far has concerned quantitative claims
\ninstead of the quality of faith: Whichever group is the largest
\nwill be in control. Such a claim becomes a bargaining tool for
\nthe diverse interests of national and local political elites.<\/p>\n
In the future, the paradigm of religious life should be based
\non mutual trust. This trust will grow if believers share the
\nconviction that religions are affairs involving their followers
\nand their God. The fundamental factor is religiosity, which is
\none's profound faith, rather than mere formal religious rites.<\/p>\n
Realizing this, we need to find the reason, for instance, why
\nChristianity has been \"feared\". It should be understood that the
\nChristian religion has various groups and faces that were born
\nout of different causes and backgrounds. Some denominations are
\nradical, but they have no significant influence.<\/p>\n
Reports that Christianization is being spread everywhere
\nthrough the distribution of basic necessities and under the guise
\nof humanitarian activities are based solely on rumors developed
\nand used to trigger an emotional reaction.<\/p>\n
A new paradigm should be introduced that one's faith cannot be
\nexchanged for food. Any attempt to spread a religion under the
\nguise of material donations is an insult to autonomous people.<\/p>\n
This is what has become the core of the Universal Church, as
\nindicated by Pope John Paul II in Nostra Aetate No. 4: \"With
\nMuslims, many things concerning faith and morality have unified
\nus. For decades, in thousands of cities and villages, our
\ncongregations have lived peacefully together up to the present.
\nThe Vatican Council II emphasizes that the Church regards Muslims
\nin high esteem. Enmity and dispute of the past should be
\nforgotten and let us strive for mutual understanding. Let us join
\nhands in the struggle to guarantee and cultivate social values
\nand justice.\"<\/p>\n
The orientation of the Catholic Church is obviously to invite
\nits followers to open themselves to true friendship. This was
\nalso stressed by the late Soegiopranoto SJ, a national hero, who
\nsaid that baptism was the Holy Spirit's affair.<\/p>\n
The basic problem, in my opinion, is the potential for
\ndisharmony created by the bureaucracy through discriminatory
\nregulations. It is this practice that disturbs religious
\nrelationships, because the state is intervening too far in
\nreligious affairs. In the context of a democracy, the government
\nshould facilitate ties between believers, acting only as a
\ncommunicator.<\/p>\n
I can recall how Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\" Wahid described
\npluralism to Muslim clerics following riots in Situbondo on Oct.
\n10, 1996. At the time, the clerics were confused over violence
\nthat destroyed 24 churches, as well as a courthouse, schools and
\norphanages. In his humorous style, Gus Dur likened churches to
\nmovie theaters, where people must have tickets to enter, while
\nmosques were compared to markets, requiring no tickets. Here Gus
\nDur pointed to the many faces of religion, all of which have
\ntheir own ways of worship.<\/p>\n
As a final appeal, let us prevent unfounded fears from taking
\nroot and arousing mass fury.<\/p>\n
The writer is executive secretary of the Indonesian Bishops
\nConference.<\/p>",
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