Altruism, charity alone will not eradicate poverty
Altruism, charity alone will not eradicate poverty
JAKARTA (JP): Altruism and charity, as taught by religions, do
not eradicate poverty and social disparity. They ease the pain
but often fail to touch the source, a scholar said.
Worse, they can cause tension in society, Eka Darmaputera said
here Saturday in an interreligious dialog to promote peace and
development.
He conceded that charitable projects established by religious
institutions, such as orphanages, old people's homes and
hospitals for the poor, have played an important role in easing
suffering.
"However, we cannot say that they are the most effective way
to combat poverty and to narrow social and economic gaps," said
Eka, the vice chairman of the advisory council of Indonesian
Communion of Churches (Protestant).
"They reduce suffering for a while but do not solve the basic
problems."
In a prepared address, Eka said sincerity alone is not enough
for any social cause. The country's pluralistic society must be
taken into account in order to avoid conflicts.
"Social services by the Christians are often suspected as
'Christianization' efforts by the non-Christian community," said
Eka.
The one-day national dialog was jointly organized by the
Association of Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI), Indonesian
Hindu Intellectuals Forum, the Association of Indonesian Catholic
Scholars (ISKA), the Association of Indonesian Protestant
Intellectuals, and the Indonesian Buddhist Association.
M. Habib Chirzin, an executive board member of ICMI, expressed
concern over rising violence, including the violation of human
rights in Indonesia, as negative impacts of national development.
He said religious leaders should initiate regular dialogs
among the different religions to build a better understanding of
other people's conditions and interests.
"However, we must acknowledge that we are still not accustomed
to such dialogs, even Moslems are often unprepared to hold
dialogs among themselves," Habib remarked.
Martin Pakpahan, ISKA's secretary-general, said any dialog
must be based on equality; not just to defend their own interest
but everybody's interest.
"All religions are against violations of human rights,
corruption, and injustices. We must work shoulder to shoulder to
enforce democracy and establish clean governance," said Martin.
Advance
Separately, Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher said
Saturday that Indonesia is the most advanced country in the world
in terms of harmony among different religious communities.
"The harmonious life among religious believers in Indonesia is
not only recognized by the West but also by countries in the
East," he said when dedicating five places of worship, namely a
mosque, a shrine, a Buddhist temple, a Protestant church and a
Catholic church in Denpasar, Bali.
The places of worship were built in one area named Puja
Mandala in Nusa Dua tourist area, Antara reported.
The minister noted that some countries have expressed the wish
to learn from Indonesia on how to manage religious plurality.
Indonesia recognizes five religions: Islam, Protestantism,
Catholicism, Hinduism and Buddhism. (prb/swe)