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)