Gus Dur attends Pangestu congress

Gus Dur attends Pangestu congress

SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): In a testament to his religious
pluralism, President Abdurrahman Wahid on Friday attended the
14th Pangestu (a Javanese spiritual/mystical belief) Congress.

In his address to the congress, the President called on
followers of the belief to veer away from a narrow-minded view of
their belief.

"In the 1950s, many followers of Javanese mysticism took an
anticlerical attitude and rejected any (formal) religious
teachings. But I don't think that such a view exists now," he
said.

"If you keep such a view, you will be left alone," he added,
saying that all beliefs should maintain a tolerant way of life
and remain open to the teachings of others.

Radicalism will always fail to make people live in prosperity
and peace, he said.

Abdurrahman made a brief stop in the Central Java town to
attend the three-day congress, which began on Thursday, on his
way back to Jakarta after a short visit to West Nusa Tenggara.

Mysticism and spiritualism have long been popular in
Indonesian society. Many extra-religious ceremonies are embedded
in local culture, mixed together with more formal and established
beliefs.

Pangestu is just one of the hundreds of spiritualist
organizations in the country. It was established in Surakarta in
1949.

Its current chairman, Soedjarwo, claimed there were over
120,000 followers spread out across 194 branches in Java,
Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Lombok and Irian Jaya.

Soedjarwo served as minister of forestry under both president
Sukarno and Soeharto. (44)