Is it proper to consider religion a critical force?

By Th. Sumartana

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Thoughts about the role of religion in society often culminate in a dead end when people neglect the impacts of religion on society, i.e. its presence as a critical force. This role is particularly overlooked when religious thinkers are in a favorable position and receive privileges on account of their position. They become less aware of one of the basic vocations of religion i.e. to be constantly aware of the many life-threatening forces in society.

This was once disclosed by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologist who lived through Hitler's Nazi regime. Amid the indifference toward religious life in Germany, Bonhoeffer came forward with thoughts entirely different from what was current at the time. Bonhoeffer talked about the people who were undergoing critical changes in their lives .

The Nazis brought disaster not only to the German people but to other nations as well. There were two aspects to Bonhoeffer's theological thoughts. One was his reminder of the existence of demonic forces in contemporary political life which trapped many people in World War II, the other was his reminder that religious life in an affluent and modern world was the cause of the tendency to take a triumphalist attitude toward religion in general. Everything was rosy, everything was comfortable and all problems had been solved.

People succumbing to this attitude seem to have no challenges, no problems and no commitments in their daily life. This becomes the very reason why the religions experience the greatest difficulty in playing their role in society. As a way out the necessity is reemphasized for religions to speak of their essence as a critical force in society.

A discussion on religion as a critical force can be started with an explanation of the emergence of religions in society. The birth of a religion is always marked by an extraordinary critical situation in a society with the religion emerging as an alternative to the critical and chaotic situation. The religion plays the role of a binding agent for the society, fulfilling an integrative function and giving the feeling of social unity and solidarity which could save the society from total disintegration.

On the other hand, the birth of a religion is also the root of future social reform. It creates a new awareness of the purpose of life and an identity which is needed by societies everywhere. New values are created regarding the will to sacrifice and for a wider collective objective. The relationship between the individual and society is regulated with regard to everyone's rights and obligations.

All the characteristics mentioned above are reflected in the history of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and the older Eastern religions like Hinduism and Buddhism. In Judaism the evolution of the Israeli people from nomads into a nation with their own land incorporates the evolution of Judaism itself as an important reason for the existence of the Israeli nation.

Likewise with Christianity. Its emergence cannot be separated from the inability of Judaism to solve basic problems of the Jews in the first century A.D.. Jesus' renewal movement finally took the form of a complete religion at the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine.

The emergence of Islam cannot be separated from the "social renewal movement" led by the Prophet Muhammad against society's lifestyle at a time when few laws existed. Hinduism developed rapidly in India because its advocates could rely on the unity of the ancient Indian peoples.

And the emergence of Buddhism cannot be separated from the push for renewal in a society which became tired of rituals unable to reflect anymore the basic aspirations of the society to grow and progress. Thus, religions, in their initial periods, became a very real critical force in many societies.

Endeavors have been made to review the critical role of religion in society from a sociological standpoint.

It must be remembered that all religions have centers which are not of this world. That center is outside history, or more precisely, is believed to dominate history. It is something that is considered as wholly other or totally other. This is often called the "holiness" of religion, or its transcendental character.

The center of any religion is God. Religious people try to see the world with "God's eyes". Although this religious center (i.e. God) is in the world and has even made history, He is not of this world. God is above the world and the history of man.

The structure of this kind of belief causes religions to develop a critical standpoint of the world. With that kind of structure of belief, centered around God, religious people should never believe that this world is perfect, because they are always in a limbo status, needing constant renewal and criticism.

Religious people are waiting for that perfection to come some time in the future. The world will never be a paradise. Paradise is always in front of history. Therefore the absolute commitment of religious people is to what is in front, what is still to come, the perfection promised by God. That which is, is imperfect, that which is really perfect is still to be acquired in the future.

So, the life of religious people is oriented forward, to the fulfillment of the promise. In other words it is a transcendental breakthrough of all forms of status quo.

Religions in this context are really critical forces, because they always focuses of something beyond the present reality. Therefore, especially for monotheist religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), God is believed to be a jealous God, God cannot be connected with anything in this world. There is nothing eternal in this world except God. There is nothing in the world that can be considered as God. With this kind of theological view the religions themselves are essentially and fundamentally always critical focal points for the world, society and mankind.

When religions are too busy with themselves and do not pay sufficient attention to their environment, their relationships with the reality of society will suffer. When religions are only concerned with rituals, dogmas or organizations they are like narcissists looking at themselves in a mirror. In this condition they distance themselves from society and play no role in realizing what they believe to be their objective.

This kind of tendency is usually accompanied by a certain attitude which worships the past. Any orientation toward the past will become the main obstacle for religions to maintain their critical capacity and retain any orientation focused toward the future.

Exclusivity by religious people will cause their lives to be oriented only toward their own followers and will not be concerned with the rest of society. This exclusivity is usually accompanied by the weakening or loss of the transcendental force of the religion. And when a religion has lost its transcendental force, it will usually tend to identify itself exclusively with one particular group.

This is the cause of the emergence of fanaticism in religion which often takes on the mantle of religious fascism. It is these sects, led by the likes of David Koresh, that cause turbulence in society. This is proof of the collapse of the concept of transcendency in their lives. The sects have turned into exclusive groups that want to save only themselves. They become authoritarian and totalitarian and justify violence to attain the objectives they consider true.

The writer is director of the Institute for Inter-faith Dialogue in Indonesia (Interfidei), Yogyakarta.