Religious differences must be accepted, say leaders

Religious differences must be accepted, say leaders

BOGOR, West Java (JP): Nationwide acceptance of religious
differences is a prerequisite for ensuring harmony among
religious communities and the efforts to build the country's
civil society anew.

A. Malik Fadjar, deputy chairman of Muhammadiyah, the
country's second largest Muslim organization, said a flurry of
sectarian conflicts recently had a lot to do with the public's
denial of the fact that numerous religions exist here.

"The presence of the various religions must be accepted and
this reality should be regarded as a blessing," Malik said at the
Indonesian Catholic Church's Grand Synod, which opened here on
Thursday.

The five-day synod, which officially opened on Wednesday, is
being held to discuss the empowerment of local communities in
building a new Indonesia. Among those attending are the
Indonesian bishops, Catholic clergy and hundreds of Catholic
layman.

Malik, also a former minister of religious affairs, said he
was deeply concerned about the escalating religious conflicts in
various parts of the country, which have distorted long-
established ties between the country's different faiths.

"It is ironic that after 55 years of the country's
independence, the nation must go back to square one in building
religious ties which are based on universal values," he said.

Malik, however, said the sectarian conflicts and the unhealthy
competition among adherents of different religions had a lot more
to do with socioeconomic and political gaps than religious
factors.

He said that what was happening in Ambon, Ternate, Poso and
West Kalimantan was the accumulated result of the gaps in the
social, economic and political fields between Muslim and non-
Muslim communities.

He added that the conflicts were also sparked by religious
communities which are prone to defending their respective
religions' absolute truth and their "holy mission" of converting
the adherents of other religions.

Rev. Eka Dharmaputera, chairman of the Indonesian Council of
Churches (PGI), called on socioreligious institutions and their
leaders to play an active role in helping to end religious
conflicts and reduce the intense bickering among the members of
the political elite.

"Religious institutions and their leaders must play an active
role in helping to reduce the race, intergroup and religious
conflicts (SARA) that have plagued several parts of the country.
They should also be proactive in pressing the political elite to
stop the bickering among themselves because this has had a
negative impact on the relationship between religious
communities," he said.

He warned that the nation was facing a very serious situation
and that it would worsen if no action was taken to defuse the
current multidimensional crisis.

"I am afraid that the nation will enter a second phase of the
crisis if sectarian conflicts and the bickering among the
political elite continues," he said.

Eka also expressed deep concern over the spiritual crisis
affecting Protestant churches in Indonesia, saying that many
Protestants were no longer loyal to their church's hierarchy
because of the reality that many clerics had failed to play a
role in resolving the conflicts faced by their followers. (rms)