Religious TV shows fuel hope and prayers for viewers

Religious TV shows fuel hope and prayers for viewers

By Ida Indawati Khouw

JAKARTA (JP): Blurting out her story in between sobs, the
caller tells Lutfiah Sungkar that her husband has taken a second
wife and is now ignoring her.

Lutfiah, whose 1,001 Masalah Rumah Tangga (1,001 marital
problems) airs on private station Indosiar on Thursday mornings,
is obviously touched, dabbing her eyes several times with a
tissue as she listens.

And then she tells it like it is.

She instructs the woman to offer several prayers -- and God
will find her a solution.

Lutfiah's program is among the popular religious TV shows on
the airwaves today. All TV stations have programs for the five
recognized religions of Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism,
Buddhism and Hinduism, either produced by the stations themselves
or in cooperation with production houses.

Muslims can have their religious needs fulfilled from early in
the morning, with stations routinely airing interactive dialogs
or religious instructional programs at the start of the broadcast
day. They include Di Ambang Fajar at 5 a.m. on SCTV, Hikmah Fajar
at 5 a.m. on RCTI, Embun Pagi at 5:30 a.m. on Indosiar and
Mutiara Subuh at 5 a.m. on ANteve. Other programs are on in the
afternoon or late at night.

Most people want to watch programs that discuss "light" issues
regarding troubled hearts, according to Muslim scholar Komarrudin
Hidayat, who has closely watched the development of religious TV
programs in the country.

"People still see religion as something like a tranquilizer,"
he said, noting that scholarly programs on religion or its edicts
were not as popular.

Lutfiah always sticks to the Koranic verses in responding to
audience's questions.

"By doing so, the audience is bound (by the advice) because
Muslims will immediately be afraid if we refer to the Koran.
Moreover, my goal is to give consolation and spirituality to
people in facing problems," said the preacher.

As in the case of the caller, Lutfiah will advise women whose
husbands are having extramarital affairs to be patient and show
forbearance.

"What is important for me is that I heal the woman's inner
pain so that she will face the problem with different 'eyes'. I
will then say 'don't bother about your husband's infidelity',"
she said.

There is no need for a psychological or social approach, she
added, "because the Koran has all the answers to any problem".

Christian programs are usually broadcast on Sundays with
titles such as Gema Rohani (SCTV) and Penyegaran Rohani (RCTI).

Slightly different is the half-hour Christian program Solusi
(solution) at 11:30 p.m. on Wednesdays on SCTV. Partially
sponsored by America's CBN, a Christian broadcasting network, it
offers real-life time testimonials by people who have faced
life's troubles and returned to religion.

Televangelists

For Christians uninspired by traditional sermons, there are
now a new crop of televangelists, clutching Bibles in their hands
as they preach fervently.

Names like Rev. Gilbert Lumoindong and Evelyn Nadeak -- who is
always accompanied by American preacher John Hartman -- have
become popular among Christians.

The preachers mostly focus their sermons on salvation, sins,
healing, repentance and other issues related to individual
spirituality -- finding the answers within oneself.

People in trouble are invited to call the "help line"
telephone numbers which appear on the screen if they need to
share their problems as there are "God's servants" who will
always be ready to listen and pray for the callers.

"It is our goal to minister to those who are unable to be
reached by the churches," said Maxi, a member of a prayer team at
GL Ministry.

Maxi said Gilbert determined the themes. "I think individual
spirituality is really needed by Indonesians who are dealing with
various crises," he said.

He also said that the positive response to televangelism was
shown by the large number of callers to the shows.

However, all the TV stations contacted said that religious
programs did not get significant ratings. At most they gain one
point to two points (one point represents 100,000 viewers). In
comparison, the ratings of popular TV shows can reach 25 or more.

"For TV stations, religious programming is part of the
station's social service. Thus, we never expect to get
commercials, " said Dwi Bagus M.B., a research writer for the
creative team at Indosiar.

Bagus said that the programs have a select audience,
consisting of people who really enjoy listening to religious
issues.

But Rev. Arliyanus Larosa, the secretary of the Masyarakat
Dialog Antar Agama (MADIA society of interreligious dialog),
criticized televangelism, saying the content was deceptive.

"It is as if they are 'selling heaven' and it is not
contextual because the theme only focuses on discussion of
individual spirituality," he said.

The reverend from Kepa Duri Indonesian Christian Church (GKI)
in West Jakarta also said that the danger was that people at the
grassroots level would have a narrow view of Christianity, as if
what is aired on the TV is all that Christianity is".

What is needed by Indonesians, he said, are themes on how to
live together in a pluralistic society, and religious programs
can play a role within that context.

"Actually, MADIA is willing to present alternative programs,
but it is still far from being realized because it would need
enormous financial resources, manpower and planning," he said.

Alternative religious programs would stress more the
documentation of religious traditions in the country, like life
at a pesantren (Islamic boarding schools), the life of a Catholic
seminary or certain Muslim communities among Hindu people in
Bali.

Komarrudin recommended that religious programs should not only
have religious figures but also, for instance, cultural figures.

"I am still pessimistic that these TV programs can play a role
in developing people's character, and, moreover, the themes are
sometimes repeated. In this sense, I see there is a lack of
serious preparation and creativity," he said.