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.