[Kabar-indonesia] Indonesia interfaith congress brings religions together

[Joyo at aol.com]

The Jakarta Post 
Saturday, September 2, 2006

Opinion / Editorial 

First interfaith congress brings religions together

Benny Susetyo, Jakarta

The first joint congress of Indonesian religious leaders, held in Jakarta on 
Aug. 22-24, has been understood as a broader form of interfaith 
communications. The meeting recommended the reactivation of regional religious assemblies 
for the settlement of religious conflicts.

The religious figures in attendance also recommended that the state guarantee 
freedom of religious worship and enhance the comprehension and practice of 
religious values by relevant followers. Another important decision was the 
empowerment of interreligious forums in promoting believers' welfare and harmony.

In fostering national ethics and pluralism, it is very worthy to note that 
the congress agreed on the state ideology Pancasila as the common ethics of all 
believers making up the nation. In addition, it designed a more sensible 
religious tolerance in the future and formulated a joint action plan to face global 
and internal challenges.

The meeting observed a fundamental problem behind the plague of poverty, 
ignorance, suspicion and violence continuously facing the nation. Religious life 
has remained merely oriented toward its ritual aspects, which renders our 
spiritual mood for religious experience incapable of making the nation independent 
in all fields. A nation's self-reliance is determined by its capability to 
manage its resources and turn its cultural, racial, ethnic and religious 
diversity into a motivator of collective survival.

It is such a spirit of collective living that becomes an asset of the nation 
to anticipate the future. With this awareness, the religious leaders agreed to 
restore and develop the multicultural concept in authentic religious 
comprehension by means of realizing the culture of communication. This culture is 
badly needed to bridge the differences between religious communities, which 
frequently arise because each of the groups is only self-oriented.

If religious followers are only absorbed in the efforts of individual groups 
while ignoring the interests of all believers, a narrow attitude of religious 
experience will certainly ensue, with the consequence being a lack mutual 
appreciation. The other religious groups must be wrong because only "my own" is 
the right one.

When this attitude emerges, inhospitable behavior and actions will result. 
The strong will always frighten the weak. In religious practice, are there 
strong and weak groups? By what standards are they determined?

Through this congress, religious communities are expected to grow more mature 
in all respects. The complexity of national problems makes it impossible to 
solve them individually. Therefore, among the global challenges being faced by 
all believers in the country today is how to nurture true brotherhood.

Sincere brotherhood is a suitable way to respond to the challenges of 
globalization. We can set out to enhance the intelligence of youngsters in order to 
rid the nation of the trap of neo-colonialism. They should be able to manage 
natural resources independently. This capability can be created by political 
action that entrusts the younger generation with nation building through 
self-reliance.

What is now concretely required is policy making that gives such trust to the 
nation's youths. The nation will be independent if it becomes sovereign in 
the sectors of food, finance, economy and energy. Sovereignty should be 
manifested in different populist policies rather than market-oriented ones like they 
are today.

In Pancasila, religions inculcate their universal values as part of the 
nation's new ethical domain. Religions are to be practiced in a contextual manner 
rather than as mere symbols. Pancasila -- its five principles being monotheism, 
democracy, humanitarianism, social justice and national unity -- suggests 
that religions avoid total submission to power and choose contextual functioning, 
so that they have to be visionary and possess a prophetic spirit.

As the common ethics in national life, the values of Pancasila should serve 
as the foundation of collective living. It should be actualized in citizens' 
daily attitude that leads to their being Indonesians imbued with humanity and 
justice. Along with the motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (unity in diversity), 
Pancasila should be preserved all the time as the pillar of the nation and state, the 
basis to carry out the vision of strong nationhood. This orientation will 
augment the nation's intelligence and independence. The vision refers to 
solidarity and aims at common welfare.

It means that Pancasila as the common ethics is not a political instrument to 
serve the interests of those in power. It should thus be a source of 
reference in the systems of politics, law, economy, education and culture. Its values 
can be topical if all parties comprehend and practice them in the aspect of 
appreciation for humanity and justice in life.

By boosting and strengthening the spirit of Pancasila, we automatically 
encourage policy making oriented to the development of humanity as the basis of 
government polices. Such values will finally be of current interest in the 
framework of promoting the policy of welfare. To this end, a mature attitude among 
religious communities is critically needed, with believers acting proactively 
rather than reactively in overcoming poverty, ignorance and uplifting common 
welfare.

Pancasila is a condensed form of the universal values of humane life and most 
applicable to Indonesia in comparison with any other values. It can make all 
citizens share a common norm regardless of their classes. But if the common 
norm fails to serve as a source of reference in life, a conflict of values takes 
place. Consequently, the nation's condition worsens for not sharing the same 
universal values. The lack of such universal values in Indonesia now prompts 
existing groups to offer their norms, often by resorting to force in order to 
claim to be the best.

This challenge is very great and some people may be doubtful. However, 
without confidence and a serious commitment, we will never achieve anything. In this 
way, the interfaith congress would prove to be a fruitless formal meeting as 
it could never positively contribute to national life. Carrying on dialogues 
and cementing brotherhood constitute the nation's major requirement, which will 
hopefully create higher awareness among religious communities.

The writer, a Catholic priest, is executive secretary of the Indonesian 
Bishops Conference.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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