NEWS

The Future of the Study of Religion in Indonesia

6 August 2024

Athanasia Safitri

In collaboration with the Association for Asian Studies, ICRS and CRCS hosted a side event for the conference on July 8, 2024, at the Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada. The public talk discusses the opportunities and challenges in the study of religion in Indonesia. The invited speakers are Greg Fealy (Australian National University), Robert Hefner (Boston University), Nelly van Doorn-Harder (Wake Forest University), and Lena Larsen (University of Oslo), with Fatimah Husein (UIN Sunan Kalijaga, and ICRS, UGM) as the moderator for the event, which was set up in a talk show style to enable more dynamic points of view about the topic. 

Before the talk show began, Widyanto Dwi Nugroho of the Postgraduate School of UGM, Samsul Maarif from CRCS, and Zainal Abidin Bagir of ICRS shared their thoughts on the importance of the event, respectively. Nugroho mentioned that religion can be a problem solver in the global crisis. Therefore, studying religion should be taken seriously. Maarif stated that the event may be a place where the public, scholars, and researchers engage in science development and contribute to knowledge production. Meanwhile, Bagir underlined the need to understand religion as an important matter that can affect relations among religions regarding other life aspects. 

The nature and development of the study of religion 

Husein started by reminding the audience that ICRS just launched a book as a contribution to the public entitled “Interreligious Studies: Methods and Practices” as a response to the very fact that religion is an important social reality in Indonesia. The first session questioned the particular platform of development in the study of religion in Indonesia, to which Hefner responded that such study is hugely affected by the diverse culture in Indonesia. It has shaped the way religion is understood, from Dutch colonialism to the era of multidimensional study of religion, and it is continuing today. He then stated that the future of religious study must have a certain continuity with particular topics in the study of women's participation in the field and the centrality of religion in shaping public culture and ethics. 

The second issue discussed the characteristics of inter-religious studies in Indonesia, where van Doorn-Harder argued about the little connection in religious study between the US and Europe. Indonesia, with a lot of differences in religion and belief, may be an example for people to do religious study. Therefore, Indonesian religious study may connect many religious thoughts so that people can learn from each other. She continued by saying that people are naturally eager to know their religion deeper to be able to inform others better. There are many educational institutions and organizations in Indonesia that make powerful contributions to the development of the study of religion. The task lying ahead is whether there is a neutral platform so people can learn from each other without any particular religious views. 

In regard to the recent issues 

Larsen connected the study of religion to human rights and freedom of belief. She argued that terms of inter-religious dialogue should not be exploited in the sense that people should respect one another and be aware of the different ways of religious tradition and belief. It is evident that the acceptance of equality and understanding of human rights enhance the practice of freedom of religion and belief. However, it must stop only at inter-religious meetings, when we have meals together, and when we spend time together. People should study religion as a phenomenon by all theories in many aspects, but always with the aim of giving meaning, relation, and direction to each individual, with a certain attitude and touch, to improve society. 

The last session discussed the challenges in the contemporary study of Muslim and politics, related to Nadhatul Ulama's recent issues. Fealy explained that somehow, in some areas, religious life is not really lived well, so the effect on society is not strong enough. Political Islam should not only be about parties and general elections of the organization but also about the people who run and the norms that come with it. Inter-religious dialogue may be a tool to protect religious minorities, yet there must be a specific teaching to encourage religious people to go against the current majority’s habit of cultivating relations with people of different faiths.

The challenging opportunities 

Through the discussion, the audience is prompted to realize that opportunities in the study of religion in Indonesia can also be seen as challenges. There is a significant role in the spiritual growth and worldly maturity of the young people who are the future of our world. As the world views Indonesia as one of the important pillars of religious studies, there have been various religious practices from different religions, traditional faiths, and spiritualities, so it is inevitable to pay close attention to the study of religion. 

It is essential to understand the roots of religious teachings with an active acknowledgment or simply awareness regarding current issues such as religious conversion, intolerance, immorality, economy for all, and even technology. These ideas, reshaped by religious views, must not be taught only in educational institutions but mostly in families and society. When the future of the study of religion in Indonesia may be shifting slowly to the practice of good shared values, it is determining how we modify the basic religious teachings to be relevant to today’s society.