The Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) and the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS) have conducted research in order to map and understand the perspectives of the youth in the discourse of Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB).

The research was conducted in two phases. The first phase was conducted in 2021, followed by the second phase in 2022. The first research focused on the perceptions of the Generation Z (Gen Z) towards Freedom of Religion and Belief cases in social media. The second research focused on a broader range of young people, namely Gen Z and Y (Millennials), in the age range of 18 to 34 years. read more

Satya Wacana Christian University (UKSW) officially established cooperation with the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS). Both parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday (20/03/2023) at the Indonesia Mini Campus of UKSW Salatiga. The MoU was signed by the Rector of UKSW, Prof. Dr. Intiyas Utami, S.E., M.Si., Ak. and the Director of ICRS, Zainal Abidin Bagir, Ph.D..

The signing of this memorandum of understanding is a legal form of  good relationship between the two parties, especially with the UKSW Faculty of Theology. This was emphasized by Zainal Abidin Bagir, Ph.D., in his speech. read more

Interfaith studies experts say diversity and pluralism of religions and ethnicities are part of “God’s sacred plan” for humanity, and should therefore be nurtured and promoted. They also argue that religious literacy needs to be promoted, especially because of the frequent politicization of religion and ethnicity for electoral politics.

Dicky Sofjan, Ph.D., teaches interfaith studies at the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS), which is a collaboration between Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University and Duta Wacana Christian University based at the Graduate School, UGM. A lecturer and researcher who often travels the world and has various positions in international institutions that promote tolerance and peace between human beings, he said that he has conducted a lot of research on his field of interest. read more

Written by Athanasia Safitri 

Dramatic societal changes took place during the COVID-19 pandemic all over the world. This included the ways in which religious activities were conducted, not to mention the limitation of attending public worship spaces. It forced many people of faith to adapt and invent a new way to practice their religious tradition, even with the help of technology and digital platforms. Dr. Leonard Epafras spoke of the challenges experienced by religious minorities at Wednesday Forum held by CRCS and ICRS Universitas Gadjah Mada on March 1, 2023. The event entitled “Enduring the Gimmick and Polemics: Digital Performances of Religious Minorities During the Pandemic” was a brief report of a project he did last year along with four other researchers: Hendrikus Paulus Kaunang, Ida Fitri Astuti, Irfan Syaifuddin, and David Akbar. The researchers looked at the digital performances of religious minorities during the pandemic. read more

Written by Johanes Koraag

The existence of ethnic Chinese in the archipelago is easily recognizable by the cultural traces they leave behind. We can find ethnic enclaves (i.e. Chinatowns) in almost all cities in Indonesia that have a history of trade. The Chinese ethnicity is indeed synonymous with the world of trade even though the Chinese are heavily involved in other industries. Many dishes that are now considered traditional food of a region are the result of acculturation between Chinese and local cultures: noodles, meatballs, tofu, and soy sauce among others. read more

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Special Edition of Wednesday Forum, 8 March 2023