Johanes Koraag

Democracy, rooted in the Greek tradition of organizing society by electing representatives of the people to become public servants, has now become a system of government adopted by most modern countries. Democracy has become the main standard and indicator of a country’s progress. If a country desires to label itself a democratic society, it should consciously place respect and protection on human rights. The basic core of the democratic system is the recognition of individual rights in participating to determine who will be elected to be the leader of the country. The motto of democracy “of the people, by the people, and for the people” indicates that in a democratic state, it is the people who hold the supreme power. The leaders of the country are individuals who are elected directly or indirectly by the people for a certain period of time and are mandated by their voters to run the wheels of government. read more

Johanes Koraag

Before world religions entered and spread their teachings in the Nusantara Region, some beliefs grew in every ethnic and subethnic community that existed. To this day, indigenous religions are still alive and thriving in various corners of Indonesia. At one time, there was a forced attempt by the government to make these indigenous religions sublimate and merge with world religions, but through persistence to maintain their identity, some persevered and continue to develop.

The existence of these indigenous religions of the archipelago disturbed the hearts of believers and leaders of these imported religions. They unilaterally define people who embrace these beliefs as “irreligious” because religious standards are used as indicators. Java, as an island with a population density that exceeds other islands and a history of civilization whose roots can be traced back several thousand years, gave birth to many belief systems that grew along with the development of its society. This Javanese belief system is more familiarly called the Kejawen stream (Javanism). read more

Rezza Prasetyo Setiawan 

The customary law is the result of daily conversations held in coffee shops, in the verandas of mosques, schools, or village halls. That’s the living law of the people. … How is that going to be made into a regional regulation (Perda)? Sulistyowati Irianto — Commissioner of Komnas HAM

The inclusion of the Living Law in article 2 of Undang-undang No.1 Tahun 2023 tentang Kitab Undang-undang Hukum Pidana (Criminal Code) has drawn a lot of criticism from academics and indigenous community activists. The inclusion of the “living law” was supposed to be a recognition for the Indonesian indigenous peoples, but is actually considered to be potentially detrimental in its implementation. read more

Athanasia Safitri

Focolare, an international organisation that promotes the ideals of unity and universal brotherhood, participated in the 12th International Graduate Students and Scholars’ Conference in Indonesia earlier this month. The theme of the conference was “Ethics and Accountability in Politics, Sciences, and Professions” and was held at Universitas Gadjah Mada on 7-8 November 2023. Focolare presented how its members live spirituality and reach for the goal of unity as a contribution of religion to common space in society. Sri Safitri Oktaviyanti of Focolare Indonesia, Crescencia Gabijan of Focolare Philippines, and Lawrence Chong of Focolare Singapore highlighted the experiences of the communities from the mentioned countries from their perspective in society. read more

Maurisa Zinira

Women frequently encounter complex circumstances in the realms of religion, culture, economy, and politics. The absence of appreciation of women’s roles results in their perpetual subordination. This phenomenon is not limited to private or personal spheres but also extends to the public domain where patriarchal ideologies form the foundation for societal norms, rules, legislation, and many forms of governmentalities that discriminate against women.

In her presentation at the Wednesday Forum on November 1, 2023, Yuyun Sriwahyuni from Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) argued that the subordination and marginalization of women can be attributed not only to local culture and neoconservatism that are grounded in patriarchal norms but also to the utilization of these values by neoliberalism. For her, the intersection of the three pose challenges for women’s life and create problems of social reproduction. read more

Written by Athanasia Safitri

Discussion about nature and the public support of the community may lead to the argument that if people recuperate from the sacred traditions, the balance between human and nature will be restored. It will later result in several concerns about whether the traditions relate to religious rituals and routines as well and if the relation has evidence. But does it have evidence? Comparative studies have not clearly explained if religion has any contribution to the public support for nature. Yet, there is also contention that what people believe in terms of religion and spirituality affects their actions toward nature. read more

Written by Athanasia Safitri 

Gaoshan Zu is an ethnic minority in Taiwan which is recognized as an official ethnic designation by the Chinese government. Because of the two regimes since 1949 which are the Mainland China and The Taiwan Island, there was alienation of these indigenous people with their Taiwanese family. They could not get back to their hometown and as a result the young generation do not even speak their native language. Their spoken language itself belongs to the Indonesian group of the Malay/Polynesian language family. Their cultural trait deals with songs and dances which are depicted in their social life on holidays but very much declining because of the lost generation up until the 1980’s where the young generation do not even know the tradition and meaning of dancing, singing, and gathering. read more

Written by  Maurisa Zinira

The environmental crisis has reached an alarming stage. In the past 60 years, in particular, carbon dioxide emissions, global warming, ocean acidization, habitat destruction, extinction, and widescale natural resource extraction show remarkable destruction of our natural environment. It is widely accepted that humans have made significant contributions to ecological crisis. The anthropocentric behaviors constantly lead to the emergence of harmful actions, including behaviors observed within the contexts of religion. read more

Written by Johanes Koraag

The World of Pictures

Today we live in a world filled with images. The screens of our gadgets are filled with images, both static and moving. Human eyes have been forced to stare, absorb, and understand the messages behind the thousands of images crammed into communication tools that propagate the messages that certain parties want to convey. It has been proven that photos can evoke stronger reactions than words in the human brain. Images communicate differently than text, as photographs are absorbed more quickly and are generally received more emotionally. Text, it is argued, “requires a linear logic, while visuals elicit a spontaneous emotional response” (Schwalbe & Dougherty, 2015, p. 142). read more

Written by  Maurisa Zinira

In continuation of previous efforts related to the domain of religious freedom, the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS), in partnership with PUSAD Paramadina and the Council of Churches in Indonesia (PGI), organized a conference that facilitated activists and stakeholders from various institutions to share their concerns on the matter of religious freedom. The conference titled “Reflections on Advocacy on Freedom of Religion or Belief (KBB) in Indonesia 2023” took place at Wisma Pemuda PGI, Cisarua, West Java, August 22-24, 2023, and gathered over 74 attendees representing 26 provinces across Indonesia. The participants shared various narratives pertaining to their experiences in the field, participating in a reflective discourse on the progression of religious freedom advocacy in Indonesia. read more