A number of religious terrorism acts closely related to the 9/11 event had happened in Indonesia and disrupted the nation’s stability and harmony. The hard-power approach that the Indonesian government had hitherto employed to curb terrorism had not succeeded in eradicating religious terrorist groups entirely. A soft-power approach is needed to contest the indoctrination that the terrorist exercised on their followers and to halt the recruitment of new terrorists. Although the savageness of religious terrorism has given religion a terrifying impression, taking a shortcut by restricting the role of religion to the private sphere—as applied by secular countries—has not proven successful. Rejecting the solution offered by secular countries, this article offers the idea of principled pluralism with its vision of religious freedom as a soft-power solution in treating religious terrorism. By opposing tyranny and authoritarianism, religious freedom would hopefully break the chain of consolidation maintained by religious terrorists with their followers. By using principled pluralism as a hermeneutical lens to read Pancasila, this article argues that civil society is the only channel for religion to contribute significantly to Indonesian society.
The practices of the Ministry of Religion in Indonesia that discriminates against and disregards the freedom and rights of the minority are contradictory to the aspirations of the founding fathers of the nation as declared in the Indonesian Constitution. In order to bridge this gap it is essential to have a critical and reflective study on religion-state relations and the existence of the Ministry of Religion. The study presented in this article will deal with this problem from a historical standpoint and will be based on the underlying principles of Christian witness and thought in Indonesia. It will also recommend some practical strategies in protecting the freedom and rights of the minority in Indonesia.
Children are the future of a society and the future of the church. Awareness of the importance of children to society and the church needs to be based on biblical concepts of nature of child and childhood. This is necessary because of the emergence of deviant attitudes towards children as a result of extreme understanding between children as sinners or children as innocent and pure individuals. One of them is the abuse of discipline and punishment and the underestimation of the possibility of crimes committed by children. Therefore, this article descriptively through literature study tries to retell the efforts of a reformer named John Calvin who has introduced the biblical concept of child and childhood with a balance between the sinful side and the precious side of a child in Geneva. Calvin's understanding and experience can set an example for a balanced view of children and childhood and help today's Christianity to carry out the responsibilities it should take for children in the family, church and society. Anak-anak adalah masa depan dari sebuah masyarakat dan hari depan gereja. Kesadaran akan pentingnya anak-anak bagi masyarakat dan gereja perlu didasari oleh konsep yang biblikal mengenai natur dan masa kanak-kanak. Hal ini diperlukan karena timbulnya sikap-sikap yang menyimpang terhadap anak-anak sebagai hasil dari pemahaman yang ekstrem antara anak-anak sebagai manusia berdosa ataupun anak-anak sebagai pribadi yang polos dan murni. Salah satunya adalah penyalahgunaan disiplin dan hukuman serta penyepelean adanya kemungkinan kejahatan yang dilakukan oleh anak-anak. Oleh sebab itu, artikel ini secara deskriptif melalui studi pustaka berusaha menceritakan kembali usaha seorang reformator bernama John Calvin yang telah memperkenalkan konsep anak dan masa kanak-kanak yang biblikal dengan seimbang antara sisi berdosa dan sisi berharga seorang anak di Jenewa. Pemahaman dan pengalaman Calvin dapat memberikan contoh bagi cara pandang yang seimbang terhadap anak-anak dan masa kanak-kanak serta menolong Kekristenan masa kini untuk mengerjakan tanggung jawab yang seharusnya dilakukan bagi anak-anak di dalam keluarga, gereja dan masyarakat.
Religious violence in Indonesia has its origins mainly in factors that are external to religion. One factor in particular is the striving for political power initiated by the Ministry of Religion wherein religion and the state seek to subordinate the other. Within the Pancasila-based state religions have been enabled to live together in peace and harmony; opportunities have been created in which each religion can play an active role in the public sphere. This principle allows all religions and beliefs to function in public life. In a society like Indonesia a civil society—and how a particular religion functions—must begin with the reality of religious diversity. On this foundation a ‘public religion’ in the service of a civil society has the potential to be a transforming and liberating power necessary for democratic socio-political life.
After man has sinned, violence cannot be separated from human life. As Christianity comes into contact with violence, it generates a theory of just-war in responding against injustice. The applications of just-war theory are not only limited to Christian circle, but has reached wider groups. Just-war has become a guidance for non-Christian philosophers and politicians to fight oppressors and to uphold justice. This paper discribes the idea of just-war in Christians tradition, firstly by exploring the legitimacy of war in the light of the Word of God, and secondly by comparing it to the holy war in the context of the Old Testament. To better understand the views of the church leaders about just-war this paper will also discuss the criticisms against the theory. The author believes that the presence of just-war theory is crucial in the midst of this sinful world. KEYWORDS: violence, the legitimacy of war, just-war, holy war, peace, justice, Christian love
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