Pancasila (literally“five principles) is the five principles upon which the Indonesian constitution is based (sort of like our Bill of Rights and a country mission combined). The first (and arguably most important) of these principles is monotheism. Indonesia is not an Islamic state but rather a religious state that accepts 5 (6 with the recent addition of Confucianism) monotheistic religions: Islam, Protestant Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Belief in one of these religions is stated on one’s birth certificate and is a basic requirement. It is rare for some-one to publically state that he or she is an atheist because religion, especially Islam is so fun- damental to civic life. Though Jakarta is urban and thus more liberal, school still begins with and Islamic prayer and as previous posts have revealed, students engage in prayer (Salat) during the school day. Going to mosque (Masjid) is even a punishment among very progressive/liberal
teachers. Despite the fact that prayer and Religion (primarily, though not exclusively Islam) is ubiquitous in schools and public life, religion doesn’t have the same role in society as it does in the United States.
Religion in schools is not about personal transformation or personal connection with one’s god, it is a civic virtue. Religion helps build the whole person. It is called upon to develop a person’s character, not unlike physical education is used to inspire students to be concerned with exercise, health and wellness. In Indonesia, Islam functions almost like a “character counts” program.
In fact, recent reforms in Indonesia have called for all subjects to include more religion in the
curriculum. In other words, math should include Islamic story problems and Science should emphasize God’s glory evident in nature. Pancasila, is thus simultaneously about religion, character development and nationalism (patriotism).
teachers. Despite the fact that prayer and Religion (primarily, though not exclusively Islam) is ubiquitous in schools and public life, religion doesn’t have the same role in society as it does in the United States.
Religion in schools is not about personal transformation or personal connection with one’s god, it is a civic virtue. Religion helps build the whole person. It is called upon to develop a person’s character, not unlike physical education is used to inspire students to be concerned with exercise, health and wellness. In Indonesia, Islam functions almost like a “character counts” program.
In fact, recent reforms in Indonesia have called for all subjects to include more religion in the
curriculum. In other words, math should include Islamic story problems and Science should emphasize God’s glory evident in nature. Pancasila, is thus simultaneously about religion, character development and nationalism (patriotism).
Interestingly, any student of religion knows that Buddhism and Confucianism is not always monotheistic as God does not figure prominently in some forms of Buddhism. Hinduism too may be understood as monotheistic or polytheistic depending on perspective
or person. So the question is, why are these religions identified as monotheistic? The answer to this puzzle is interesting. Basically, Buddhists and Confucians in Indonesia do not believe in monotheism—at least not in the same way that Muslims and Christians do. Today, I spoke with several Buddhists. After many questions, I learned that Buddhism in Indonesia is mix between Theravada and hayana Buddhism. (Theravada Buddhists believe that one as attain enlightenment by their own ower, Mahayana Buddhists believe that beings called Bodhisattvas can assist them. See article.)
An individual can choose one or both depending on one’s needs. In different members of a family may choose different forms. I inquired about the concept of god in Buddhism and was first told, “yes, there is a god in Buddhism. This confused me, as Buddhist texts and teachers in the US always identify Buddhism as a philosophy lacking an all-encompassing deity. After asking about ten addtional questions, I learned that the concept of god is basically unknowable, and could be seen as equivalent to Nirvana (state of enlightenment). Furthermore, Buddhists don’t use the word god because doing so with negative thoughts results in negative karma. In short, there
isn’t a god, in the all-powerful, creative sense that Jews, Christians, and Muslims believe in. So what gives? Why say you’re monotheistic, when you are a Confucian or Buddhist who doesn’t conceive of god in the same way? The answer has much more to do with politics, than it does with
religion. In Indonesia, Buddhists are generally of Chinese origin. Because of their history as traders, they hold most of the private property and wealth in Indonesia. For this reason, they
exercise a great deal of clout in the government. This clout is perhaps part of what yielded the
inclusion of Buddhism and Confucianism into the national constitution and Pancasila. Basically, the wealth and power of the Chinese-Indonesians, resulted in the inclusion of Buddhism, and
then later Confucianism. And because Buddhism, Confucianism, (and Hinduism) does not really see any inconsistencies in a more inclusive notion of god, Buddhists and Confucians have no problem conceiving god to be, in a sort of roundabout way, the same god as Muslims, and Christians. It is of course Muslims who comprise the majority of Indonesia. Thus, they too have considerable power in national matters. For this reason, non-Muslims are not allowed to hold civil
service jobs.
or person. So the question is, why are these religions identified as monotheistic? The answer to this puzzle is interesting. Basically, Buddhists and Confucians in Indonesia do not believe in monotheism—at least not in the same way that Muslims and Christians do. Today, I spoke with several Buddhists. After many questions, I learned that Buddhism in Indonesia is mix between Theravada and hayana Buddhism. (Theravada Buddhists believe that one as attain enlightenment by their own ower, Mahayana Buddhists believe that beings called Bodhisattvas can assist them. See article.)
An individual can choose one or both depending on one’s needs. In different members of a family may choose different forms. I inquired about the concept of god in Buddhism and was first told, “yes, there is a god in Buddhism. This confused me, as Buddhist texts and teachers in the US always identify Buddhism as a philosophy lacking an all-encompassing deity. After asking about ten addtional questions, I learned that the concept of god is basically unknowable, and could be seen as equivalent to Nirvana (state of enlightenment). Furthermore, Buddhists don’t use the word god because doing so with negative thoughts results in negative karma. In short, there
isn’t a god, in the all-powerful, creative sense that Jews, Christians, and Muslims believe in. So what gives? Why say you’re monotheistic, when you are a Confucian or Buddhist who doesn’t conceive of god in the same way? The answer has much more to do with politics, than it does with
religion. In Indonesia, Buddhists are generally of Chinese origin. Because of their history as traders, they hold most of the private property and wealth in Indonesia. For this reason, they
exercise a great deal of clout in the government. This clout is perhaps part of what yielded the
inclusion of Buddhism and Confucianism into the national constitution and Pancasila. Basically, the wealth and power of the Chinese-Indonesians, resulted in the inclusion of Buddhism, and
then later Confucianism. And because Buddhism, Confucianism, (and Hinduism) does not really see any inconsistencies in a more inclusive notion of god, Buddhists and Confucians have no problem conceiving god to be, in a sort of roundabout way, the same god as Muslims, and Christians. It is of course Muslims who comprise the majority of Indonesia. Thus, they too have considerable power in national matters. For this reason, non-Muslims are not allowed to hold civil
service jobs.