Democracy and religion: Indonesia: philosophy of religion, part 1

Self-tutoring about Indonesia: the tutor looks into the country’s stance on religion.

The following is according to my understanding.

Indonesia is gaining prominence. It’s the fourth most populous country, and the third most populous democracy, with around 250 million people.

In such complex part of the world, where so many major religions have arrived, it’s perhaps difficult to imagine a governmental point of view about religion. In the west, of course, we are familiar with separation between church and state.

Indonesia is not western, however, and feels that governmental involvement in religion is needed. Their solution is intriguing, and truly democratic.

Indonesia officially recognizes six religions: Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Apparently, on their national identity card, each adult must designate the religion they practice. Moreover, it seems one will be best-served, government-wise, to pick from the list.

Notwithstanding its distance from the west, both geographically and culturally, Indonesia’s government has arrived, it seems, at a solution to religion similar to our democratic system over here. One gets a choice, but has to pick from a list. The main difference seems to be that here, one can choose not to vote; in Indonesia, atheism is constitutionally forbidden.

Source:

pewresearch.org

refworld.org

iea.org