harus ditambah : karena yang kuat di nkri adalah Maliang................ --- In [email protected], "sunny" <am...@...> wrote: > > Refleksi : Naiknya atheism di NKRI, karena para petinggi ilmu surgawi hanya > mikir duit memperkaya diri dan juga mendukung atau terlibat korupsi. > > http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/lifeandtimes/the-rise-of-indonesian-atheism/410166 > > The Rise of Indonesian Atheism > December 05, 2010 > > > > Embedded within Indonesia's constitution are the following two lines: "all > persons have the right to worship according to their own religion or belief" > and "the nation is based upon belief in one supreme God." > > Placed side by side, it's almost as if those two lines take on a new meaning. > Feel free to worship however you choose, but make sure you choose to worship. > > However one interprets it, there is no question that inter-religious conflict > is on the rise in Indonesia. > > Recent confrontations over faith have been allowed to turn the ideal of > tolerance on its head with violent and ugly results. > > And while finding common religious ground among those of different faiths has > always been a delicate dance, it seems there are some people who are > interested in changing the tune entirely. I > > n greater numbers than ever before, they are standing up and doing the > unthinkable: they are proclaiming that they no longer have any religious > faith at all. > > They are members of a small community of non-believers, otherwise known as > atheists, and it seems that many of them are no longer content being silent. > > More and more Indonesian non-believers are taking a stance against what they > perceive is an archaic and repressive system. > > Of course, this being Indonesia, these outspoken non-believers are still > relatively few and many choose to mull their rational queries quietly in > their own minds rather than submit themselves to becoming outcasts and freaks > in their own neighborhoods, communities and even among their own families and > friends. > > Still, despite the overwhelming odds, the rank of non-believers is growing - > largely thanks to the Internet which offers an anonymous meeting place where > non-believers can gather without the fear of reprisal. > > By utilizing social networking tools such as blogs and Facebook groups, > Indonesian non-believers are discovering that there is a considerable amount > of like-minded people in the country. > > Some of these social networking-based collectives include Indonesian > Atheists, Indonesian Freethinkers and Indonesian Atheist Community, just to > name a few. > > Most of the Web sites are run by outspoken, young men who do not shy away > from letting it rip with some of the most lively and heated discussion boards > on the Internet. > > Most of the sites also have a fair share of scholarly articles on topics > related to atheism and like-minded beliefs including universalism, > existentialism, agnosticism, and the like. > > Whatever you call it, the sheer number of people visiting these sites > indicates that they have become a gathering ground for all sorts of people > and opinions, most of which fall squarely into the less-than-conventional > category by Indonesian standards. > > Graduate School student Karl Karnadi is a 27-year-old non-believer who > co-founded the online community Indonesian Atheists and has become an > outspoken proponent of atheism. > > After two years of existence, his online group has more than 400 members. > > Karl explained the process of building an online community as a means of > "survival" for Indonesian non-believers, calling his site "a safe haven." > > "We share stories regarding the difficulties and discrimination we face for > being non-religious and we support and console each other. The discussions, > debates, sharing and learning process that we receive from our community > makes us stronger and, therefore, better able to deal with discrimination we > face in our daily lives," Karl said. > > For Karl, the rules set up by Indonesian establishments are senseless and > forceful. He is baffled by laws that make religion a prerequisite to being a > an official member of the society. > > "One would wonder why we have to be a member of a religion before we can > marry. We are similarly forced to choose a religion on our ID cards. By law, > we cannot publicly criticize a religion or religious beliefs in general," > Karl said. > > "I refuse to submit to such restrictions which I view as a clear violation of > my human rights." > > Qosbil Alc, who co-founded Indonesian Atheists along with Karl, said he holds > no personal disdain for religion or religious groups. > > What he dreads are fundamentalist groups' increasing hold on the country. > > "I regret the existence of those fundamentalist groups who, since the > Reformation Era began 12 years ago, have increased their influence on the > country's politics," he said. > > Like most Indonesian non-believers, both Karl and Qosbil had religious > upbringings. Karl was raised in what he refers to as "a very religious" > Christian household, while Qosbil came from an "un-harmonious" Muslim family. > > "At some point in my life I began to read a lot about science, skepticism, > rationality and about the many diverse types of religions in the world. What > I found out was that, while there are many religions out there, they all > basically consist of the same dogma and teaching that says you should not > question anything that religion tells you," Karl said. > > Qosbil said that prior to the worldwide spread of social networking Internet > sites like Facebook, he had to endure the baffled queries of family members > and friends who considered him a Muslim but did not understand why he never > went to the mosque on Fridays or took part in fasting. > > Rizky Tanuwijaya, 22, is an active member of various online communities > including Indonesian Atheists. > > He fancies himself an existentialist, which means he does believe in a > spiritual god but does not consider himself a "pure atheist." > > Raised as a Hindu, Rizky found himself unable to stop questioning his faith > as he grew older. > > "When I was a child, I was taught ancestral beliefs, which consisted of > worshipping Bodhisattvas and the like," Rizky said. > > Once he discovered books written by the likes of Christian existentialist > Soren Kierkegaard as well as Jean Paul Sartre, Nietzsche and Jacques Derrida, > Rizky decided to put his religious days behind him. > > To say the least, spreading the word is an uphill battle. Even a cursory > glance at the message board of any of the online community shows that for > every intelligent back-and-forth or urbane discussion, there are 10 posts > that defame, threaten and insult. > > Karl understands where such derision for atheism springs from, and he is out > to face it head on. "Religion in Indonesia is definitely on the rise. There > are even movements to make Indonesia a country of Sharia law," he said. > > Karl argues that those who think that religious teaching is the solution to > all problems are wrong. He claims that all one needs to do is look at the > recent tension between Christian and Islamic factions in Jakarta. > > According to Karl, the incorporation of religious law into the government > (which includes the Anti-Pornography Law and many Sharia-inspired regional > laws in various provinces and cities) would "exacerbate the religious tension > between Muslims and non-Muslims." > > For Karl, the issue goes back to the danger of bowing down to religion-based > laws which "lead the country to a system of deluded policy making." > > Karl said his main fear is that public policy will one day be made based not > on fact, but on blind obedience to holy scriptures. "That is a great danger > to Indonesia that all of us have to prevent." > > For Karl, Qosbil and the other non-believers and alternative-thinkers, living > in a religious country like Indonesia will never be without its challenges. > > But they also all firmly believe that the benefits of being an atheist in > Indonesia outweigh the hardships of being considered outcasts. > > "The reality is, the more you learn and question things, the harder it > becomes to believe in religious dogma," Karl said. > > "One can choose to believe in something because they were taught to believe > in it. But I choose to keep questioning things because I want to progress. > This is my path to a happy life." > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >
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