The Many Roles of Religion
Komaruddin Hidayat
Among scholars, it is difficult to formulate an acceptable definition of religion that can be mutually agreed upon.
Since the formulation of definition alone, scholars have been in dispute, so it is easy to understand why the attitude of society on religious arguments is different from their stance on science, which can be more easily accepted across nationalities and religions.
Aside from the problem of definition, there are also several categories of religion, such as revealed religion and natural religion – the religion of God-made revelation and the evolutionary religion of man-made nature; religion of heavens and the religion of the earth. There are Abrahamic, Jewish, Christian, Muslim and non-Abrahamic religions. In philosophical literature, ideologies such as Marxism are also included in categories of religion.
Compared to secular ideology and science, Abrahamic religions have its own distinction, namely the doctrine of eternal salvation in the hereafter, in the form of the heavenly life that God has promised. For believers, beautiful life on Earth will not be comparable to the joy of paradise God has promised. Therefore, there are believers who increasingly hope for the afterlife and belittle worldly life.
Languages of religions
By its believers, religion is believed to be a way of salvation that connects them to God, where there are creeds, scriptures, ritual guidance, the concept of shrines and social ethics. The belief about the last day, the divine court and the heaven-hell concept are the most fundamental creeds in the Abrahamic religion. Therefore, the concept and belief in the "path of salvation" becomes the core belief of the believers. What the path of salvation is and how one achieves it differs with each religion, which have different doctrines and interpretations that cannot be united, are highly personal and cannot be forced.
In the beginning, all religions constituted spiritual events and experiences that were very personal and evolved in social environments. In the context of Islam, for example, it started from a story and confession of a young Muhammad, who says he was encountered by magical beings when he was retreating to meditate at Hira Cave, a suburb of Mecca in the 6th century. At the Hira Cave, Muhammad received a revelation, which is believed to be from God through the angel Gabriel, in which its content invited people to live a righteous and honorable life while worshipping only to Him. Initially Muhammad did not know who the supernatural being was. Historians agree on occurrences when Muhammad went to Hira Cave. That\'s a historical fact. However, the confession of Muhammad being met by the angel Gabriel to receive the revelation of the Qur\'an is beyond the scope of scientific validation and verification. Historians cannot find evidence of the figure of Gabriel who spoke to Muhammad.
In the beginning, all religions constituted spiritual events and experiences that were very personal and evolved in social environments.
That Muhammad received the revelation from Gabriel was the interpretation and response of faith, supported by arguments of the content of the revelation. Another example, the moment when Muhammad migrated to Medina, is a historical, factual event. Muslim and non-Muslim historians agree on the occurrence of the migration event. However, the event of Isra Mi\'raj is a meta-historical event, its nature very personal and demanding a faith-based response. In Christianity there are many similar events. Historically, Jesus\' life ended at the cross. However, for the Christian faith, it is precisely Jesus\' triumphant event of defeating the sins of mankind that gave him the title of Savior and Redeemer. Likewise, the Easter event is like mi\'raj in Islam, namely a spiritual event existing in the realm of faith, not in facts. Christians believe Jesus was resurrected on Sunday, after the crucifixion of Friday, then ascended (mi\'raj) to the Lord.
From the above example, in religious tradition and understanding there is frequently a mixture between historical and meta-historical narrations, between the factual and symbolic-metaphoric, so that when all can only be understood verbally-literally, it loses the deepest message and meaning. Or there will be differences and conflict of interpretation on the scriptural texts. In fact, one of the aspects and characters of the scriptures that immortalize it and carry with it endless research is because of the power of language, which is partly symbolic and metaphorical. Thus, the different interpretations are indeed possible and one of its sources is the scripture text itself.
From me to us
Even with the teaching of religion disseminating to the surrounding social environment, there emerged communities of believers and communities of non-believers who in Arabic are called kafir or infidels in Europe. As a consequence, anyone who has faith will be called kafir by another community who has different beliefs. It becomes a problem when the judgment and attitude of faith against people with a different faith, which initially is personal and communal, then moves out to the public sphere, even fighting over the hegemony of public space and power networks in the name of religion. It can be found in various parts of the world.
For the faithful, as in the context of Islam, for example, there are Muslims who perform the pilgrimage and perform istigasah. However there is also a group of people who are structured in the bond of institutions, organizations or political parties. However, religions can give birth to a commune, houses of worship and religious buildings like mosques or churches. The places of ritual are believed to be holy places on Earth that connect the congregation to the throne of God in the sky; places to convey gratitude or ask for forgiveness and guidance on the path of salvation in the afterlife.
The grouping of believers of the same faith in Indonesia is still strong. Here religion is part of social identity. It is strengthened by the emergence of many religious mass organizations. The religious identity is further strengthened by the government, which provides religious facilities included in the state budget channeled through the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The role of religion vertically connects to God, while horizontally develops in quite a complex way, with branches and sub-branches. There are times when religion is perceived as a motor and pillar of civilization and peace; there are times when religion is perceived as a source of division or even a motor of war.
The grouping of believers of the same faith in Indonesia is still strong.
In the early years of its growth, the Apostles of God with their religious teachings always took sides and defended the oppressed. Therefore the enemies of the Apostles of God came from tyrant rulers. Religion came as a liberating force. However, when religion has been in the hands of the winners who have power, not infrequently is there a shifting of the pendulum of the social role of religions, namely as an instrument to lengthen the power, or even oppress. Therefore, history has a long record of religious involvement in power struggles and social conflicts. This bitter experience has prompted European countries to choose secular roads in navigating power. Religion is quite a private matter there, while politics, economics and civilization are entrusted to reasoning and strength of science.
Religious institutions in modern times must compete with secular institutions in serving human needs and organizing social life. Like the campus world, hospitals, banks, industry, bureaucracy of the government and the state all feel as if they are able to fulfill the needs of the inhabitants of the earth without involving religion. What cannot be rivaled by the secular ideology and institutions is that religion offers salvation in the afterlife – a challenge for religious thinkers and activists.
KOMARUDDIN HIDAYAT
Lecturer of the School of Psychology of UIN Jakarta
