Theology and Pluralistic Ethics

Abstract

"Religion has been coming to the fore in the debate of how Indonesia should be built so that each of its citizens give the best place to live. For Muslims it is really a problem of theology since they are told from time to time that there is no separation between what is religious and what is secular. For them the reality of a religiously pluralistic state is something new, about which they do not have any reference in their religious tradition. Islamic systems of government have been so far established on the basis of a single faith whereby no competitor was allowed to share the making. Thus, the Indonesian experience in which people of different religious backgrounds share the same rights and duties in front of the state challenges Muslims’ religious attitude. The success of the nationalistic view in making Pancasila the basis of the state – that means the failure of the Islamic model – does not mean the end of the struggle [...]. This paper will discuss some aspects of the debate, focusing on the religious struggle. It will deal with the following concerns: the very meaning of theological leadership as key concept, the theology of pluralism that has been condemned as un-Islamic by the Council of Indonesian Ulamas (Majelis Ulama Indonesia) together with secularism and liberalism, the concept of chosen people, Pancasila as frame for nurturing co-existence of people of different faiths and the emergence of less tolerant religious groups in the scene of present Indonesia.", p. 167 (Introduction)