Myengkyo Seo - State Management of Religion in Indonesia

Nowhere has the rising religiosity which marks the modern age wrought such profound societal changes as in Indonesia. Over the tumultuous sixty-seven years since independence, the Islamisation of Javanese society has called into question traditional belief systems and the legitimacy of what were once seen as comfortable nominalist Muslim values. Myengkyo Seos pathbreaking work offers a highly original and perceptive framework with which to understand this profound phenomenon as it works itself out in one of the most complex societies in the world. The current contest over the boundaries of the secular state will determine whether Indonesias future will be as a Southeast Asian Pakistan or Turkey. The stakes could not be higher.

Peter Carey, Trinity College, University of Oxford, UK

Myengkyo Seo has written a pioneering and illuminating account of a minority religious life in an overwhelmingly Muslim country. Indonesia has dealt with religious pluralism in a variety of ways since it became independent, and remains an arena for competing versions of Islam, ranging from the ultra-tolerant to the strictly orthodox to Political Islam. In the midst of this Christians, especially Protestants, have survived and in some ways have flourished due to some very surprising factors including their provision of a haven for the survivors of the massacres of Communists and others in 196566. This book is written with clarity and insight and offers to experts and non-experts alike a refreshing panorama of pluralism and of the micro-devices which make religious coexistence possible, in a country which has the largest Muslim population in the world and is also one of the new generation of emerging economies.

David Lehmann, Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge, UK

Seo gives us a rare and valuable account of how Indonesias religious pluralism is experienced by a Christian minority in Java, showing how the gospel call to spread its truth is nonetheless reconciled with the need for harmony among family members and neighbours, many of whom find their religious certainties in Islam.

Julia Day Howell, University of Western Sydney, Australia

State Management of Religion in Indonesia

Although Indonesia is generally considered to be a Muslim state, and is indeed the worlds most populous Muslim-majority nation, it has a sizeable Christian minority as a legacy from Dutch colonialism, with Christians often occupying relatively high social positions. This book examines the management of religion in Indonesia. It discusses how Christianity has developed in Indonesia, how the state, although Muslim in outlook and culture, is nevertheless formally secular, and how the principal Christian church, the Java Christian Church, has adapted its practices to fit local circumstances. It examines religious violence and charts the evolution of the states religious policies, analyzing in particular the impact of the 1974 Marriage Law and showing how it facilitated extensive state regulation, but how in practice, rather than reinforcing religious divisions, inter-religious marriage involving the conversion of one party, is widespread. Overall, the book illustrates how Indonesia is developing its own brand of secularism, so that it is neither a full-blooded Islamic state like Saudi Arabia, nor an outright secular state like Turkey.

Myengkyo Seo completed his doctorate at the University of Cambridge, UK, and now teaches Southeast Asian Studies at the Department of Malay-Indonesian Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Korea.

Routledge Religion in Contemporary Asia Series

Series Editor

Bryan S. Turner, Professor at the City University of New York and Director of the Centre for Religion and Society at the University of Western Sydney

State Management of Religion in Indonesia

Myengkyo Seo

State Management of Religion in Indonesia

Myengkyo Seo

First published 2013
by Routledge
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Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
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2013 Myengkyo Seo

The right of Myengkyo Seo to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Seo, Myengkyo, author.
State management of religion in Indonesia / Myengkyo Seo.

pages cm. (Religion in contemporary Asia; 1)

Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary: Examines the management of religion in Indonesia. It discusses how Christianity has developed in Indonesia, how the state, though Muslim in outlook and culture, is nevertheless formally secular, and how the principal Christian church, the Java Christian Church, has adapted its practices to fit local circumstances Provided by publisher.

1. Religion and stateIndonesia. 2. Church and stateIndonesia. 3. IndonesiaChurch history. 4. Christianity and other religionsIslam. 5. IslamRelationsChristianity. I. Title.

BL2110.S46 2013
322.109598dc23

2012049617

ISBN: 978-0-415-51716-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-77098-6 (ebk)

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On 15 May 2006 I received an email from Dr. David Lehmann. Subsequently, I received a further 546 emails from him during the five years of my study at Cambridge University. David encouraged me to undertake this research and provided me with direction, guidance and inspiration in order to further develop my understanding of the subject. Simply, he was always there for me. I am also heartily grateful to Dr. Peter Carey at Oxford. His intellectual input and invaluable advice enabled me to understand not just Indonesia but also its people. It was great to enjoy meals at Trinity with Peter following a three- and-half-hour journey from Cambridge to Oxford. I would also like to express sincere gratitude to Professor Bryan S. Turner at New York University for his kind concern. I will never forget the date 24 January 2011 when, with a slight smile on his face, he watched me receive my doctorate. I have benefited enormously from the warm, intelligent and ever-gracious presence of both.

This book would not have been possible without the help of a number of people and institutions. I would first like to thank the LIPI and the Ministry of Research and Technology who allowed me to undertake my research. Deepest gratitude goes to my local sponsors, Dr. Budyanto, the Rector of the Duta Wacana Christian University and Professor Emanuel Gerrit Singgih at the Theology Department. Dr. Budyanto kindly allowed the Duta Wacana to become my sponsor. Professor Singgih helped me develop a network of contacts, especially at the GKJ. Without Professor Singgih, this book would not have been completed. The former General Secretary Yahya Tirta Prewita generously gave his time and expertise to assist me in accessing a number of meetings, conferences, churches and institutions. Dr. Andreas Untung Wiyono, the incumbent General Secretary of the GKJ, kindly supported my book project in various ways. My gratitude goes to Professor Sularso Sopater, the former General Chairman of the PGI, for sharing his precious experiences with me. I would also like to express sincere thanks to Dr. Pradjarta Dirdjo-sanjoto, the Executive Director of the Percik, for his continual support which immensely enhanced the quality of this book.