The Inclusivism of Religious Figures Amid a Plurality of Beliefs
Eko Kurniasih Pratiwi, Nasitotul Janah, Fahmi Medias

Islamic Economic Law Department, Islamic Faculty, Universitas Muhammadiyah Magelang

Abstract

In Indonesia, there are six official religions recognized by the government, namely Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. An inappropriate pattern of interaction between religious communities has the potential to cause conflict in the name of religion which endangers the unity of Indonesia. Religious absolutism is often accused of being the most dominant trigger in any horizontal conflict that occurs in plural societies. There are three types of typology offered by the religious community, namely exclusive, pluralist, and inclusive. This study aims to determine the typology of religious figures in the theological aspect. This research used descriptive exploratory method by conducting in-depth interviews with non-Muslim religious leaders (Christians, Catholics, Hindu, Buddhists, and Confucians) related to five things, namely: religious absolutism, religious authorianism practices, belief in the truth of the scriptures, beliefs the truth of religious worship/rituals and interfaith marriage. The results showed that the religious leaders had an absolute exclusive view in the theological aspect. The results of this study need to be juxtaposed with previous research on the inclusivism of religious leaders in political, social, and economic aspects. Previous research has found that religious leaders have inclusive views in non-theological aspects. For this reason, it can be concluded that religious figures have an inclusive typology. It is hoped that the understanding of religious inclusivism possessed by religious leaders can be transmitted to the respective religious communities to prevent horizontal conflicts in the name of religion.

Keywords: inclusivism, figure, religion, plurality

Topic: Religious Studies