RSSNewer religions should respect and not repudiate other religions, said speakers at an interreligious forum.
 |
| From left: Abdul Moqsith Ghazali, discussion moderator Trisno S. Sutanto, and Reverend Ioanes Rakhmat. |
About 80 people from various religions attended a Jan. 27 forum on “Can new religions repudiate older religions?” organized by the Liberal Islam Network at its Jakarta-based headquarters.
“Religion is not merely a matter of teaching but also of belief. A new religion cannot be arrogant by condemning the teachings” of others, said Abdul Moqsith Ghazali, one of the forum´s two speakers.
The lecturer on religion and philosophy at the Muslim-run Paramadina University in Jakarta referred to Lia Aminuddin, the Indonesian woman who founded a new monotheistic religion by combining teachings from the Qur´an, Gospel and Torah. She espouses the belief that a universal set of truths common to all people and cultures exist, which she calls “Salamullah.”
On June 23, 2006, when Aminuddin was on trial at the Central Jakarta District Court for causing social unrest with her teachings and religious activities, she demanded that Islam be abolished. The court sentenced Aminuddin to two years´ imprisonment for heresy. After completing her sentence, she again demanded that Islam be dissolved. Police re-arrested her on Dec. 15, 2008.
“Lia´s action was shocking,” Ghazali declared. “But those who have studied theology and history of religions will know this attitude is similar with Christians´ attitude toward Jews and Muslims´ attitude towards Christians and Jews.” He noted that Muslims reacted to Aminuddin´s demands with anger.
While urging Aminuddin not to be arrogant, Ghazali also asked ulama, Islamic scholars, not to condemn religions that existed before Islam. “Don´t judge the Gospel by using the Qur´an, for example, because the contexts of the two holy books are really different,” he stated.
Reverend Ioanes Rakhmat, the other forum speaker, dealt with the relationship between Judaism and Christianity. “Jews and Christians need to continuously seek meeting points, in their histories and in building the future together,” said the lecturer on New Testament studies at the Protestant-run Jakarta School of Theology.
He asked forum participants to urge people to believe in religious teachings that bring about peace rather than discord.
A Catholic youth, Ari Wandira Pratama, told UCA News he was glad to attend such a discussion as it helps participants understand religions in Indonesia better. “I thank (the Liberal Islam Network) and hope that it will continue such useful discussions,” he said.
The Liberal Islam Network has scheduled another forum on Feb. 25 on “The principle of pluralism and the Islamic liberal verses.”
END
Share
Twitter