Conflict Management in Indonesia Through Religious Moderation

Abstract

The nature of humans as social beings needs other people, but in their interactions, disputes and disagreements often occur, leading to conflict. Indonesian society, which is plural, with various tribes, customs, religions, and cultures side by side, has the potential to cause conflict. The community increasingly needs awareness and understanding of cultural diversity, especially religion; in this case, the religious moderation movement needs to be increased. This research aims to discuss conflict management in Indonesia through religious moderation. The method used in this research is descriptive qualitative, using a literature study to obtain data. The theoretical approach used in this study uses Thomas and Kilmann’s conflict management style theory. The results of this study showed that, first, religious moderation is an understanding of the nature of religious teachings that uphold human dignity and advance public welfare based on the principles of justice, balance, and adherence to the constitution as a national agreement. Second, conflict management through religious moderations can play a significant role in reducing conflicts, such as the cases of Ahok and FPI, by offering insight on how to interpret texts and understand good texts while at the same time offering negative sentiments toward destructive groups who view the religion of the texts rigidly so that it can reduce the turmoil of religious expression on the interpretation of the text.
 Keywords: conflict, religious moderation, conflict management