Pluralism in Religious Life in Indonesia: Tolerance in Gorontalo and Manado Regions

Abstract

This paper concentrates on religious life in two regions, namely Manado and Gorontalo. In this paper, it is found that plural life is very tolerant among religious people as evidenced by the lack of religious conflicts, both in Muslim-majority areas in Gorontalo and Muslim minorities in Manado. The problem in this paper is how the religious process takes place and is lived by the Muslim minority community in Manado, and how the Muslim majority community interacts with non-Muslim minority groups in Gorontalo, as well as how the differences between these two environments survive in a harmonious interfaith environment. To analyze the problem, qualitative analysis is used with observational data collection methods, interviews, and documents. Research findings show that religious life in Manado and Gorontalo as pluralist areas seems tolerant, but the tolerance is pseudo. This is because most people in both regions choose to live in the same settlement with followers of the same religion and do not mingle with different religions.