Religion and Education in Indonesia

Abstract

To a considerable degree, religion as a source of conflict in Indonesia has been desensitized by the government's careful adherence to a policy of religious freedom. Enshrined as the first principle of the Pancasila, the five principles adopted at the time of Independence, is in God. Admittedly it is mandatory to have such a belief, but the particular form this belief should take is not specified. Although in the 1971 census 87.5 percent of Indonesians declare themselves to be Moslems,1 members of other religious faiths are treated officially with complete equality. There are six religions officially recognized by the Department of Religious Affairs: Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.2 The Department of Religious Affairs contributes financially not only to the activities of Moslems but to those of the other recognized religions as well, including for example construction of church buildings and the educational and charitable work of the churches. This is in striking contrast to the situation in neighboring Malaysia, where Islam, although claiming adherence of only 50 percent of the total population, is enshrined as the state religion; resentments of non-Moslems have been reinforced by actions such as the use of general tax revenue to finance construction of the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur.