On a way to Golo Curu Hill, East Nusa Tenggara, I saw an unpretentious writing on the back of mini truck. It is undeniable that these kind of writings are representing our societies’ voices just like another writing says “gara-gara sms, bojoku minggat” or “putus hati sudah biasa, putus rem mati kita”. Truly honest as there is an increasing amount of biggots provoking society hiding behind religion’s shield.
Responding to some inter/cross-faiths frictions recently, in my genuine rakyat jelata’s opinion whom might does not concerned you, it is merely political. I’d rather to think that it is rarely happened due to specific theological differences but rather on political and social implication which already happened even way before civilization occur. Though religion and state are different — religion is located on domestic sphere which has transcendent and vertical relationship while states are located on public sphere with horizontal relationship inter-individually — the exploitation of religion for secular ends is a constant in political and social history. Not to think that I suggest that religion is nothing more than a cynical facade for power struggle — well it can be that but also to remind that human ability to bend religion to political or commercial ends should not diminish the profounds spiritual power that personal belief can have in shaping one’s personal life or societies’ behavior at large. It is all make sense because power invariably attracts religion and religion attracts power. I remember Abdurrahman Wahid once said things about indigenousity of Islam in Indonesia which has to consider the reality of Indonesia itself, plurality and empirically formed, bukan dari langit.
Not only textual, but it is gallant to view things contextually. Thus, let us try to be more sensitive to what is really happening to us while constantly do good deeds as much as we can, as His order, if we are truly His believer. Be careful, because sometimes religion serves as a handy tag, constitutes an important element of identity in which specific theology problem is really only incidental.
Remember, in fact, we are rarely Muslims, Christians, or Jews by choice; we are born into one if these traditions whose richness of community we accept rather than really choose the alternatives offered.
Be careful, even when we know that we are right, we are not instantly have the rights to say that others are wrong. Be careful, I am afraid that people are too busy focusing on hating each other faiths while at the same time they are losing the grip of the religion itself; love and peace.
Because the nub of problem; who is to say which opinion is “correct” or “right”? If it is God, as your belief, then who are you to decide? As unpretentious as the writings of the back of this mini-truck, let’s pray to our one and only God; to forgive them who provoke.
NAKA NAI 