Templeton Religion Trust
What if Indonesia were to lose its identity as a peaceful pluralistic society?
What if training for educators can strengthen multifaith coexistence and collaboration?
What if one country can teach the world how to achieve cross-cultural religious literacy and covenantal pluralism?
More than 1,300 ethnic groups and 652 languages. Adherents of every major world religion plus many local indigenous beliefs. All this in one country of 270 million people.
Indonesia is among the most pluralistic nations in the world. It was formed as an independent nation after World War II on a foundation of peaceful multifaith coexistence and collaboration. These values are embedded in its Pancasila ideology, its constitution, and its national motto: Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity).
The world’s third-largest democracy and its largest Muslim-majority population, Indonesia has often been praised as an exemplar of diversity and tolerance. However, religious tension has been growing in recent years. A national survey by the Center for the Study of Islam and Society at State Islamic University in Jakarta in 2018 documented that 6 out of 10 K-12 teachers in all 34 provinces hold intolerant religious views.
In response to fears of rising extremism and intolerance, in 2021 the Leimena Institute, a nonprofit in Jakarta formed in 2005 for the study of public policies and concerns, launched the Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy Program (CCRL).
The CCRL is a new framework to address growing intolerance and strengthen multifaith collaboration in Indonesia. With Templeton Religion Trust among its lead supporters, the CCRL project aims to strengthen peaceful multifaith co-existence and collaboration by building madrasah and school teachers’ cross-cultural religious literacy.
“The CCRL is a program that we have developed collaboratively with several leaders across different faith traditions. The point is to further strengthen brotherhood between each other as human beings even though we have different religions and beliefs. We can work together for goodness and humanity without leaving our diverse characteristics behind,” says Matius Ho, cofounder and executive director of the Leimena Institute.
The CCRL was built on the premise that inadequate religious literacy breeds intolerance, which then leads to declining multifaith collaboration. Its approach is two-pronged:
Since the CCRL launched, the Leimena Institute has partnered with more than 30 organizations in Indonesia and other countries, including religious, educational, and government institutions. Partnering with organizations from multiple faith traditions is a critical pillar in the CCRL program adoption as these organizations will both endorse and implement the program.
By the end of 2024, more than 9,000 from 37 provinces in Indonesia have graduated from the CCRL introductory online course through 59 classes. To continue the momentum, in-person workshops and other advanced courses are offered exclusively to these graduates. The Institute has also established a digital library of hundreds of CCRL reading, audio, and video resources which can be accessed freely by program participants.
At the same time, Ho emphasizes that CCRL is not just about building knowledge. It’s about building trust through education, he says. By partnering with organizations from different faith traditions, it’s forming an ecosystem of educators who can, in turn, promote multifaith collaboration in their communities.
The CCRL initiative is a powerful tool for strengthening Indonesia’s multicultural and multi-faith society. What’s more, its success has the potential to present a strong case to the world for cross-cultural religious literacy and covenantal pluralism.
“There are many places in different parts of the world becoming more polarized. There is a fear of people who are different,” Ho points out. “There has to be a systematic, intentional approach to how we can respect one another.
“I think people actually have the longing to live peaceably with each other. Sometimes we need to be innovative and willing to take the first step to see how we can provide a safe space where people can again reconnect with one another as humans, regardless of our faiths and religions.”
