Title	:	The Meaning, Ritual, and Response of Bersih Desa in Sekoto’s Society, Pare Kediri
Author	:	Efa Ida Amaliyah (CRCS, 2007)
Keywords	:	ritual bersih desa, meaning, function, and response
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to know about the process, the meaning, and response of bersih desa in Sekoto’s society. Bersih desa is an annual ritual in Sekoto. The purpose of this ritual is to respect and to memorize the danyang (the founding of village). Ritual of bersih desa in Sekoto has several meanings; functions; and response depends on the person. It is because Sekoto is plural society. There are four religious organizations, that is NU (Nahdlatul ‘Ulama), Muhamadiyah, Sapto Darmo (mystic organization), and LDII (Indonesian Dakwah organization). Therefore, there are different responses, agree and disagree. Bersih desa in Sekoto has many activities, such as nyadran (visiting the danyang grave to praying), hadrah (Arabic music tradition), and pengajian. The process of bersih desa is done for three days; the first day is praying together in Balai Desa, hadrah, and semaan Qur’an. The second day is nyadran; and the last day is pengajian and wayang. There are three meanings of bersih desa for the people who believe, that is cosmological meaning, symbolic meaning, and shift of meaning (santrinisasi). The cosmological meaning is Sekoto’s society believe that the danyang is more pious and more super than ordinary people in Sekoto, and the danyang more close to God. Therefore, they argue that if we praying in danyang’s grave is acceptable. Symbolic meaning is the meaning behind the sesaji, ambengan, merang, etc. They believe that all of thing (sesaji, ambengan, merang, etc) can make their wish easier to accept by God. The last is the shift of meaning. Previously, perform of bersih desa in Sekoto has mystical and kejawen condition. Today, they change perform bersih desa more religious, such as pengajian, sema’an Qur’an, and hadrah. It is because, Sekoto’s society more pious than before. Bersih desa in Sekoto has not only meaning, but also function. There are two functions, the first transfer of knowledge. It means that the parent in Sekoto’s society tries to introduce their custom (bersih desa) to their children in order to the child have to memorize their danyang. Second, bersih desa is as an integration space. When they visit the grave, they come together to perform nyadran. It is as a place to them to tell about their activities, and place to visiting each other. Response of bersih desa comes from the people who do not agree with this ritual. Response comes from Muhamadiyah and LDII, they argue that bersih desa is the way to syirik (believe to another things beside God). The danyang is the ordinary people. He/she is same with us. Allah is the Great One. Therefore, according to them this ritual is forbidden (haram).

Title	:	OIKONOMIA AS A MODEL FOR THE CHURCH IN DEALING WITH ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IN INDONESIA
Author	:	Eliasar Timotius Chandra (CRCS, 2005)
Keywords	:	oikonomia, churches services, and environmental (ecological) problems.
Abtract
The objective of this study is to explain ecological crises and how the churches in general and the churches in Indonesia in particular have responded to environmental problems and Oikonomia as one of the church service models to environmental problems. It is a qualitative and quantitative study because it not only analyzed documents on ecological problems from the existing literary resources related to subject being studied but also collected data from fields about the practices of churches and Christianity dealing with environmental problems. The results showed environmental problems or ecological crises are serious problems faced by human beings today and are the responsibilities of all parties. Human beings as subjects of development often exploit natural resources excessively that resulted in ecological crises such as: air pollution, forest denudation, environmental pollution, etc. Church as one of religious institutions has responsibility to keep environment conserve together with government and other institutions such as other religious institutions, NGOs, and so on. The churches in Indonesia, especially the members of The Fellowship of Churches in Indonesian (PGI) have given attentions as their responses to environmental (ecological) problems in Indonesia through various forms of service and oikonomia. Oikonomia as a model of the church services was deemed appropriate to respond to ecological/environmental problems. Oikonomia is hoped to give positive contribution in dealing with environmental problems today.

Title	:	IDEA OF CIVIL RELIGION IN INDONESIA: Searching The Format of Religious Democratization
Author	:	Elma Haryani (CRCS, 2004)
Keywords	:	Civil religion, democratization, Pancasila, contextualization.
Abstact
This research is aimed to found a fundamental stucture based on the discourse of Civil Religion generally and its contextualisation in the religious community in Indonesia and furthermore its reability in Indonesia. The model of research prefer to library research. Then in collecting abundant data to observe analysis object of research that Civil Religion: searching for a comprehensive feature about it in books, magazines, journals and articles. Hence all of collected data will be formulated by using content analyze method and its result will be contextualized in the sociological level of community in Indonesia. Originally the term of Civil Religion appearance in such countries for instance in Japan and America. Being published by Robert N. Bellah is a thinker who inspired also by J.J Rosseau and Emile Durkhein as the founding fathers of that term. Andrew Shrenk, Philip Hammond and John Coleman continue to spread and develop that idea. Moreover, this term progressively increase in such countries adapt with their local wisdom and local culture. Mainly the proponent factors of raising this term in Indonesia is in Pancasila and the diversity of ethnicities, religions, language correlated with the high sense of tolerance and sense of pluralism. This term more emphasize in theological and interpretation level and at the same time searching for a larger space proportionally between religion and politic participating democracy in civil religion socialization. I come to conclude that with a particular adaptation to local culture in Indonesia upon religious life will enrich the understanding and appreciation to see relationship between religion and politic.

Title : Liberation Theology in Qur’anic Interpretation (Farid Esack’s Perspective on Inter-Religious Cooperation against Injustice) Author : Erik Sabti Rahmawati (CRCS 2006) Keywords : Liberation theology, qur’anic interpretation, interreligious cooperation Abstract This research aims to answer the problems that is related to Farid Esack’s perspective: (1) How did Esack apply principles of Liberation Theology in his Qur’anic interpretation? (2) How is Farid Esack’s perspective on inter-religious cooperation against injustice? (3) Why did Farid Esack propose his perspective on inter-religious cooperation in Al-Qur’an? This research uses histories and the hermeneutic approach. The historical approach is used to map chronologically the side of history that has to do with Esack’s perspective, as Causal explanation of the idea and the hermeneutical approach used to sharpen the understanding of Esack’s perspective, as historical data. The result of this research: First, Esack’s Hermeneutics does not only rotate at discourse and comprehend a text, but praxis. In this case, Esack seems to follow path hermeneutics circle raised by liberation theologians: praxis (experience) to text (reflection) to praxis (experience). In consequence, he proposed keys of hermeneutics as follow: taqwa, tauhid, nas, mustadl`afin, adl and qist, and jihad, which is typically pursuant to context of South Africa in the struggle for justice. Second, pluralism of religion and inter-religious cooperation, according to Esack, is not only based on reason and intention of sociologies or praxis, but theologies. According to Esack, acknowledgement al-Qur’an to religious pluralism is not only from other clan acceptance side as valid socio-religious community but also from their spirituality life acceptance aspect and salvation through different way, it means that al-Qur’an, explicitly and also implicitly esteems and accepts truth of other religions, so that cooperation between Muslin and non-Muslim obtain and must be done on the basis of theologies awareness. Third, Esack’s perspective about pluralism and inter-religious cooperation, emerge because of the first, the spirit of age, that is the age of convergence or ecumenism of religions (conference of religions), and the second empiric condition in South Africa. In the oppressed condition and the weakness, Islam people still do not want to struggle with “others” for the shake of upholding the truth that exactly represent important vision of Islam, because most classic interpretations which is exclusive do not allow them to do cooperation with other religions.

Title	:	The Crucifixion of Yesus (A Theological Debate between Christians and Muslims)
Author	:	Dian Nur Anna (CRCS, 2004)
Abstract
The crucifixion of Jesus is an issue which compare from Christian and Muslim perspectives. This is based on both religious arguments about the crucifixion of Jesus with support from both scriptures. It is problematic also because their scriptures explain about this issue ambiguously. This issue still arises in both Christians and Muslims because they have opinion not only based on the scripture itself, but also influenced by historical discoveries and the interpretation of scriptures when the issue was raised, especially about the crucifixion of Jesus. I explain the crucifixion of Jesus in synthesis methods or an academic-cum doctriner or scientific-cum-suigeneric perspective. This view means that the crucifixion of Jesus can be understand from many dimensions. It does not only talk about doctrine itself, but also includes the history where the crucifixion of Jesus happened, and its eschatological impact. I research the crucifixion of Jesus looking for what happened on the cross based on Christian and Muslim sources. The crucifixion of Jesus is an event that involves theological issues, because these events include also the divinity aspect, and automatically includes the role God plays. It relates to the position of Jesus in Christian belief that Jesus did not only have position as human, but also as God. These views influence the way of thinking of Christians. In the theological aspect, actually, according to Christian and Muslim perspectives. Beside the theological issue, the event of crucifixion is also the issue of history, because theology is not separate from history and the event was a long time ago and it is impossible to reconstruct what happened clearly. The authenticity of this event is debatable if we only try to look at the ordinary data. The historical aspects of the crucifixion of Jesus include the event and participants of crucifixion. The crucifixion of Jesus is an issue in eschatology in Christian and Muslim perspectives. In this part, I separated Jesus’ first coming and second coming. The first coming means that Jesus came, as a messiah this is part of the purpose that Jesus must die. This means that one of the reasons to accuse Jesus is Jesus as the Messiah. This is included in the eschatological issue. The second coming means that Jesus came again after he died. In this thesis, I also try to illustrate how Christians and Muslims talk about the crucifixion of Jesus and the possibility to make an understandable between both religions. The crucifixion of Jesus is not debatable in Christianity. Christianity believes that Jesus was dead on the cross for salvation. Islam, as a religion beginning after Christianity, also respects Jesus, especially the death of Jesus. Muslims have different opinions about the death of Jesus. I have divided them into two groups. The first group believes that Jesus did not crucify and did not die on the cross. The second groups of Muslims agree that Jesus crucified, but maintain that he did not die on the cross. Although among Christian and Muslim followers there are different arguments about the crucifixion of Jesus, both religions have similarities in the crucifixion of Jesus and there is the possibility to mutual understanding between them. That means both Christian and Muslim opinions about the crucifixion of Jesus can be compared and we can look a similarity, especially about the circle of crucifixion of Jesus. Both religions believe in the event of crucifixion and argue that the event of crucifixion is really accord, argue that Jesus is a prophet, a redeemer, a savior, that he died with divine love and divine triumph, the honor of God, and the dignity of humanity. Based on my thesis, I can know the meaning of crucifixion of Jesus from both Christians and Muslims. For Christians, the meaning of crucifixion of Jesus is a proof of love and triumph of God. Jesus is an incarnation of God dead to redeem a great sin of human being and he was resurrected. For Muslims, the meaning of crucifixion of Jesus is a proof of love and triumph of God. God save Jesus from death on the cross with take Jesus beside God. Then, Muslims can understand how God sent Jesus as human to redeem human beings and God loves Jesus as a prophet with special status.

Judul: TUTUP LAYANG (Manifestasi Kebersamaan Masyarakat Brondong, Lamongan, Jawa Timur)

Penulis: Budi Ashari (CRCS, 2006)

Kata-kata Kunci : Pluralitas, Brondong, Tutup Layang, organisasi keagamaan, kebersamaan, harmoni sosial, dan ideologi disembunyikan.

Abstrak:

 

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memperlihatkan bahwa pluralitas pemahaman keagamaan dalam sebuah masyarakat tidak selalu melahirkan konflik atau ketegangan. Perbedaan dapat juga melahirkan saling pengertian dan pemahaman yang tercermin dalam sebuah ritual Tutup Layang di kelurahan Brondong. Multikulturalitas dan pluralitas dapat menumbuhkan sikap toleran dan kebersamaan dalam masyarakat. Rumusan masalah penelitian ini adalah bagaimana konteks masyarakat Brondong? Bagaimana pula sejarah dan proses ritual Tutup Layang? dan Mengapa ritual tersebut mampu memanifestasikan kebersamaan mesyarakat? Permasalahan pokok penelitian adalah mengapa dalam sebuah masyarakat yang memiliki banyak organisasi keagamaan berbeda-beda tetapi dapat menciptakan suasana harmonis, toleran, saling kerjasama, dan tidak terlalu menghiraukan perbedaan ideologis? Kerangka teori penelitian ini menggunakan teori Andrew Beatty tentang slametan di Bayu. Slametan menjadi arena multivokalitas. Slametan memunculkan harmoni sosial. Slametan mampu menyembunyikan pemahaman ideologis pesertanya. Metode penelitian ini adalah metode penelitian kualitatif. Data penelitian ini diperoleh melalui observasi, wawancara, dan partisipasi langsung. Teknik analisis data penelitian dilakukan dengan cara (a) pereduksian data; (b) eksplorasi data; (c) verifikasi data; dan (d) analisis dan penyimpulan data.