| Title | : | THEOLOGY OF SOLIDARITY IN TIMES OF DISASTER AND SUFFERING (Theological Reflections Based on the Experiences of a Post-Disaster Christian Community in Kintelan, Bantul, Yogyakarta) |
| Author | : | Albertus Kristiadji Rahardjo (CRCS, 2007) |
| Keywords | : | religious experience, natural disaster, suffering, faith struggle, solidarity, contextual theology. |
| Abstract: | ||
| This thesis focuses on the religious experiences of the Christian community in Kintelan, Bantul during and after the 5, 9 Richter earthquake in Yogyakarta on May 27th 2006. The villagers are part of Yogyakarta’s people who are religious and who considered the disaster and suffering as an integrated part of their religious experiences. It brings them to the faith struggle in understanding God and the relation to the universe and human’s life. They gave meaning to the experience of disaster and suffering in the light of their living faith and in the dialogues with the cultural, scientific, and social-economic perspectives. The questions this thesis poses are “What is the Kintelan Christian’s experience of the natural disaster and suffering in the light of their living faith and their actual context? Why do the Kintelan Christians have that religious experiences and how can it be analyzed in the perspective of Christian theodicy and contextual theology, and in dialog with cultural, scientific and social-economic perspectives? And, how can the contextual theology be constructed to help the Christian in Kintelan and Indonesia in facing the problem of natural disaster and suffering? In answering those problems, this research uses library and field research. Library research was used to find a theoretical framework for the research and for analyzing the collected data. The field research was used to trace the religious experience of Kintelan Christian in times of disaster and suffering and to collect data related to the research problems through in-depth interview and participant observation. Finally, this thesis uses bottom-up theological approach (or based on the experience) and perspectives of theodicy and contextual theology in analyzing and reflecting the data, that happens in spiral process. From my research, I found that people’s faith struggle to answer the problem of disaster and suffering (theodicy) has been influenced in different levels by three frameworks of theodicy: harmony, goodness (privatio boni) and original sin. But some part of the view is regarded as not relevant anymore and some have discarded it, because it cannot give a satisfying answer to the problem. Kintelan Christians, as Javanese, struggle to construct an unique and contextual notion of God, universe, life and suffering based on dialog between the Bible, religious tradition and the actual contexts. Solidarity (as local wisdom and biblical value) becomes an important value in their experience of disaster and suffering. They experienced God’s solidarity that is expressed in Jesus’ suffering (as kenosis) and empowered them in facing the suffering by full of hope and to find the meaning of the suffering for the better life in the future. Most Christians in Kintelan believe that God never sleeps (“Gusti Ora Sare”), but hears their longing, and is involved in their life struggle. God’s solidarity is also experienced in the solidarities and assistances from many parties. The final part of the thesis proposes a theology of solidarity as a model of contextual theology based on the experience of disaster and suffering (bottom-up theological approach) and dialog between Bible, Christian tradition and the cultural, scientific and social-economics context. |
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Arsip:
Thesis Review
Islamic Ethical Response to Over Population and Over Comsumption: The Case of the World Water Crisis
| Title | : | ISLAMIC ETHICAL RESPONSE to OVERPOPULATION and OVER-CONSUMPTION (The Case of the World Water Crisis) |
| Author | : | Ainun Jariyah, 2006) |
| Keywords | : | Environmental crisis, overpopulation, over consumption, water world crisis, Islamic ethics and Muslim’s responses. |
| Abstract | ||
| World’s population today is 6.5 billions approximately with 76 millions growths per year. According to the UN, the world’s populations will add by 2.6 billion in 2050. The concern on overpopulation started with the damaged of natural resources and the environment. The high population growth and human over consumption is two main caused of the increasing of the pressure on earth natural resources. This matter caused by the inability of the earth to fulfill the need of the world’s population needs. The solutions on environmental problems are impossible without the solution on overpopulation and over consumption issue.The height of the population growth and over consumption are assumed as the root of environmental problems, one of which is water crisis. This situation is caused by the lack of human awareness on the limitation of water’s amount on this earth and the increasing of human population whose water need is all about the same. Those two things caused human lack of attention and lack of awareness to economize on water use, also by the increasing human population which estimated will reach the stable amount in 2050. Main water ethical problems are the inequality access on clean water and the right of water ownership as natural resources able to be found in nature. The water quality is decreasing caused by the industrial and household waste pollution. The water ownership’s right is inquired when we are aware that water is naturally able to be found in nature and should be able to use by every human being. But it has become possession of some people for their economics’ benefits and this cause the financial loss of the public’s need especially the poor. The common responses on all problems concern to natural resources’ use, over consumptions, and over population are three important things; justice principals, evenly balanced, and attentive behavior. We should fair on placing the wants so it won’t emphasize the individual needs/ wants on public needs/ wants, balancing the use of natural resources by behaving more attentive whether on himself or on others. |
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| Title | : | Gunung Sari’s Divide Mosques: the Competition among Islamic Group in Javanese Society |
| Author | : | Ahmad Salehudin (CRCS, 2006) |
| Keywords | : | religious expression, religion-social interaction, and religious social construction |
| Abstract | ||
| Gunung Sari is a hamlet where all citizens are Muslim. In the beginning, Gunung Sari society was Islamic-NU followers and only had a langgar. However, after other Islamic groups entered, the Islamic expression has also changed sharply. The one Islamic group become three Islamic groups that are: NU, Muhammadiyah, and Islam Tauhid. The Langgar that functioned as both a praying place and a meeting plan for all Gunung Sari citizens was destroyed, then they have developed there mosques that are: Zuhud Mosque of Islam Tauhid, Miftahul Huda Mosque of NU and al-Ikhlas Mosque of Muhammadiyah. Those Islamic groups and mosques show that there are different Islamic expressions in Gunung Sari. This research will elaborate three points which are: what are the religious expressions at Gunung Sari citizens? How do the expressions influence the religious interactions? And how have the religious expressions been constructed? By elaborating on those questions, this research is able to show the plural concept of truth in religiosity as understood by citizens of Gunung Sari not by outside opinions. Widely this research will look again at the concept of Islamic syncretism that is attributed to the Islamic, especially in Java, that was promoted by Geertz, Mulder, and Beatty. For achieving the purposes, this research uses a qualitative approach and data will be analysed through descriptic analytic methods. The data collected, processed, and nalysed through multistage and multilevel ways using purposive sampling. The ways for collecting data are documentation, observation, and indepth interview. This research also uses some theories that are religion as system of culture (Clifford Geertz), social construction (Peter L. Berger) and religious expression (Joachim Wach). Duration of the research was eight months from October 2005 until May 2006. The results of research show that the form of religious expression of Gunung Sari citizens both in thought, ritual, and community that are shown in ceremony, rites of passage and to be NU, Muhammadiyah and Islam Tauhid, are forms of response to ultimate reality (Allah). The differences in religious concepts among society have influenced religious social interaction that is expressed through words like wong ora duwe akhlaq (amoral people), wong jowo ora njwani (Javanese that are unjavanese), and panganene asu (dog food). The religious expressions have been influenced by religious social construction which is done by religious leader (elite), especially how they understanding sacred texts, inheritance of Islamic scholar, and how they look at connection between religion and local tradition. Indeed the differentiations of religious understanding have constructed many faces of Islam and also many kinds of pious people. |
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