For the weekly Wednesday Forum held on December 16, 2009, the invited speaker was Uma or Subhani Kusma Dewi. She earned her B.A. degree in Islamic Philosophy from the State Islamic University Sunan Kalijaga and completed her Master’s degree at CRCS-UGM, both in Yogyakarta.

During her presentation, Uma perceived that the coming of Islam in East Nusa Tenggara was around 15 C.E. and 18 C.E. which involved many elements of agents not only through the merchants’ mission but also by fishing activity around the coastal areas of the province, as well as the undeniable role of the ulama (Muslim cleric agents). The latest group of agents was peripherally discussed by the major historical record, though their significant influence could not be ignored easily.

Our topic discussion of Wednesday Forum this week is “A Muslim View of Inter-Christian Dialogue”, that will be articulated by the speaker, Mega Hidayati, M. A. We invite you to join this forum. Some information about the forum can be read as follows.

Date: Wednesday, 6 June 2009
Time: 12.30 pm – 2.30 pm (free lunch)
Venue: Room 306, UGM Graduate School Teknika Utara, Pogung
Speaker: MEGA HIDAYATI, M. A.

Abstract:

The diversity of religions and of Christianity in the world calls for respect and cooperation. Interreligious and intrareligious dialogues can be two of the paths to respond on this calling. Indeed, both kinds of dialogues are not easy especially related to conflicting truths as we can find in immense writings and experiences.

During the weekly Wednesday Forum held on December 9, 2010, Dr. Phill Enns, the invited speaker, talked about the search for truth. Dr. Enns was once invited by CRCS-UGM as visiting lecturer in 2008; he taught the course “Introduction to Postmodernism.”? He previously taught at Gindiri College of Theology in Nigeria and at Brock University.

In his presentation, Dr. Enns perceived that in Academia today, one hears a great deal of discussion about culture, contexts and perspectives. This sort of discussion, in and of itself, is not mistaken, and in fact has proven to be quite valuable, both as a balance to earlier excesses and providing insight of its own. However, one of the consequences of this discourse, which has arisen primarily out of the social sciences, is the reluctance on the part of scholars to think of themselves as part of a larger project in pursuit of the truth. Dr Enns thinks this is unfortunate.

During the April 29, 2009 Wednesday Forum, Agus Tridiatno Yoachim, a first year ICRS-Yogya student, spoke about the Sacred Heart of Jesus Temple in Ganjuran, Bantul; a place where Catholic Christians go for pilgrimage. The place is teemed with water which is considered as a medium of God’s blessing to his people. The water flows from a wellspring. The pilgrims relate the water to their faith to Jesus Christ. Through the water, their hopes will be answered and their diseases will be healed too.

The theme of the CRCS-ICRS Wednesday Forum held on March 24, 2010 was “Sanctification or Subordination? Traditional Jewish Marriage and Alternatives within Rabbinic Literature”? presented by Melanie Landau from the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation at Monash University. Dr. Siti Syamsiyatun acted as moderator. The forum cum videoconference was conducted at the Conference Room at the Faculty of Law, UGM.

Ms. Landau discussed the traditional elements of Jewish marriage, two legal authorities or modification to Jewish marriage and the new interpretation to traditional marriage; she also included the aspect of the acquisition of the woman by the man, as elaborated in ancient and medieval rabbinic texts.

During the weekly Wednesday Forum held on March 10, 2010, Mr. Jimmy Marcos Immanuel, a senior CRCS student, presented parts of his field research result on the Marapu and Natural Disaster in East Sumba. Though the audience was few due to a workshop which was being held at the fifth floor of the Graduate School Building where some of the CRCS students attended, the forum was able to cross successfully.

With the theme “Marapu, Nature and Natural Disaster,” Mr. Jimmy presented his research in three parts. First, he showed to the attendees where Sumba is in Indonesia with the help of a map and a brief history of the place. Second, he gave the audience a glimpse of the village life of the Marapu people before and the present, also the cosmology of the Marapu people. And the third, he presented the concept and attitude of the Marapu people with regard to ecological problems which are compared to Government’s policy and scholars’ definition of natural disaster.