(Drawings by Alexia Cahyaningtyas) |
Among the
religious violence and discrimination that this country often experiences, the
people of Malang, East Java prove that religious appreciation is still
possible. On Idul Fitri, The Kayutangan Catholic Church in Malang welcomed the
Muslim citizens in the area to pray at the church’s courtyard.
Photographs
of people praying in the courtyard went viral on the Internet and the church
has been receiving a lot of praise all over social networks.
This is
wonderful to hear and shouldn't be an amazing news because circumstances like
this should happen everywhere and as often as possible.
In Malang,
this is nothing new; the Christians have been lending the churches to the
Muslims for Idul Fitri for years. Even during Christmas, the Muslims help their
counterparts with ensuring security in the churches.
If
religious differences are not a problem in Malang, why should it be an issue in
other places in Indonesia? I guess the extremists who think they are the most
righteous, the holiest, the most religious should learn a lot from the people
in this city. We can all live together despite our differences.
Malang is a
city located 90 kilometers south of the capital city of East Java, Surabaya.
This city is also well known for its diverse cultural, ethnic and religious
backgrounds. There are Muslims, Christians, Catholics, Buddhists, Hindus and
even the Kong Hu Cus.
You can
find so many Islamic boarding schools there, but at the same time, there are
also many Hindu temples scattered around the area. Malang is also a big center
for Christian religious education.
The last
time I went to Malang, which wasn’t so long ago, I visited a place where they
perform Wayang Potehi, or Chinese Puppets, and the place is well maintained and
is still regularly attended by both the Indonesian Chinese and the Javanese.
The city of
Malang has shown that hope is still here and we can educate other people about
religious tolerance and appreciation. If this can happen in Malang, it can
happen in Jakarta, Sumatra, Banten, basically everywhere throughout the
archipelago.
Churches,
mosques, temples, monasteries, synagogues are all houses of God. We have
different ways, different rituals to pray to God, but we all pray to the same
God.
"Perceptions of God" – June 6, 2010 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Quantum Teaching, The Fear of God, Near-death Experience, God Becomes Mythology, Worship, Mastery, Intelligent Design, Benevolent Creator, Global Unity.... etc.) (Text version)
“.. For centuries you haven't been able to think past that box of what God must be like. So you create a Human-like God with wars in heaven, angel strife, things that would explain the devil, fallen angels, pearly gates, lists of dos and don'ts, and many rules still based on cultures that are centuries old. You create golden streets and even sexual pleasures as rewards for men (of course) - all Human perspective, pasted upon God. I want to tell you that it's a lot different than that. I want to remind you that there are those who have seen it! Why don't you ask somebody who has had what you would call a near-death experience?
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