Monday, March 3, 2014

Religion Freedom Is the Law


Canang Sari Ritual
BALI, INDONESIA: “It’s called a Canang Sari,” the woman said, as she set the small hand-made bowl of colorful flowers and various items: rice, noodles, a rolled cigarette, and a small candy bar. She bowed, waving her arm in a circular motion, before setting down another Canang Sari. “We do this every morning and evening out of devotion to Ida Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa, Hindu’s all-in-one god.” Having been exposed to Hinduism in India, the notion of a Hindu all-in-one god struck me as odd until I learned that it was a concept introduced by Christian missionaries in the 1930s to make it easier for Bali’s Hindus to accept Christianity. Although Indonesia is 90% Muslim, Bali is 90% Hindu and wherever you look you find the Canang Sari: they are set in front of shops, on the beaches, in the small and large open court temples — just about everywhere. The twice daily ritual is impressive as each Canang Sari takes time to construct; the coconut leaf bowl is hand woven, decorated with flowers, and a assortment of goodies, before being set down in a brief devotional ceremony. The Hindus of Bali have found ways of adapting their faith to the Indonesian culture and legal system without provoking the fear and antagonism of either the government or the other religions. Indonesian law requires belief in a single god and as such recognizes just six religions: Islam, Hinduism, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. I’m not sure how Confucianism can be construed as belief in a god, but so be it. It’s the law. To obtain an identification card, Indonesians must indicate which religion they profess; agnosticism or any other declaration is not permissible. Religious freedom, they claim, is in this way protected.