IDLearning Religion and Tolerance
Tolerance is important for the University of Pembangunan Jaya (UPJ). According to this, UPJ has been partners with Indonesian Conference for Religion and Peace (ICRP) in the implementation of Religion course. thanks to the organization's reputation in the field of interfaith dialogs. Planning lectures conducted with attention to the signs of government, the direction of the senior leaders of the UPJ and ICRP experience.
Implementation of the course begins with a reflective approach where students write and biographical data about the student experience to know about religious of others or their own interpretation - through a process of personal and social context. The next process is the excursion - a visit to the various houses of worship include the mosque, cathedral, church, temple, monastery, Lithang, temple and Gurdwara in discussions with religious leaders host.
"I've never been so close with different religions in studies. Actually i can get informations from the Intenet , but the welcome and intimacy feels that I get from religious leaders is an experience that has not ever got in my life as a human being, "said one student UPJ convey his experience.
After that, students also get a special guest lecturer from a teraditional religion that still have been in Indoenesia fro such a long time. Such as Kapribaden and Sunda Wiwitan. Overall the experience was poured in the form of reflective writing opinions. At the end of the course, they work in a different groups - different study program, religion or gender. Their final task is to create tolerance campaign - either in the form of posters, t-shirts, public service announcements and documentaries.
The result of the evaluations are Based on the analysis of textual writing by students, its identified themes that indicate the presence of perspective -taking behavior - see other people from a different perspective, that cognitive ability is the basis of empathy. " I realized that the Sikh religion is not recognized in Indonesia so that they have to adherents and must confess Hinduism, Islam, Christianity or the other, i think that this should not happen in our country ... If I were in their position, I had trouble accepting the fact that I had to include another religion that seems to be my religion, "writes by one of the students UPJ.
UPJ student experience are presented in the National Seminar on Peace Knitting with Humane Education at the National Library of December 12, 2012 and the 10th Biennial Conference of the Asian Association of Social Psychology (AASP) 21 to 24 August 2013. The excursion experiences and all the task that were done by all the students have processed into the news on the site ICRP and UPJ, also Jawa Pos has published in a short opinion article. Posters that made by students were hang in the hall, library and meeting room as the formation of the academic atmosphere. In the near future, along with the ICRP Publisher Scholastic will release a testimonial writings by students UPJ. This entire process can take place due to the strong and consistent support of the Foundation, Management and chancellor - open and to conduct ongoing open dialogue.
An implementation of tolerance studies is such an important role that needs to continue to be treated for the sake of tolerance towards the Indonesian “ Bhineka Tunggal Ika” .
Penulis adalah Dosen Program Studi Psikologi dan Kepala Unit Liberal Arts, Sustainable Eco Development dan Entrepreneurship Universitas Pembangunan Jaya (UPJ).
