Things That Make for Peace in Indonesia

By Nate Jones on 02 July 2004

Manado, Indonesia—Do you remember what it was like to be four
years old? Since arriving in the city of Manado for full-time immersion
language learning, I have certainly relived many of my four-year-old
moments! Like a four-year-old, I am not expected (at least at first)
to avoid getting lost, eat the food, or be polite in formal settings
or informal conversation. I am a "bulet," which literally
means a "white skin"; I am given extra space, extra honor,
and less genuine respect.

But perhaps as a white Christian who was born in Indonesia and
has spent nearly ¾ of his life in this country, yet still
remains a foreigner and a guest here, I am gifted by God with a
unique perspective. Let me share with you some of my reflections
about faith and inter-faith peace in this Christian-Muslim city.

Life is peaceful here. The CNN live-feed from the latest terrorist
disaster seems as far away from this city as it does from lawn-perfect
American suburbs or the bowling alleys of the Midwest. Those who
issue blood-and-tears reports about the Christian martyrs of Indonesia
would be surprised to visit this city. It is true that there have
been troubles elsewhere, but Manado may be the best example of inter-religious
peace in Indonesia. The city and province are majority-Christian
(which is rare in Indonesia), but a strong Muslim minority is also
present. The government at various levels is made up of both religions,
with the majority claiming the Christian faith.

Examples of inter-religious cooperation sprout up in every conversation,
it seems. One favorite story repeated at the drop of a hat with
evident pride is how, during a difficult period in inter-faith relations
for Indonesia, the Muslims of Manado guarded churches during Christmas
and the Christians returned the favor during the Islamic holiday
of Idul Fitri. Muslims and Christians share food, invite each other
to parties, and talk of their solid efforts as a community to keep
the peace. There have been repeated efforts by outside sources —
it is unclear exactly who — to stir up trouble, but Manadoans
are quite happy with peace. They have repeatedly rebuffed agitators,
handing them over to the authorities.

When not disaster-tracking, the Western media's approach to covering
Indonesia is generally to give a line about the growing battle for
the hearts and minds of Muslims, complete with footage of tapes
by Osama Bin Laden being sold somewhere in East Java. The city of
Manado would be an interesting and much-needed counterweight to
the repetitive and elementary "spreading extremism in Indonesia"
narrative.

Manado is peaceful, but it has its share of challenges. As a Christian
visiting here, I've been disappointed in the nominal nature of faith
for most "Christians." To be sure, this is no different
than the many "Christians" one meets in the United States,
who faithfully answer pollsters that they believe in God —
but then elect to sleep in on Sunday mornings, hold petty grudges
without a second thought, and so on. People that seek justice, love
mercy, and walk humbly before God seem to be the exception rather
than the rule, wherever you go.

I do not want to give the impression that the church in Manado
is dead. But the danger to Christianity here, unlike in other parts
of Indonesia, comes from within rather than from without. It's important
to realize that there exists both a persecuted and a sleeping church
in Indonesia, and this is not uncommon throughout the world. Unfortunately,
as happens far too often in the United States, Jesus is frequently
checked at the door of one's business or government office. As a
result, business and government here share the challenges facing
the broader Indonesian business and government communities.

Relegating one's faith to the purely private sphere may be thought
of as necessary for peace in a multi-faith community. A common perception
is that people who hold their religion very seriously hate other
religions and stir up tensions. To this way of thinking, the price
of peace may be the trimming of faith to fit in one's back garden.

While I am by no means implying that anger, triumphalism, or violence
is good or necessary to express a vibrant faith, it is simply not
necessary to pay this silent, poisonous price. As for Christians,
qualities like humility and love are the values to which we are
called by Christ. This love is big enough to acknowledge, see, and
respect real differences between faith communities while working
for a peaceful, well-governed community together.

One of my friends here recently told me that faith and inter-faith
relations should be only about practical community-development projects.
He went on to tell me there is no need to talk about one's beliefs,
or to believe one's religion is the only true one — such perspectives
only cause trouble, he said. What he couldn't see was the danger
of watered-down faith. The most secure basis for peaceful interfaith
relations is not silence, but rather the courage to acknowledge
differences while affirming the freedom to live out our own faiths
vigorously.

Last updated 12 January 2009