Did you know that our lovely country, Indonesia, has its own original religion? There are many of them, but I will only tell you one of them which is Kejawen. Have you wondered why even though there are many religions in Indonesia but only a few that is recognized by the country? That is because Indonesia has 5 rules for a religion to be acknowledge as official, those are:
- There must be a god.
- There must be prophet(s).
- There must be apostle(s).
- There must be scripture.
- There must be adherents.
Baca juga: Indonesian Religion – Local Beliefs Need Protection.
Going back to the topic! Kejawen is a way of life that’s being embraced in Java by the Java tribe. It’s a collection of views of life and philosophies throughout Javanese civilization! The word “Kejawen” comes from the word “Jawa” or Java which means “Everything that relates to Java custom and Java believes.” The adherents of Kejawen doesn’t think of it as religion as in monotheistic like Islam or Christianity. They view Kejawen as a view of life and values.
This is simply my understanding, I deeply apologize if I misunderstood something, but I think I get why Indonesia doesn’t officially recognize Kejawen as “official religion of the country.” Kejawen doesn’t have god(s), their teachings are simply a collection of views of life. But then, what about Buddhism? I’m still learning so I can’t think of an answer for it.
Writer: Adinda Trisya
Student Of Sampoerna University
