The Kélah Ritual of The Manggaraians in Flores-Eastern Indonesia and Its Theological Significance For Roman Catholics

This paper aims to discuss the theological significance of the traditional religious practice of the Manggaraians in Flores, eastern Indonesia called the Kélah Ritual. It is an aspect of the traditional religion of the Manggaraians. The authorities of the Catholic Church in Manggarai have been very tolerant toward the ritual and provide enough space for the Catholics to practice it. The Church, however, does not have a sufficient understanding of its theological significance due to insufficient previous studies on the subject. This paper demonstrates that the ritual has a deep theological significance. This study employed direct observation, direct participation in the Kélah Ritual in several places in Manggarai, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and questionnaires. The results of this research indicate that this ritual is a rite of passage about the human soul departing from this world to heaven conducted a few days or months after the body’s interment. It was on the day of the soul’s ascension to heaven where all of the family ancestors meet with God eternally. This research concludes that, with its theological meaning, the ritual conforms with the Catholic faith doctrine regarding the gradual departure of the human soul to heaven after its corporal death – purgatory. No soul goes right away to heaven when it is not 100% holy. The ritual, therefore, could be valued and officially incorporated into the Catholic faith tradition in order to enrich its worship to God.

The Spread of Buddhism and Peace in Southeast Asia

Buddhism is among the oldest religious traditions of the world. It is based on the life and teachings of Siddharta Gautama. The message of world peace is the greatest contribution of Buddhism to the human civilization. This paper aims to study the spread of Buddhism in the Southeast Asian region and its relations with the ideals of peace in contemporary period. Theoretically paper relies on the post-colonial history writing tradition. It adopts descriptive and analytical method to study the subject matter. Conclusions of the paper are drawn after scrutiny of primary and secondary literatures. A thorough study reveals that Buddhism has a glorious past in the Southeast Asia. The practice of Buddhism in the region was popular even prior to the beginning of recorded history. Different monuments provide tangible evidence, and deep-rooted essence of Buddhism in the socio-cultural practices of the region are intangible testimony to this. Paper argues that inter-religious issues in the region and especially current situation of conflict between people of different faith can be resolved by following philosophy of Buddhism in true sense.

Idiulūjiyyah wasāʼil al-iʽlām al-jamāhīriyyah al-Indūnisiyyah ʽibar al-internet fi naql akhbār aş-şirāʽ as-siyāsī fī asy-syarq al-awsaţ

This study aims to explore the forms of information reproduction in online mass media, with specific issues on Middle East conflicts. The present study adopts a qualitative descriptive model. The data were collected from the news reports on the Syrian conflicts by some leading online news platforms such as Republika, Kompas and Tempo. The data were taken from January to October 2018 and were analyzed using the qualitative analysis stages of the Miles and Huberman model. The research findings indicate that each mass media has differences in reproducing Middle East conflict information, in terms of their data source and point of view of news reporting. Republika tends to take the opposition's point of view to the Syrian government so that it puts the United States and its allies as its main subject. On the contrary, Kompas departed from the point of view of sympathy for the Syrian government and its allies, jeopardizing the United States and its allies in reporting. The third media, Tempo, takes the point of view of narrating events chronologically and focuses a lot on humanitarian issues in the news they deliver.

Islamic Poems by Rukun Nasution (1928-1998): Themes and Social Relevance

This study analyzes two poems written by Rukun Nasution (1928-1998), namely Syair Pengajak Solat (Invitation to Prayer) and Doa/Syair Menjelang Pajar (Invocation/Poem before Dawn). This manuscript only came to the attention of the authors in 2018, and this is the first time the book of poetry is being studied and described. The main objective of this study is to analyze the content of the poems, with reference to their socio-religious relevance and some philological aspects. Rukun (the popular name of Rukun Nasution) wrote his poems in the 1960s using Latin script, and the fact he had no formal education other than a three-year of elementary school made his creative productivity more interesting. He presented his ideas in a well-structured text while applying the 'aa-aa' rhyme consistently. The poems contain Islamic messages, with prayer procedures being the most dominant theme. These poems are relevant to document religious information, disseminate Islamic teachings, while remains artistically creative.