Religions > All: This entry includes a rank ordering of religions by adherents starting with the largest group and sometimes includes the percent of total population. On 27 January 1979, a presidential cabinet meeting decided that Confucianism is not a religion. [120], In 2017, the blasphemy trial of Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) received international attention. The major religions of Indonesia were Indonesia - Indonesia - Religions: Nearly nine-tenths of the Indonesian population professes Islam. Languages. Eastern Orthodoxy is represented by the Indonesian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), which until 2019 was part of the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand (Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia),[60] and then comes under the unified spiritual leadership of the Diocese of Singapore (Russian Orthodox Church). In some parts of the country, entire villages belong to a distinct denomination, such as Adventism, the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, Lutheran, Presbyterian or the Salvation Army (Bala Keselamatan) depending on the success of missionary activity. [63], Hinduism in Indonesia takes on a distinct tone from other parts of the world. The history of Buddhism in Indonesia is closely related to that of Hinduism, as some empires based on Buddhist culture were established around the same period. Smaller numbers follow other schools (madhhabs),[16][36] and the Salafi movement. Although a process of PAN-Islamization has been continuing for a number of centuries up to the present, Indonesia has not lost its diversity of Islamic varieties. Indonesian (official, a form of Malay influenced by other languages of Indonesia), local languages (the most widely spoken of … Hello friends this channel is a very important project for me. They include: The non-official number of ethnic believers is up to 20 million. [88][89], Muhammad Subuh saw the present age as one that demands personal evidence and proof of religious or spiritual realities, as people no longer just believe in words. Another important development for Islamization in Indonesia was the opening of the Suez-Canal in 1869 because it - as it made traveling to Mecca easier - implied a larger amount of pilgrims between Indonesia and Mecca. This is celebrated by … In recent years it has happened that Indonesians who published atheist worldviews on social networks were threatened by their local community and arrested by the police on charges of blasphemy; charges that can lead to imprisonment. The clear majority of Indonesian Buddhists consist of the ethnic Chinese community. In this way, Kebatinan moves toward eliminating the distinction between the universal and the local, the communal and the individual. It has received much criticism, being described as a type of colonisation by the Javanese and Madurese who also brought Islam to non-Muslim areas. In fact there are many Chinese who actually practice Taoism and Chinese folk religion but are classified as Buddhist as the Indonesia government does not recognize these streams. Initially, his effort did not produce a satisfying result until 1904 when four Javanese chiefs from Kalibawang region asked him to give them education in the religion. Digital Economy: Will Indonesia Soon Have Its Own Silicon Valley? [31] Over the 15th and 16th century, the spread of Islam accelerated via the missionary work of Maulana Malik Ibrahim (also known as Sunan Gresik, originally from Samarkand) in Sumatra and Java and Admiral Zheng He (also known as Cheng Ho, from China) in north Java, as well as campaigns led by sultans that targeted Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms and various communities, with each trying to carve out a region or island for control. This more even population distribution has led to more religious conflicts in the eastern regions, including Poso riots and the Maluku sectarian conflict communal violence since the resignation of President Suharto. Another Minister of Home Affairs directive in 1990 re-iterated the total of five official religions in Indonesia. Totals and lefthand column per year are in millions of persons. [45] The community has had an influential history in Indonesia's religious development, yet in modern times it has faced increasing intolerance from religious establishments and physical hostilities from radical Muslim groups. [7], There are indigenous religions that are incorporated into the Hinduism (not all followers agree): Hindu Kaharingan of Dayak people;[70] Javanese Hinduism of Tenggerese tribe;[71] Hindu Tolotang of Bugis;[72] and Aluk Todolo of Toraja. The arrival of Buddhism was started with trading activities that began in the early first century on the Silk Road between Indonesia and India. However, it is wrong to think of these conflicts as merely a matter of religion. Subscriber Update - Rupiah & Monetary Policy, Subscriber Update - Foreign Employee Regulation, Update COVID-19 in Indonesia:  1,542,516 confirmed infections,  41,977 deaths  (6 April 2021), Jakarta Composite Index (6,002.77)  +32.48  +0.54%, GDP Contraction Full-Year 2020 -2.07% (y/y), Central Bank BI 7-Day Reverse Repo March 2021 3.50%. This loosely organised current of thought and practice was legitimised in the 1945 constitution and, in 1973, when it was recognised as Kepercayaan kepada Tuhan Yang Maha Esa (Believer of One Supreme God) that somewhat gain the status as one of the agama. The government officially recognises the two main Christian divisions in Indonesia, Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, as two separate religions. [81][80], During the New Order, the anti-China policy became a scapegoat-like method to gain political support from the masses, especially after the fall of PKI, which had allegedly been backed by China. Several Muslim parties formed with Sharia as their ideology and the Crescent Star Party (PBB) came in sixth place in the 1999 elections. Seventeen per cent of the population in Sulawesi are Protestants, particularly in Tana Toraja regency in South Sulawesi province and Central Sulawesi. However, in 2009 elections, the PBB ranked only 10th, while parties characterised by moderate and tolerant Islamic interpretations had more significant success, such as the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) coming in 4th with nearly 8% of total votes. [7][108], Although there is no specific law that bans atheism, legal cases in which atheists have been charged with blasphemy for publicly expressing atheist points of view have raised the issue of whether it is de facto illegal to do so according to Pancasila. Although there were many varieties circulating in 1992, Kejawèn often implies pantheistic worship because it encourages sacrifices and devotions to local and ancestral spirits. The province of East Nusa Tenggara, where the island of Flores and West Timor are located, is the only province in Indonesia where Catholics are the majority (about 54.14% of the total population). Hinduism includes lots of religious practices, which differ in practice, and consist of different philosophies and sects. [7] In addition, Aceh officially enforces Sharia law and is notorious for its discriminatory practices towards religious and sexual minorities. In-depth columns and analyses of Indonesia's sectors, companies and commodities, Updates on political, economic and social matters, For investment ideas and how to realize them, March 2021 Report: Political, Economic & Social Update Indonesia, Indonesian Rupiah, Stocks & Bonds Under Pressure due to Developments in the USA. [61], Hindu culture and religion arrived in the archipelago around the 2nd century AD, which later formed the basis of several Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms such as Kutai, Medang, and Majapahit. It is located in Jakarta and will be led by Rabbi Tovia Singer. On 15 December 1904, a group of 178 Javanese were baptised at Semagung, Muntilan, district Magelang, Central Java, near the border of Yogyakarta. Before the arrival of the Abrahamic religions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism, the prevalent religions in the region were thoroughly influenced by Dharmic religious philosophy through Hinduism and Buddhism. M/6/HI.00.01/V/2020 on the implementation of the payment of the religious holiday allowance ( Tunjangan Hari Raya – THR) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Islam in Indonesia. It is also one of the oldest religions in the world, having emerged around 3,500 years ago. In many cases, some of the followers of these native beliefs might convert to Christianity or Islam, at least registered as such on their KTP while still upholding and performing their native beliefs. Four diverse and contentious sultanates emerged in northern and southern Sumatra, west and central Java, and southern Kalimantan. [87], Subud is an international spiritual movement that began in Indonesia in the 1920s as a movement related to Sufism and Javanese beliefs founded by Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo. It is interesting to note that the government's stance on Confucianism has been ambiguous. In order to comply with the Pancasila (which stipulates "the belief in the one and only God"), animists tend to be classified as Hindus because this religion is more flexible to absorb these streams. Baliem Valley Festival. [103], A small Jain community, Jain Social Group Indonesia (JSG Indonesia), exists in Jakarta among Indian Indonesians. The kingdom existed until the 16th century when Islamic empires began to develop, this period known as the Hindu-Indonesian period. 2021-02-15: Indonesia Might Yet Amend 2021 Public Holidays; 2020-12-01: Indonesia Cancels 3 Public Holidays In December 2020; 2020-11-28: Indonesian President Jokowi Officializes December 9 Public Holiday; 2020-11-24: Indonesian December 2020 Public Holidays Update; 2020-11-23: Indonesia Could Shorten December 2020 Public Holidays [76], According to the 2010 census, roughly 0,7% of Indonesias are Buddhists, which takes up about 2 million people. This does, however, not mean that it constitutes a coherent group. Several Ahmadi mosques were burnt in 2008. In the latest population census data, 87 percent of Indonesians declared themselves to be Muslim, followed by 9.87 percent who were Christian. [114], During the New Order, the transmigration program continued after it was initiated by the Dutch East Indies government in the early nineteenth century. There are several gurdwaras and schools in Sumatra and Java, for example, in Medan was built in 1911. [90], Dukun and pawang are Indonesians' terms for a shaman (the Malays in Indonesia use word bomoh). (The name Subud was first used in the late 1940s when Subud was legally registered in Indonesia.) The latter, led by General Prabowo Subianto, was in favour of Islamisation, while General Wiranto was in the former in favour of a secular state. Conversely, it is assumed to be a polytheistic religion that believes in a … Nonetheless, atheists as a group tend not to express their atheism publicly for fear of prosecution. Indonesians are citizens or people of Indonesia, regardless of their racial, ethnic or religious background. [113] Alexander's lawyers speculated that there were only around 2,000 atheists in Indonesia, but stated that it was difficult to estimate due to the threat of imprisonment for open atheism. "Kropak 406; Carita Parahyangan dan Fragmen Carita Parahyangan", Makalah disampaikan dalam Kegiatan Bedah Naskah Kuna yang diselenggarakan oleh Balai Pengelolaan Museum Negeri Sri Baduga. The history of Buddhism and Hinduism in Indonesia is highly intertwined. The same distinction can be found in the other religions. For example, the dispute over a Bethel Injil Sepenuh Church (GBIS) in Jakarta was due to land dispute dating back to 1957, while the Indonesia Christian Church (GKI) Taman Yasmin dispute in Bogor was due to the municipal government plan to turn the church's area into a business district. These include the belief in one Almighty God (Brahman), belief in the souls and myriad of local and ancestral spirits and karma or the belief in the law of reciprocal actions, rather than belief in cycles of rebirth and reincarnation. Some lived in Semarang and Surabaya. In one incident in Madura, local villagers surrounded Shia houses and demanded they desist religious activities, but the crowd was dispersed by local leaders and clergy. The meeting, attended by ASEAN countries, Australia, East Timor, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea was intended to discuss possible cooperation between different religious groups to minimise inter-religious conflict in Indonesia. The basis of Subud is a spiritual exercise commonly referred to as the latihan kejiwaan, which was said by Muhammad Subuh to be guidance from "the Power of God" or "the Great Life Force". [41] Currently, there are approximately 1-3 million Twelvers in Sumatra, Java, Madura and Sulawesi islands, and also Ismailis in Bali, which approximates more than 1% of the total Muslim population. 2021 Edition: Light at the End of the Tunnel? Chinese Indonesians, who were mostly Confucianists, also faced similar circumstances. According to The Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics, it is projected that Indonesia’s productive population (age 15 to 64) will be 179.1 million people in 2020 and millennials (age 21-36) are contributing to around 63.5 million people. [26], The Sukarno era was characterised by a "distrust" between religion and the state. Many self-styled shamans in Indonesia are scammers and criminals, preying on gullible and superstitious people who were raised to believe in the supernatural. Lastly, it should be mentioned that religious intolerance or discrimination in Indonesia also takes non-violent forms such as the difficulty of building places of worship that are non-Islamic in areas that are mainly occupied by Muslims (and vise versa). [23], The Portuguese introduced Catholicism in the 16th century, notably to the island of Flores and to what was to become East Timor. Furthermore, up to 65% of the ethnic Torajans are Protestants. [56], Other than Flores, Central Java also have significant numbers of Catholics. Moreover, Roman Catholic priests were sent to prisons or punished and replaced by Protestant clergy from the Netherlands. Now, an ongoing government census , … [32] Islam in Indonesia is in many cases less meticulously practised in comparison to Islam in the Middle East. These Christian communities tend to cluster in the eastern part of Indonesia. [101] Numbering about 7.000 (or between 10.000 and 15.000[7]), Sikhs are not officially recognised by the government, resulting in adherents referring to themselves as Hindus on the KTP. [85], The Kejawèn have no certain prophet, a sacred book, nor distinct religious festivals and rituals; it has more to do with each adherent's internalised transcendental vision and beliefs in their relations with others and with the supreme being. Darsa, Undang A. Note: the drop in the Catholic population between 1990 and 2000 was due to the secession of East Timor in 1999. After all, Indonesia’s 1945 constitution guarantees freedom of religion. [49] Although these two branches are the most common, a multitude of other denominations can be found elsewhere in Indonesia. In Java, next to Javanese, Catholicism also spread to Chinese Indonesians. So… [48][55] In present-day Flores, the royal house of Larantuka formed the only native Catholic kingdom in Southeast Asia around the 16th century, with the first king named Lorenzo. [64][67] In many areas on Java, Hinduism and Islam have heavily influenced each other, in part resulting in Abangan and Kejawèn (Kebatinan) traditions. It rules that the law requiring people whose 'religion is not recognised', or followers of indigenous religions to leave the religion column on identity documents blank is contrary to the constitution. However, the figures are likely higher, since practitioners of Confucianism and Taoism, the latter of which is not considered an official religion, referred to themselves as Buddhists on the census. The early maritime empire of Srivijaya on Sumatra served as a Buddhist learning center for Chinese monks in the seventh century. [77], Confucianism originated in China and was brought to Indonesia by Chinese merchants as early as the 3rd century AD. [20] The traders established Buddhism which developed further in the following century and several Hindu Buddhist-influenced kingdoms were established, such as Kutai, Srivijaya, Majapahit, and Sailendra. Kejawèn is generally characterised as mystical, and some varieties were concerned with spiritual self-control. One century later the impressive Borobudur temple was built by the Sailendra dynasty in Central Java, while in the 15th century the grand Hindu-Buddhist Majapahit empire ruled a large part of the Archipelago. Indonesian Christianity consists of Protestantism and Catholicism, the former being the majority. [12][13] Based on data collected by the Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace (ICRP), there are about 245 unofficial religions in Indonesia. [81][80], In 1969, Statute No. Ministry of Religious Affairs (Indonesia), Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for the Propagation of Islam, International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, Indonesian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), Russian Orthodox Diocese of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand, Diocese of Singapore (Russian Orthodox Church), International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Supreme Council for the Confucian Religion in Indonesia, Discrimination against atheists in Indonesia, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, the capital city's gubernatorial election, "Statistik Umat Menurut Agama di Indonesia", "Penduduk Menurut Wilayah dan Agama yang Dianut", "International Religious Freedom Report 2008. Besides Bali's beautiful countryside and beaches, this Balinese Hinduism is a major reason for tourists to visit the island. In 1957, it was reported that around 450 Jews remained, mainly Ashkenazim in Jakarta and Sephardim in Surabaya. [53] We can see what the morals in Indonesia are from the religion that people believe in. In common usage, the dukun is often confused with another type of shaman, the pawang. [66] It also incorporated native Austronesian elements that revered hyangs, deities and spirits of nature and deceased ancestors. Moreover, certain hardcore Muslim groups have been able to influence political and judicial decision making through (the threat of) violence. Sumatra, Java, Lombok, Kalimantan and Sulawesi also have significant Hindu populations; most are Balinese who migrated to these areas through government-sponsored transmigration program or urbanised Balinese attracted to cities in Java, especially the Greater Jakarta area. [92] In 2015, the first official Jewish centre, "Beit Torat Chaim", was inaugurated by the Religious Affairs Ministry. This festival is celebrated around the month of August. Although not acknowledged by the government there also still exist forms of animism in several parts of Indonesia. For a detailed account regarding violent Islamism in Indonesia visit our Radical Islam section. [34] The archipelago was soon dominated by the Dutch empire, which helped prevent inter-religious conflict, and slowly began the process of excavating, preserving and understanding the archipelago's ancient Hindu and Buddhist period, particularly in Java and the western islands. This practice was applied in many places, including the national registration card, marriage registration, and family registration card. [13] The government often views indigenous beliefs as kepercayaan adat (custom) rather than agama (religion) or as a variant of a recognised religion. In 1971, three groups of Christians were recorded: Catholic, Protestant and other. All practitioners of Agama Hindu Dharma share many common beliefs, mostly the Five Points of Philosophy, the Panca Srada.