The Ontological Status of Religion and Its Significance for Religious Freedom

From introduction: In recent years, the shape of the discourse in religious studies has been dominated by social constructionist works. Now the concept ‘religion’ is therefore intensively disputed; does it truly exist? Is it real? According to social constructionists, the very notion of religion is genealogically unique to western modern civilization and is closely related to the history of colonialism. It is intertwined with modernization and secularization which tends to separate ‘religious’ associated with irrationality from ‘secular ’ associated with rationality. Conceptually, ‘religion’ has no reference in the real world and cannot pick out a distinctive phenomenon across cultures so that is analytically useless. For these reasons, religion is considered as an illusory category and the presence of religious studies is merely to maintain such a fiction. Hence, the main objective of this book is to provide an ontological account for the category ‘religion’ that is disputed in some social constructionist works and justify its significance for religious freedom. This book argues that religion exists and is real as a distinctive social category, though it is socially constructed, because it has a distinctive causal power in society; it can create discrimination as well as overcome it. FOREWORD ACKNOWLEDGEMENT CONTENTS INTRODUCTION IS RELIGION REAL? Definitional Problems of Religion Social Construction Theory of Religion Religion Is Not a Cross-cultural Category There Is No Reference for Religion Religion Is Invented, Imagined, and Constructed Realist Social Ontology of Religion (RSOR) Critical Realism (CR) Approach External Realism (ER) Approach Structural Realism (SR) Approach Pluralist Account of Religion: Realism without Essentialism Conclusion WHAT IS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM FOR? Why Is Religion Special? New Criticism of Religious Freedom The Contingency of Cross-cultural Practices The Paradoxes of Religious Freedom Religious Freedom As an Industry and Technology of Modern Governance Realist Approach to Religious Freedom Overcoming Definitional Problems Beyond 'Forum Internum' and 'Forum Externum' Religious Freedom: Between Protection and Legitimacy Conclusion CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY This book combines two interesting debates in a creative way: the debate on whether or not religion exists, and the debate on whether or not the freedom of religion in Indonesia needs to be broadened to other expressions of faith, particularly those of minorities and non-recognized religions in Indonesia. In the first debate the author opts for social ontology. Religion exists, be it in a constructed way. In the second debate the author opts for a realist approach. Scholars do not need a definition of religion. They just need to acknowledge that religion has a power, be it in a beneficial or a harmful way. The author argues that if religion does not exist, freedom of religion cannot be guaranteed in the Indonesian constitution. Given the Indonesian context where not all religious believers have equal rights, this is an important insight.