INTERFAITH INSTITUTION WORKING TO CREATE RELIGIOUS HARMONY IN SOCIETY (A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF INTERFIDEI AND FPUB). (Kerja Lembaga Antariman dalam Menciptakan Kerukunan Umat Beragama di Masyarakat (Kajian Perbandingan an

Abstract

ABSTRAC This research aims to examine religious harmony in Indonesia from the end of Soekarno\u27s rule up to the reformasi era, to identify the factors causing the government\u27s failure to keep the religious harmony, and to know how interfaith institutions in Jogjakarta work to create religious harmony in soci¬ety. This is a descriptive, comparative, and qualitative research because the data are collected from books, documents, and interviews, then used in a comparative analyze. The interfaith institutions examined are limited to only two institu¬tions, Interfidei and FPUB. The research findings show that attempts to realize religious harmony should not be dominated by the government, but the role of society itself is very significant. The role of the society represented in NGO work is a more bottom-up approach to solve the problems in the society. Their work is the antithesis of the government approach. However, not all of the interfaith institutions have the same method to work. Although they work based on real problems of society, they use different ways to inter¬act with them. Interfidei and FPUB are examples of this. Interfidei uses a more elite approach to contact with the society. FPUB uses a more non-elite approach, based on the grassroots level of society. Eash of Those two types of contacts has its strengths and weaknesses, so the two organizations comple¬ment each other. The best method would be if there was an NGO that could combine both ways, although it would be very difficult. This research will give information related with the failure of the recent government, especially the New Order, in creating religious harmony, and so contribute to academic knowledge of interfaith or inter-religious dialogue, particularly at the level of practice. Key Words: Religious Harmony - Interfaith Institutions - Interfaith Dialogu