TEMPO, Yogyakarta: Religious education has been in the media spotlight recently. According to Agus Nuryanto, a member of the teaching staff of the Education Faculty at the Yogyakarta Islamic State University, when religious education is taught exclusively based on doctrine without allowing any room for dialog, students will become exclusive and intolerant.

Therefore, he said it was necessary for religious education to be reconstructed. “It is a challenge to reconstruct it so it can contribute to the development of a pluralistic and democratic society,” said Agus at the seminar of “Developing a concept of the state motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity Through Diversity) through religious values” yesterday (3/8).

Other speakers at the seminar were philosophy lecturer Franz Magnis-Suseno SJ from STF Driyarkara, writer and director Putu Wijaya, and Taman Siswa chairman Tyasno Sudarto.

Agus explained that religious education has been developed in two opposite directions.

One leads to religious and humanistic individuals while the other is religious but not humanistic.

He went on to say that open and critical religious education would be useful in establishing a tolerant society that impacts the quality of life so that people respect diversity in pluralistic communities.

Franz Magnis said that religion should be clearer, understand more, and widen basic humanity values that are divided into two forms including core values and supporting values.

Core values relate to kindness and a willingness to be fair while supporting values are honesty and wisdom.

“Religious education should be directed to the establishment of basic humanity values,” said Franz Magnis.