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| Putu Ambalita Pitaloka Arsana, 5, is a Hindu who says she prays everyday in the hopes that God will give her a baby brother. (JG Photo) |
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With thestart of the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims across the country are fasting,praying and reflecting on their spiritual lives. The Jakarta Globe talked tofive youngsters to learn more about the next generation’s religious views andwhat God means to them.
Frompraying for a little brother to praying in different places of worship, thesechildren open up about their personal beliefs. Coming from different religiousbackgrounds, their views offer an interesting glimpse into our diversemultifaith society.
Abdul RafiRamadhan, 10, 4th grader
I am Muslimand I believe in God. I don’t know what or who God is but I believe. From whatI learned in pengajian (Koranic studies), God created the earth and the sky,the whole universe.
My teachersaid that God is invisible and does not come in a form or shape.
I went topengajian from 2007 to 2010. It was my mother who told me to learn how to readand study the Koran outside of school so that I would do well in the subject[at school].
My fatherdoesn’t work. My mother earns money by working at people’s homes washing theirclothes to pay for my school and the pengajian. I work in the evening sellingcelengan [piggy banks] here in Menteng with other kids. I have a littlebrother.
I enjoyedmy activities at the pengajian because I made a lot of friends there. Anotherreason is because I want to go to heaven. My teacher taught us about heaven andhell, and he said that you have to pray five times a day and read the Koran,otherwise you will go to hell. But I haven’t prayed lately because I don’t havea sarong to wear.
I also havenon-Muslim friends. You can tell which of my friends are not Muslims from theirnails. They usually paint their nails black.
PutuAmbalita Pitaloka Arsana, 5, 1st grader
I am Hindu.I believe in God because God is nice. God is nice because I know he can give mea baby brother.
Every day Ipray to God at the prayer place upstairs in our home. I have to take the stairsto go there. I don’t know what I say in my prayers but I just say what I want.
I havefriends who are not Hindu. They are Muslim and Catholic. I think people have topray to let God know that we are talking to God.
I also makea wish before I go to sleep. I usually make a wish for my father, my mother andfor the baby brother that I really want to have. I don’t have any other wishwhen I pray. I just want to have a baby brother.
ArifYunando, 14, 2nd year junior high
If you askme what my religion is, I don’t know. My father is Buddhist, my mother isCatholic and I go to a Christian school where I only learn about Christianity.
My parentsnever taught me about religion because they think it is enough that I studyabout one religion at school. But maybe if I had to choose one, I would chooseto become a Christian because that is what I have learned about so far.
I may nothave a religion but I believe that God exists. It is all said in the Bible. Igo to church by myself, but I also go to temple a lot. I pray when I am in bothplaces and what I say in my prayers is pretty much the same. But when I pray atthe temple, I speak in Mandarin a little bit.
In myprayers, I ask God to give me the ability to do well at school, I ask for a lotof good friends and I also ask God to protect me so I don’t get yelled at toomuch by my mother and older brother [laughs].
I think itis important for people to have a religion because it is part of them beinghuman. A person is not complete without religion. When you don’t have areligion, you only have the bod, but you have no soul. The body decays whilethe soul is immortal.
LucyVicendese, 10, 4th grader
I don’thave a religion and I don’t believe in God. I don’t know what God is. Maybe aspirit or something like that. I don’t know. I just don’t believe in that kindof stuff.
I havefriends at school who are religious. They are Muslims and Christians.
I have beento a Catholic church. I went there with my friend about a month ago.
MuhammadHilmy, 12, 1st year junior high
Religion isour belief toward God. I am a Muslim. If you ask me why I am a Muslim, it isbecause Islam is the religion that I have known since I was a kid. I alsolearned about Islam at school. I go to an Islamic school and so does my littlesister.
I believein God because God is the one that created all the living things and theuniverse. Yet I have never imagined what God is like. God does exist butdoesn’t have a shape. There is proof for that. We have the moon, the sun, humanbeings and the earth.
My parentstaught me and my sister about Islam. They taught us how to pray by showing usthe movements, and they taught us how to read the Koran. My parents also expectme to finish reading whole chapters [in the Koran] and I’ve done that already.
My parentstold us that prayer is compulsory. It is a must and it is not right if youdon’t do it. It is a sin. They also said that we go to hell if we don’t pray.
My fatheralways emphasizes the importance of religion. There are also people withdifferent religions from what we believe and that is OK. People who fightbecause other people have a different religion don’t respect the rights ofothers. We should all live in peace no matter what others believe.
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