Introduction
Religiosity is one of the profound elements that aptly influences the reconstruction of the sociological environment. The well-being of individuals is a reflection of the institutionalized practices and rules of engagement across the spectrum. In this case, an indepth investigation of the interdependence between religious beliefs and activities and the personality traits fosters the derivation of details concerning the triggers of evolutionary scale locally and internationally. Studies establish that the core variants on religiosity influencing behavioral continuum among personnel include feminism, citizenship, politics, and marriage. The integration of the perceptive ideologies renders an adept overview regarding the similarities and differences on sociocultural, economic, and political frameworks across Philippines, Burma, and Indonesia.
Religious Resurgence and Citizen-Making
Religious resurgence is a concept that significantly influenced the way of living and interactions among personnel. According to Smith-Hefner, Islamic beliefs and practices proficiently contributed to the alteration of the customs among the Indonesians (441). One of the key indicators involved the redefinition and marriage and courtship. An excellent example of a profound effect encompassed the paradigm shift in preferential outline among the Javanese personnel on early courtships and marriages. In the 1960s a significant percentage of the teenagers married by the age 16 years old (Smith-Hefner 441). However, statistics indicate that in 1970s, only 10% of the populace adhered to the norm (Smith-Hefner 441). Ideally, the advent of civilized mainframe mainly regarding promoting education fostered a boost in the autonomy among the Javanese women despite the significant spread of Islamic beliefs.
Different structural aspects within the sociocultural, economic, and political frameworks influence the essence of citizenship. On the one hand, the incorporation of educational practices across the Indonesian society amplified the necessity of egalitarianism and the revolution on women empowerment forums. Primarily, the perception on civilized spectrum attributed to the making of citizenship on account of comprehending the pillars of democracy and unitarianism on regional boundaries. Religion aptly influences the development of a social identity as evidently demonstrated through the conceptual approach on performing miracles in Philippines. Wiegele investigates the impact of religiosity to the behavioral pattern among personnel and notices that religion is a hindrance element in the systematic essence of defining the life’s meaning (1). According to Wiegele, the El Shaddai ministry prominently altered the religious affiliations among the Philippines on account of the abound mainframe (2). The El Shaddai religious resurgence emerged during the period the country experienced intense change in the sociocultural, economic, and political domains. Primarily, the citizens attached their success on faith and belief in a religious group that proved steering miraculous tendencies on optimal growth and development.
Religion is one of the vital factors contributing to the development of a platform to enhance the sense of belonging among personnel. According to the report by International Crisis Group, Buddhist nationalism in Burma is a major trigger to the violence among the communities and the rebellion against the government (2). On the one hand, the national administration prominently advocates for the Buddhist practices over the concept of religious diversity. On the other hand, such institutions as Association for the Protection of Race and Religion (MaBaTha) focus on pushing the state executive to alter the policies rendering egalitarian based on the optional outline on sociocultural customs and norms (International Crisis Group 1). Despite the government’s persistence to uphold Buddhism, the core objective of the violence involves pressuring the regime to incorporate liberal-oriented regulations concerning religious beliefs and practices.
Influence of State-Level Interventions and Social and Political Developments to Religious Resurgence
Over the decades, one of the influential elements on reconstruction of sociological frameworks involves determining individuals’ identity within the community. Different ethnicities uphold dynamic religious customs, beliefs, and norms. The divergence is an entity that threatens the social and political development in Burma. International Crisis Group depicts that the government’s intervention on religious affairs adeptly influenced the interrelations and the contrast on personal appeals (3). While the state focuses on promoting egalitarianism and protecting and preserving conventionalism, MaBaTha articulates that modernism involves liberating individuals to engage in dynamic foundations for the sense of belonging (International Crisis Group 4). Although religiosity is a pact that enshrines uniting people based on beliefs and practices, the state-level intervention proficiently interferes with the socio-political endeavors rendering imminent conflicts.
In a different spectrum, Indonesia represents one of the countries with a marginally high record of diverse religious and ethnic groups globally. Hefner depicts that despite the current religious harmony, there is a tragic history regarding the consequences for political dynamism on religiosity across the region (3). In 1998-1999, the liberalists overthrew the dictatorial administration and the new system redefined democracy through the voting rights phenomenon (Hefner 5). However, one core problem from the paradigm shift encompassed the strive to redefine religion dominance. It is a condition that led to wars among communities and religious groups. In some instances, the Al-Qaeda extremists intervened to radicalize the Islamic believers leading to the bombing of churches in 1999-2000 causing massive loss of lives and property (Hefner 6). Nevertheless, the government’s interference in the structural endeavor of religiosity in Indonesia attributed to the concept of pluralism.
In the Philippines, there is a profound influence of state-level intervention concerning the apt concept on religious resurgence. According to Hutchcroft and Joel, it is the core responsibility of the government to establish policies that enhance egalitarianism (97). However, such factors as political ideologies and religious diversity fosters a prominent conflict of interest. Primarily, Hutchcroft and Joel articulate that the democratic deficit due to the clashes among leaders on system structural framework trickles down to the religious-based conflicts on account of determining the dominant religion belief (99). A stable sociocultural, economic, and political nation radiates proficiency in the advocacy for divergence and liberation on the gradient of religious-oriented practices.
State-level interventions significantly influenced the ethnic relations, emergence of the new middle-class, struggle for the nation’s control, and women’s education. In the research by Smith-Hefner, the studies indicate that the Indonesian government intervention altered the conventional aspect on ethnic relations and women education on account of boosting the interdependence among individuals despite gender difference (442). On the one hand, the Burma administration established the core ideological overviews promoting Islamic based on superiority of males and inferiority among women. On the other hand, the suppression of females on employment and learning opportunities trickled down to discrimination among personnel from different races. Lindsey and Helen articulate that there is significant intolerance on religious resurgence influence in Indonesia due to the change in political ideologies on ethnic diversity along the gradient of dominance (8). Primarily, religion resurgence attributed to the paradigm shift in the spectral overview on sociocultural, economic, and political mainframe.
Globalization significantly contributed to the intersection of policies and initiatives mainly on trading appeals. An excellent example of a consequential outcome involves the incorporation of capitalism framework within the economic structure in Philippine, Burma, and Indonesia. According to Warburton and Edward, the introduction of dynamic economic appeals fostered the emergence of social classes leading to the clustering of communities based on wealthiness (270). The phenomenon steered the struggles for nation building through democratic regression while identifying the distinctive influential elements on religious resurgence. In the Philippines, the government focused on the integration of reforms within the sociocultural domain to alleviate the challenging change on administrative strategy despite the impact of religiosity in defining social interactions (Hutchcroft and Joel 99). The Burma executive team implemented approaches to enhance the separation of government and Buddhism (International Crisis Group 5). The independence of the state and religious groups renders an autonomy on superiority and dominance thus promoting the essence of egalitarianism.
Religious resurgence aptly attributed to the disorientation on governance strategies in Burma, Indonesia, and Philippines. In Burma, the struggle for the control of the state involved redefining the affiliations on Buddhism to enhance its dominance and influential aspect across the populace (Smith-Hefner 442). The administration’s core identifier with the Buddhism triggered disagreements and conflicts among personnel from diverse religious groups. In Indonesia, the state authority encountered nominal hindrance on growth and development on account of divergent opinions on effective structural policies (Warburton and Edward 276). In this case, the Indonesian regime institutionalized legal frameworks advocating for liberation on religious practices. Ideally, the Philippines incorporated measures boosting government’s performance quotient through reforms and the confederate religiosity (Thompson 381). The Philippine administration encountered the key obstacle on democracy due to the dynamism on sociocultural, economic, and political domains. Fundamentally, religious revitalization profoundly impacted the system administration in Burma, Indonesia, and Philippine on account of the embedded regulations.
Influence of Religious Resurgence and National Politics to Private and Public Lives of Women
Religious practices significantly influenced the female’s welfare, mainly the perceptive feminist aspect. Research stipulates that different religions indicate dynamic appeals on gender realities (Lindsey and Helen 4). One of the profound elements involves the ideological regulations towards women on dressing code and interactive quotient within the Islamic religion mainly in Burma, Philippines, and Indonesia. International Crisis Group establishes the conventional spectrum demanded women to cover all parts of their bodies with clothes and show submission in Burma (5). In this case, the gender represented the beauty of marriage, thus the restraints as housewives. Lindsey and Helen argue that the intolerance among women living in Indonesia significantly contributed to the violence on account of promoting egalitarianism (6). According to the researchers, equality involves the advocacy for inclusion of all personnel despite gender identity on distinctive opportunities (Lindsey and Helen 7). The divergent religious practices fostered contrasting approaches on gender balance on account of redefining masculinity and femineity.
Islamic religious practices distinguish the key foundational outliers on behavioral traits and allowances among males and females as an aspect of enhancing righteousness. Rinaldo argues that the distinctive element of feminism lies in the promotion of equal rights and opportunities despite gender disparity (4). However, the dynamic religious groups divergently interpreted the perceptive feminism in accordance to their interests. On the one hand, Rinaldo indicates that religious leaders advocated for egalitarianism and the women empowerment to enhance growth and development (2). On the other hand, Rinaldo postulates that a significant percentage of the Islamic community considered feminism as a westernized context to alter the conventional customs and norms on ethnic and racial backgrounds in Indonesia (3). The foundation of masculinity complex involved amplifying superiority index of men against women within the social spectrum. Modernism renders an apt solution through feminism while the Indonesian government separates its religious appeals and interventions through Buddhism.
Influence of Religious Resurgence and Nation-Making to Citizenship and Equality
Religious pluralism is a multifaceted dimension that promotes freedom among the residents while facing a significant challenge on account of the dynamic belief system. According to International Crisis Group, religious diversity is a crucial element in a country since it enhances the sharing of dynamic ideals about religiosity (“Myanmar stalled transition” 3). The researchers further explore the essence of religious pluralism under the scope of young Muslim adults (International Crisis Group “Myanmar stalled transition” 3). In this case, a significant percentage of young Muslim adults appreciate religious diversity and interact with individuals from other groups. On the one hand, religious diversity fosters the freedom among the citizens to express and practice their belief systems. On the other hand, religious pluralism enhances the controversy about the authenticity of religious beliefs. Religious pluralism is an issue that promotes diversity while fostering a dynamic challenge of conflicting appeals and policies.
Religious multiplicity fosters the development of different interpretations of the belief practices. According to Warburton and Edward, religious interpretation enshrines three different approaches: inclusivity, exclusivity, and pluralism (257). Inclusivity is the concept of involving all other religious practices in the common ideals such as morality. An excellent example is a right to life that all religious believers agree to support. The exclusivity ideology is an interpretation of the belief system that is an exception from the other religious practices. An excellent example is alcoholism. Some religions allow the consumption of alcohol of the believers. However, the Islamic religion forbids the consumption of alcohol and considers it a sin. In this case, the concept poses a significant challenge due to the dynamic belief practices. The pluralist interpretation is the consideration of all religious statements as authentic. However, none of the religions is superior to the others. Although there is a significant challenge in religiosity’s dynamic interpretation, it is a mainframe that empowers a transformational perspective.
Religious pluralism fosters the transformation of the communities on account of the interplay of global issues. According to Thompson, religious diversity enhances a nation’s transformation due to the integration of different appeals about religiosity in Philippines (381). Thompson further depicts that transformation fosters the evolution of society (381). An excellent example is the transformation of the Asian traditions towards the western culture and religious belief. Despite the significant opposition during the colonial era, the Asian society incorporated the western culture and religious practices, thus enhancing the unity and peace with the vast global continuum. Religious diversity is a mainframe that leads to an interplay of the essential values of a global community.
In a different spectrum, religious pluralism plays a vital role in the diversification of the legal framework of a country. As a state that advocates for religious pluralism, it is crucial to establish law enforcement approaches that accommodate the diversity. Warburton and Edward depict that ethno-religious groups establish independent institutions such as the judicial courts and the legal frameworks (258). An excellent example of an ethno-religious group in Indonesia that established its legal framework is Islamic institutionalizing the sharia courts and sharia law. On the one hand, the diversity of the religious beliefs leads to the independence and promotion of justice and equity. On the other hand, there is a significant growth in the number of religious groups. Therefore, the promotion of independent religious legal frameworks threatens the necessity of a nation’s integrity. In this case, religious pluralism is a concept that highly challenges the implementation of the legal framework in Israel due to the dynamic overviews about inclusivity and exclusivity.
There is a dynamic valuation of religious diversity on account of the interaction between naturalism and liberalism. Naturalism refers to the concept of either agreeing or disagreeing with the ideals of the different religious practices. An excellent example is the existence of God. Although different religious groups advocate for a different overview of God’s existence, a naturalist establishes that it is either all religious groups are right or wrong (Rinaldo 9). Therefore, there is no superiority or inferiority perspective. In this case, naturalism reflects the interpretation of liberalism since it allows the freedom of and the freedom from religion. The Philippine government strives to attain a liberal status in the country hence its separation from the essence of religious pluralism, and base its agenda on an economic and political agenda to enhance equality and growth and development.
Effect of Shared and Egalitarian Citizenship to Ethnic and Religious Groups
Different factors attribute to the sociocultural, economic, and political growth and development on account of the intersectionality of values. The virtues emanate from cultural practices and norms to boost the quality of living. One of the perspectives establishes that religion enhances the reconstruction of the learning environment for all entities. Society steers the coherence while providing a platform for social identity determination among personalities (Lindsey and Helen 5). The Burma, Philippines, and Indonesian government prominently integrated religious practices with socio-political ideologies to boost the success rate under the belief system gradient. The critical variable to appreciate interdependence involves distinguishing moral and virtuous acts against the regulatory framework from the gods. The ancient people believed in the articulation of religiosity regarding distinct political and socio-cultural values. Nevertheless, the leadership structures optimally influenced religious practices based on the interpretation of profound prohibitions that violate humanity and the autocracy of the government.
There is a prominent interdependent relationship between religion and society on account of the relevance of dynamic constructs. One of the constructs contributing to the interdependence is determining leadership effectiveness within the confines of religious beliefs. The Indonesia administration associated with gods to attain proficient power and influence (Hefner 8). The prominent aspect of societal growth and development was a reflection of appeased gods. However, religious practices faced the challenge concerning distinction between beliefs, morality, and constitutional requirements. It is the responsibility of religious leaders to enhance humanity practices and condemn certain ritualistic tendencies, such as human sacrifices and cannibalism. The necessity of integrating religious and social values enshrines the advocacy for equality and essence of ethical leadership across the public domain.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the intersection of government and religious practices threatens the aspect of promoting liberation. It is the core responsibility of the administrative leaders to establish policies that enhance the independence on religiosity and the governance structure. Burma poses an excellent demonstration involving the negative effect of state-level intervention on religious appeals across the nation that is violence. In a different aspect, Philippines represents the core challenge of religious diversity on the redefinition and reconstruction of democratic practices regionally. Indonesia’s strive for optimal growth and development radiates from the conflicts on religious divergence mainly on customs and norms concerning feminism and masculinity. Primarily, the three countries showcase the adept influence of religious resurgence to the sociocultural, economic, and political foundations of a nation.
Works Cited
Hefner, Robert W., ed. Routledge handbook of contemporary Indonesia. Routledge, 2018.
International Crisis Group. “Buddhism and state power in Myanmar.” Crisis Group Asia Report, no. 290, 2017.
International Crisis Group. “Myanmar stalled transition.” Crisis Group Asia Report, no. 151, 2018.
Hutchcroft, Paul, and Joel Rocamora. “Patronage-based parties and the democratic deficit in the Philippines: origins, evolution, and the imperatives of reform.” Routledge Handbook of Southeast Asian Politics. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2012.
Lindsey, Timothy, and Helen Pausacker, eds. Religion, law, and intolerance in Indonesia. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2016.
Rinaldo, Rachel. Mobilizing piety: Islam and feminism in Indonesia. Oxford University Press, 2013.
Smith-Hefner, Nancy J. “The new muslim romance: Changing patterns of courtship and marriage among educated Javanese youth.” Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, vol. 36, no. 3, 2005, pp. 441-442.
Thompson, Mark R. “People power sours: Uncivil society in Thailand and the Philippines.” Current History, vol. 107, no. 712, 2008, p. 381.
Warburton, Eve, and Edward Aspinall. “Explaining Indonesia’s democratic regression.” Contemporary Southeast Asia, vol. 41, no. 2, 2019, pp. 255-285.
Wiegele, Katharine L. Investing in miracles: El Shaddai and the transformation of popular Catholicism in the Philippines. University of Hawaii Press, 2004.