The Dynamics of the Relationship Between State and Religion

Abstract

In the period leading up to and following Indonesian independence, the relationship between religion and the state was fiercely debated between supporters of a secular state and supporters of a theocratic (religious) state. Advocates of a theocratic state held that Western secularism could weaken the influence of religion in national and public life, and they wanted Islam to be the religion and the legal basis of the state. Supporters of a secular state, by contrast, held that secularism was the best choice if religion and the state were each to fulfill their own tasks and functions. After a lengthy debate, the religious-nationalist leaders and the people agreed to establish Indonesia as a religious nation-state. Such a state recognizes religious values without positioning any particular religion or religious teaching as the state religion or the basis of state law.Using a qualitative, this article aims to examine the basic concepts of the secular state and the theocratic state, as well as Indonesia as a religious nation-state and the challenges it faces. It is a qualitative library study. A critical evaluation of the literature reveals that a secular state strictly separates religious institutions from the state. A theocratic state establishes a particular religion as the state religion and positions divine law  as the supreme law of the state. A religious nation-state recognizes divine values but does not adopt the teaching of any particular religion as the state religion and the basis of state law.