Interfaith Dialogue: A Visit to Dharma Yatra Temple of Argamakmur

The visit to Pura Dharma Yatra, Argamakmur (Sunday, 25/10/2020) became a new experience for the participants who took part in this activity. This visit aimed to bring together participants with different beliefs, Christianity and Hinduism, in an interfaith dialogue to strengthen the sense of brotherhood between activist students of the Multiplication of Stube HEMAT in Bengkulu and Hindu youths in Argamakmur, members of Sekaa Teruna-Teruni association (STT) Aditya Buana which is also part of the Indonesian Hindu Dharma Student Family (KMHDI).

The introduction was a fun start between the participants from the two groups. They recognized each other by name, education, job, or their activities and hobbies. A brief explanation of the organization and activities of STT Aditya Buana, as well as a brief explanation from Christian youths, added information, and understanding between the two. Not less interesting  is the question and answer session that took place to complement each other's understanding. The church youth explained their activities, the ethnic background, and a brief history of the congregation, while the STT Aditya Buana explained the activities carried out by the organization and explained the customs, naming, and the structure of the distribution of Hindu places of worship in Argamakmur. Many interesting things about Hinduism that Christian friends did not know were the subject of questions during the visit, such as customs, traditions, and structures.

The discussions, conversations, and questions and answers during this visit provided new knowledge, especially for the Church youth about Hinduism in Indonesia. Many interesting terms related to naming, religious structures, customs, and traditions were discussed during the dialogue. The young people of STT Aditya Buana are very good at mastering material and knowledge related to their beliefs. In addition to increase knowledge related to Hindu religion and culture, especially Balinese Hinduism, the dialogue also gave corrections to those that had gone spreadly wrong in society.

Actually, multicultural and interfaith matters are very interesting to discuss. The meetings and dialogues taught that every culture, tradition, custom, and religion in Indonesia is beautiful in diversity. Tolerance must be nurtured so that diversity remains within the unity of Indonesian citizens. ***

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