[easy_youtube_gallery id=VrDkAoZEcMU cols=1 ar=16_9 thumbnail=0 title=top]Do Youth Turn to Religion As a Coping Mechanism?[/easy_youtube_gallery]

Disaster and climate risks keep increasing globally. On top of that, humans, the contributors to the risks are not static. Globalization, migration, and mobility shape the demographic change, creating more culturally diverse cities. In countries that are exposed to various disaster risks, such as Indonesia and Japan, programs aiming at building community resilience continue to be developed by various institutions. The question is, whose resilience is being built? How should we take into account social differences in building community resilience? Does culture matter? In this Wednesday Forum, we will discuss various possible issues that emerge within a culturally diverse population in Indonesia when facing disaster situations. A participatory risk communication tool will be used during our discussion to make it a little more fun.

[easy_youtube_gallery id=wc3qk71qa_A cols=1 ar=16_9 thumbnail=0 title=top]Do Youth Turn to Religion As a Coping Mechanism?[/easy_youtube_gallery]

In Indonesia, a nation steeped in religious tradition, religion pervades many aspects of life, shaping societal perceptions, including attitudes towards mental health. This research delves into whether young people, particularly those undergoing life’s toughest challenges impacting their mental well-being, turn to religion and worship during such periods. The alarming increase in student suicides in Yogyakarta during 2023 has brought this issue into sharper focus, raising questions about the factors influencing young people’s mental health, their coping mechanisms, and the role of religion in these processes. The study involved nine individuals aged 19-26 who faced significant challenges affecting their mental health. These findings reveal that turning to religion in times of difficulty is not a universal choice. Different factors steer individuals towards varied coping mechanisms. This diversity in coping strategies suggests a need for broader education and support systems. Parents, policymakers, religious leaders, and educators should consider these findings to better equip young people with comprehensive knowledge about mental health, enhance their spiritual awareness, and foster effective coping mechanisms.

[easy_youtube_gallery id=-7IpNsz3QLo cols=1 ar=16_9 thumbnail=0 title=top]The Joke is on Me (God) – part 02[/easy_youtube_gallery]

Humor is often seen as a way of coping with the absurdities and tragedies of human existence. But humor can also be a way of exploring the paradoxes and contradictions of religion, which claims to offer ultimate answers and values for humanity. In this presentation, I will examine how humor about God can reveal the irony of religion and the meaning of humanity. I will draw on examples from various sources to show how humor about God can challenge, critique, or celebrate religious beliefs and practices. I will also discuss how humor about God can express different aspects of human nature, such as curiosity, doubt, faith, hope, and love. I will argue that humor about God can be a valuable tool for understanding and appreciating the complexity and diversity of religion and humanity.

Rev. Prof. Robert Setio, Ph. D. is the current dean of the Faculty of Theology at Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana He is also a board member of the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies, where he has taught Interreligious Hermeneutics and Approaches to Interreligious Studies. His main research interest is Biblical Hermeneutics.

[easy_youtube_gallery id=1DiMLUqz8TM cols=1 ar=16_9 thumbnail=0 title=top]Wednesday Forum: The Joke is on Me (God) #part 1[/easy_youtube_gallery]

Humor is often seen as a way of coping with the absurdities and tragedies of human existence. But humor can also be a way of exploring the paradoxes and contradictions of religion, which claims to offer ultimate answers and values for humanity. In this presentation, I will examine how humor about God can reveal the irony of religion and the meaning of humanity. I will draw on examples from various sources to show how humor about God can challenge, critique, or celebrate religious beliefs and practices. I will also discuss how humor about God can express different aspects of human nature, such as curiosity, doubt, faith, hope, and love. I will argue that humor about God can be a valuable tool for understanding and appreciating the complexity and diversity of religion and humanity.

Rev. Prof. Robert Setio, Ph. D. is the current dean of the Faculty of Theology at Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana He is also a board member of the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies, where he has taught Interreligious Hermeneutics and Approaches to Interreligious Studies. His main research interest is Biblical Hermeneutics.

[easy_youtube_gallery id=v5UL6deSpJ8 cols=1 ar=16_9 thumbnail=0 title=top]Spirituality in Plural Societies[/easy_youtube_gallery]

Religious presence has become plural in most parts of the world. How does spiritual identity develop in a globalized and therefore interreligious world? What do the changes mean for individuals and religious organizations? The empirical study pursues these questions through field research in four culturally and religiously diverse metropolitan areas: Munich, Seoul, Vilnius, and New York. One result is that spiritual identity is life-path navigation. New forms of religious groups, ideas, and practices of belief and spiritualities also foster processes of transformation in established religious organizations as a reaction to spiritual change.

Prof. Dr. Martin Rötting is an Associate Professor and head of the Religious Studies program at the Centre for Intercultural Theology and Study of Religions, Paris-Lodron University, Salzburg. He obtained his Ph.D. in Religious Studies and has published several works, including Religion in Bewegung (2012), Spirituelle Identität in einer interreligiösen Welt (2019), Spiritualität vs. Religion (2022). He is currently working on research projects on multi-faith spaces, spiritual influences, interreligious dialogue, contemporary spirituality, and forms of religion.