Young Protestant Pastor: Be Together, Not the Same

PPIM.UINJKT.AC.ID – “To be together does not need to be the same, because difference is an asset,” Yerry Pattinasarany, a young Protestant Pastor, said on Friday (24/7). He shared his views about the meaning of religious moderation for Indonesian millennials. 

Yerry was speaking in a virtual seminar series of #ModerasiBeragama (Religious Moderation) themed “Interfaith Millennials Talking about Religious Moderation”, which was organized by the Center for the Study of Islam and Society (PPIM) of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) Jakarta through Convey Indonesia program.

In the discussion, Yerry emphasized the importance of togetherness in the context of diversity, saying that young people should no longer see differences as threats or enemies, but as national assets.

He said he always reminded his congregation to show the attitudes of respecting differences and to make friends with followers of different religions, not to attach negative stigma against certain religions. 

“I believe that it is not a coincidence that we were born here in Indonesia. I also believe that under our national declaration, this nation was built for diversity,” Yerry said.

Nevertheless, he admitted that it was difficult to spread the messages that could be easily understood by young people, and that was the main obstacle in disseminating religious moderation to the millennials. He then suggested that there should be some modifications in the ways people distributed youth-friendly contents. It could be in the forms of stand-up comedy, coffee shops or social media applications.

Besides Yerry, the discussion that was moderated by Convey Indonesia Team Leader Jamhari Makruf also presented several other young figures from different religious backgrounds, such as Fernanda Ambar Pratiwi (a Catholic nun), Meilan Rahayu Putri (Head of Indonesian Konghucu Youth, Bogor chapter), Ida Ayu Prasati (a representative of Hinduism), Anes Dwi Prasetya from HIKMAHBUDI, and Fikri Fahrul Faiz from Convey Indonesia.

Writer: Aptiani Nur Jannah
Editor: M. Nida Fadlan