Pluralism discourse: The views of young Muhammadiyah intellectuals

Abstract

This article discusses the issue of religious pluralism in the perspective of young Muhammadiyah intellectuals. It aims at understanding the social construction and configuration of this issue. It uses as an approach the sociology of knowledge, emphasising the interrelatedness of the product of thought and social background. It argues that the understanding of religious pluralism of young Muhammadiyah intellectuals varies. Those who accept religious pluralism and those who reject it have different understandings on this concept. Some embrace religious pluralism because of social, political, anthropological, philosophical, and theological perspectives. For them, pluralism is different from plurality, tolerance, and relativism. Those who reject religious pluralism perceive the idea of pluralism from philosophical and theological perspectives. In this sense, pluralism is understood as relativism. Their different views and attitudes are due to their different social construction namely education, social interaction, and the genealogy of knowledge.