WHY DO PEOPLE BELIEVE IN THEM?
Spiritual groups with cult-like tendencies have existed throughout Indonesia for hundreds of years, said anthropologist Kamaruzzaman Bustamam-Ahmad from Banda Aceh’s Ar-Raniry University.
“This issue has been around for a long time in the archipelago, even before the arrival of the Dutch (in the 16th century).
“Nowadays, people want to define what it is, and the problem is that it is common although it is against our rationality,” Mr Bustamam-Ahmad told CNA.
The situation is especially complex given that Indonesia has hundreds of ethnicities, and most of them have their own indigenous beliefs, Mr Bustamam-Ahmad said.
In addition, Indonesia also recognises major religions that originally came from abroad, such as Islam and Christianity. These religions went through various processes of adaptation and assimilation to indigenous customs, beliefs and practices.
Over time, some of them could have developed into spiritual groups comprising a small number of people who frequently conduct their activities away from public attention.
Mr Bustamam-Ahmad said that some religion-based groups may have been around for centuries in Indonesia and their modus operandi in attracting followers have also evolved over time.
For example, years ago female followers were often asked to be mere servants to their group leaders. But nowadays there may have been some adjustments given the digital age we live in, he explained.
“Today, if you have a certain skill it becomes a strength on social media, and something which seems to be magical becomes interesting (to social media users),” said Mr Bustamam-Ahmad, who specialises in the study of anthropology and sociology of religions in Southeast Asia.
Loyalty to the leader as well as being useful in generating collective income have become essential elements for the viability of these groups.
Forming a strong emotional and unquestionable bond between leaders and followers is also key to how these groups operate, said Mr Bustamam-Ahmad.
While religion has always been a major pull for spiritual groups to attract followers, he also believes that it has become commodified.
He believes that in many instances, religion has been exploited for financial reasons. These include attracting donations and membership subscriptions or simply scamming their members.
“The more expensive a group is, the more complicated the situation you are in. If a group becomes more difficult to join, the more it shows there’s something (unusual) there,” said Mr Bustamam-Ahmad.
Speaking at a press conference a few days after the Payangan beach incident, the Jember police chief said followers of Padepokan Tunggal Jati Nusantara had to pay a monthly fee of 20,000 rupiah (US$1.40) for joining the group.
They also had to pay another 20,000 rupiah for taking part in the beach ritual.
He revealed that the leader established the group in 2015 upon returning from Malaysia and he initially promoted himself as an alternative medicine practitioner.
He said the group’s leader carried out his rituals by combining various religious practices, including chanting mantras in Javanese languages.
The police chief added that the group attracted new members through word of mouth by claiming its successes in curing people of certain illnesses.
“There was no coercion, there was no registration form, all was done via the members who spread the news to others such as their families or friends. Generally, the members all have a problem,” he said.
A survivor of the incident at Payangan beach, who was quoted by his first name as Feri, 20, told local media that he had joined the group for two years. They usually went to the beach to get rid of bad luck, he said.
Another survivor named Bayu, 21, told local media that they were only at the beach to meditate.
According to Professor Sunyoto Usman, a sociologist from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, people tend to seek spiritual or magical solutions if they believe that the rational or scientific way of doing things could not solve their problems.
“It is not correlated with their level of education. This involves their comprehension and it could be rational or irrational because the usual method of problem-solving did not work,” said Prof Usman.
Members of the group led by Taat Pribadi in Probolinggo, for example, included army generals and police officers, while there were celebrities among the followers of Gatot Brajamusti.
Prof Usman further explained that such groups usually exist in societies that tend to be liberal.
“When the authorities are very authoritarian, they usually don’t exist because then sanctions can be imposed on the followers.
“But when the authority in power is more liberal, they are permitted to exist,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) Yusnar Yusuf told CNA that there are many people in Indonesia who believe in spiritual leaders as a result of them not adhering to religion properly.
“This kind of phenomenon is not uncommon in Indonesia. When there is a spiritual emptiness in people who have not adhered to religion properly, they will look for something that is lacking in themselves.
“These are people trapped in their desire, but the desire cannot be achieved in a rational way … These are people who don’t follow what their religion says.”