This article contributes from a multidisplinary theological perspective to hermeneutical studies behind philosophies related to the Abrahamic religions as expressed in the Qur’an.
Oral tradition is the cultural wealth of the local community which is now very important to be maintained in the midst of people who are familiar with technological progress. This does not rule out the possibility of forgetting traditions in the community. Therefore, comprehensive efforts are needed to maintain the traditions that exist in a society so that they can be passed on to future generations. For this reason, a study is needed in relation to the oral traditions in a society, namely, the study of folklore.
The study of folklore seeks to describe the origins of tradition, messages and meanings, and the functions of tradition that exist in the community. The aspects raised in oral literature research (folklore) include three things: (1) reviewing the origin of oral literature (folklore), which reveals where the literature was born, whether it is successful in reflecting the condition of the community and what the transformation process is; (2) reviewing the message and meaning of oral literature, namely, what symbols are used to cover the message and is it still relevant to a society; and (3) reviewing the function of oral literature, amongst others, for sociopolitical control, educating the public, satire and so on (Endraswara
The tradition of
In this study, we have not only examined the study of folklore but also analysed the importance and values contained in the tradition. This is because these values can be understood by listeners or readers through the stories depicted in the tradition of a community. The values examined in this study are the character value. This is an aspect of the study because the character value is a value that includes all the values that exist in everyday life and the value of Godhead.
Based on the existing literature on syncretism, it can be stated that previous research on this topic only focused on religious syncretism, architecture, the use of syncretism in school learning, culture, beliefs and semantic categories. Therefore, it can be stated that no previous research on syncretism and the value of character education in the tradition of
The theory used in this study is folklore and the value of character education. Folklore is a part of a collective culture that is spread and passed down from generation to generation, amongst any kind of collective, traditionally in a different version, both in oral and sample forms accompanied by gestures or reminders (Danandjaya
Oral folklore defined as a pure oral folklore, actually produced orally and spoken by word of mouth, which belongs to the category of (1) folk speech, such as accent, epithet, traditional rank and title of nobility; (2) traditional expressions, such as proverbs and slogans; (3) traditional questions, such as puzzles and folk poetry, such as pantun, gurindam and syair; (4) stories of people’s prose, such as myths, legends and tales; and (5) folk songs. The second type of folklore is partial oral folklore. It is a folklore whose form is a mixture of oral and not oral elements. The forms of folklore that fall into this category include (1) traditional skills, (2) folk games, (3) customs, (4) ceremonies, (5) folk theatre, (6) folk dance and (7) people’s parties. The third one is non-verbal folklore. This genre is divided into two sub-groups: the folklore group, not the material and immaterial oral. The forms of non-verbal folklore material include (1) folk architecture such as traditional houses, (2) folk handicrafts such as traditional clothing and typical regional body accessories, (3) traditional food and drinks and (4) traditional medicines, whilst immaterial non-oral folklore forms include (1) traditional gesture, (2) signal sounds such as kentongan for communication and (3) folk music (Danandjaya
Character education defined as efforts that are systematically designed and implemented to help students understand the values of human behaviour that relate to God the Almighty, self, fellow human beings, the environment and nationality manifested in thoughts, attitudes, feelings, words and actions based on religion, laws, manners, culture and customs (Wibowo
From the above opinions, it can be concluded that character education is a form of one’s behaviour based on noble values and characters that are implemented in daily life, within both the family and society.
There are 18 components of character education. The first value is religious value, which includes attitudes and behaviours that are necessary for carrying out the teachings of the religion one adheres to, tolerant of the implementation of worship of other religions and living harmoniously with adherents of other religions. The second value is honesty, which includes behaviour that is based on the effort to make oneself a person who can always be trusted in words, actions and work. The third value is tolerance, which includes one’s attitudes and actions that respect differences in religion, ethnicity, opinions, attitudes and actions of others who are different from them. The fourth value is discipline, which includes actions that show orderly behaviour and comply with various rules and regulations. The fifth value is hard work, which includes behaviour that shows earnest effort in overcoming various obstacles to learning and assignments, as well as completing the task as best as possible.
The sixth value is to be creative, which includes thinking and doing something to produce new ways or results from something that has been owned. The seventh value is to be independent, which includes attitudes and behaviours that are not easily dependent on others in completing tasks. The eighth value is to be democratic, which includes ways of thinking and acting that assess the rights and obligations of one’s self and others. The ninth value is curiosity, which includes attitudes and actions that always strive to find out more deeply and broadly from something learnt, seen and heard. The 10th value is the spirit of nationality, which includes ways of thinking, acting and being insightful that place the interests of the nation and state above one’s self and group interests.
The 11th value is love of the motherland, which includes ways of thinking and acting that show loyalty, care and high appreciation for the language, physical environment and social, cultural, economic and political. The 12th value is respecting achievements, which includes attitudes and actions that encourage one to produce something useful for the community, and acknowledge and respect the success of others.
The 13th value is to be friendly or communicative, which includes actions that show the pleasure of talking, hanging out and working with others. The 14th value is love of peace, which includes attitude, words and actions that cause others to feel happy and safe for their presence.
The 15th value is fond of reading, which includes the habit of providing time to read various texts that provide virtue to one. The 16th value is caring for the environment that includes attitudes and actions that always try to prevent damage to the surrounding natural environment and develop efforts to repair the natural damage that has occurred. The 17th value is social care, which includes attitudes and actions that always want to provide assistance to other people and communities in need. The 18th value is responsibility, which includes the attitude and behaviour of a person to carry out his duties and obligations, which one should do to himself, to the community, to the environment (natural, social and cultural), to the country and to the Almighty God (Wibowo
The place (setting) of this research is Sang Cipta Rasa mosque complex of Kasepuhan Palace in Cirebon. This research is a qualitative study. It uses a folklore approach to describe what a problem is and then analyses and interprets the existing data. The data of this study comprise oral data, which come from hereditary stories, namely, from the tradition of
The
The emergence of the
The mosque is symbolised not only as a place of worship but also as a place of learning Islam. This has become the efforts of non-Muslims to thwart the spread of Islam, which at that time was prevalent in Hinduism. One of them was carried out by Megananda with
Megananda made an effort to silence Sang Cipta Rasa mosque secretly by going up to
Seeing these strange events,
Seven days later,
He revealed that the cause of death of the muezzin and the santri is Meganada’s magic power called
However, Nyi Mas Kadilangu and Nyi Mas Pakungwati remained adamant. They wanted the mosque to be resolved immediately and become the centre of the spread of Islam. With a heavy heart, the council finally granted the wishes of the two women.
Towards dawn,
Sang Cipta Rasa great mosque has no
The
The mosque is an Islamic symbol, whilst the
The king must be above his people, it seems that the tradition was also held firmly by the Cirebon family of music, when building a mosque was not accompanied by
The present study findings regarding the existence of a religious syncretism in the
The research findings regarding syncretism in the form of Islamic and Hindu beliefs in the
Understanding of the teachings Islam as a whole in the community, especially when the spread of Islam during the Sunan Gunung Jati period in Cirebon caused an understanding or belief that had existed before Islam entered (Hinduism and Buddhism), was still felt in the process of spreading Islam carried out by Sunan Gunung Jati, such as sacrifices and spells. The results of the study are in line with such as sacrifices and spells.
This research aimed to identify the forms of syncretism practised by Christian churches in Kenya, to find out the reasons why Christians still practise syncretism in Kenya and to evaluate Christian strategies that deal with syncretic practices in churches in Kenya. Mwiti determined that preachers teach about syncretism using familiar records from the Bible, church leaders teach the supremacy of Jesus Christ and they must teach and apply salvation through grace through faith to deal with syncretic practices. Mwiti’s research concluded that spiritual dissatisfaction was prevalent amongst preachers who did not meet the spiritual needs of members of the congregation, that Christians did not feel protected by the gospel and that insecurity caused Christians to become shamans (Mwiti,
There are similarities between this study and that of Mwiti’s in that both examined syncretism. In addition, there are also differences between these two studies. Whilst Mwiti’s research focused on spiritual discontent, not feeling protected and the discomfort of Christians that caused Christians to become shamans or face syncretism, our study sought to discuss the existence of a Muslim belief regarding sacrifice and mantras caused by the construction of the Sang Cipta Rasa mosque. Furthermore, the researchers also discussed the character values contained in the
This research regarding the influence of Hindu beliefs in the process of spreading Islam and research conducted by Singh’s, Ashadi’s, and Mwiti’s regarding the religious syncretism are in line with the study Daniel’ (
Despite all missionary efforts to disregard belief in occultism and superstition as evil, this belief is a reality in the lives of many Christians in Kenya (Daniel
The findings of this study regarding the influence of beliefs on other religions were also found in Umoh’s (
Superstition and syncretism have jointly infected authentic religious commitments to Christianity or Islam in Africa (Umoh
The influence of Hindu belief in the spread of Islam in Cirebon is clearly evident in people who still believe in the existence of mantras and sacrifices. This happens when in the midst of society there is a shift in beliefs and culture that was originally shifted from Hinduism to Islam. This is what makes a syncretism in the spread of Islam in Cirebon. This study’s findings are in line with that of Makin (
Hindu–Buddhist came first followed by Islamic works which added syncretism. The findings of this study also reveal that Hindu–Buddhist figures are retold in Islamic works, with various modifications. The story of Sunan Kalijaga reflects older sources such as Sutasoma, Ken Arok, Bima and other figures. The stories contained in these texts teach everyone about the relativity between evil and good, and that evil is not destroyed but is turned into good. Research conducted by Makin (
The findings of this study relate to the influence of Hindu–Buddhist religious beliefs on the spread of Islam on the island of Java, especially in Cirebon, by Sunan Gunung Jati. This is in accordance with Salim’s (
The present study’s findings have similarities with that of Salim’s (
Mixed culture or acculturation carried out by adherents of Islam is specifically a mixture of Hindu and Islamic cultures regarding beliefs, such as sacrifice and spells, that are still being carried out in Cirebon, as were during the spread of Islam by Sunan Gunung Jati. The results of this study are related to research conducted by Rukuni (
There is a mutual Influence of social dynamics, religious politics and orthodoxy. The continuity of this merger results in religious politics. The results of the present study and that by Rukuni’s (
The character education values contained in the tradition of
Character value of syncretism in
The value contained in the
Data in
The first character value education is religion. Religious values are attitudes and behaviours that are necessary for carrying out the teachings of one’s religion. This value was seen when the call to prayer was announced at the Sang Cipta Rasa mosque in Cirebon. Adzan is a sign of the entry of prayer times. The first spread of Islam in Cirebon by Sunan Gunung Jati was the construction of a mosque, now known as Sang Cipta Rasa mosque. One of the rituals of worship in congregation in the mosque and a marker of the entry of prayer times is to call a prayer. At that time, the call to prayer was still natural and had not been touched by technology such as loudspeakers; therefore, the call to prayer was very important in performing prayer services.
The second character education value is hard work. Hard work is a behaviour that shows serious effort in overcoming various obstacles. The value of hard work appears in the earnest efforts made by Sunan Gunung Jati assisted by Sunan Kali Jaga, Nyi Mas Kadilangu, Nyi Mas Pakungwati and the followers of Sunan Gunung Jati who were trying to stop the
The third character education value is social care. Social care is an attitude and action that always wants to provide assistance to other people and communities in need. The value of social care is reflected in Nyi Mas Kadilangu and Nyi Mas Pakungwati when they proposed themselves as sacrifices. The sacrifice was one of the conditions for the
Based on the discussion outlined about syncretism and character education values in the
Thank you to the Education Fund Management Institute (LPDP) of the Ministry of finance of the Republic of Indonesia for funding my doctoral studies through the BUDI-DN program.
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
All authors contributed equally to this work.
This research was approved by the research ethics council.
This research was funded by the Education Fund Management Institute (LPDP) of the Ministry of finance of the Republic of Indonesia for funding.
Data sharing is applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.
The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any affiliated agency of the authors.