Does Religion Matter? Understanding Religion Subject for Formal Education

In modern education, religion becomes a study that is not prioritized because it is transcendental. Religion subject in formal education involves ambiguity in search of learning purposes. Some countries choose to return religious studies as an option rather than a mandatory subject. This study attempts to examine the importance of religion subject in formal education. The method employs literature reviews from research reports of the model of religion subject in particular countries thus these are compared with the religion subject model in Indonesia. The results show that developed countries reform religion subjects as an optional subject, while Indonesia might recognize religion subjects in formal education even though it factually does not indicate suitability for configuring students’ characters.


Introduction
Religion subject is important for certain society particularly Muslims think that religion becomes a fundamental subject for human living. Neither Muslim nor Christian agrees with religion takes part in social environment. By the end of the twentieth century, the subject of religion had disappeared from the American public-school curriculum. It happened after the late 1970s the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Frances Fitzgerald concluded that religion played no role in the formation of the country or its aspirations (Viteritti, 2007). Its conclusion influenced state law to eliminate the curriculum of religion subject.
In 1970, Horkheimer, who is a member of the Frankfurt School, indicated that there was a semantic battle about the relationship between religion and politics (Eitler, 2005) it was caused that critical theory supposed to be understood the role of religion was to preserve political change. Religion in his discourse considered as the social function and it was similar to Benjamin as if religion as a part of the facts of "invisible orders" to confront society with the question of the criteria for a human living (Fiorato, 2005).
Meanwhile, in the Republic of Ireland, religion subject has been included in government regulation. Different with America, Ireland has led to the development and practice of an integrated curriculum, whereby the religious subject is expected to be incorporated into secular subjects and throughout the daily life of the school (Mawhinney, 2007). They put religion subject as optional as international human rights standards as if the doctrinal religious subject is taught in school, they propose to opt-out clauses for those who do not want to participate in such classes. Yet, the unsuccess program of the Republic of Ireland regulating religion subjects in school was caused by a monopoly position. The main problem of the education system produces a conflict between the right to freedom of religion (Mawhinney, 2007).
On the contrary, Indonesia has put regulation for religion subject in school by the decision of the Ministry of Religion. The government released statute in 2017 to protect religion subject has been taught in elementary school, junior high school, senior high school, and universities. The decision of government statute of religion subject strives to educate students in morality, attitude, and character. It has been claimed as effective as formal education in school so that Indonesian pay attention seriously to guard religion subject still exist in formal education in Indonesia.
In 2017, Indonesia was shocked by eliminating religion subjects in formal education because certain people considered that education was not relevant in establishing students' character for Indonesia. Because of the many riots, eliminating religion subject issue was be the main conversation among Indonesian. Indonesia Religious Leader (Majelis Ulama Indonesia) claimed that eliminating religion subject referring to break the constitution and they stated the religion subject has been under-constitution and ruled in any statue of Indonesia (Sarwanto, 2017;Wiryono, 2017) and Child Protection Commission of Indonesia (KPAI) (2017) explained that children supposed to get religion subject as an effort to educate characteristic.
The implication of the explanation above refers to find out religion subject position in education. As we know that religion subject is regarded as important as formal education among Indonesian because the country itself underlines religion is the first thing first of the Indonesian constitution represented in the first point of Pancasila Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa. Understanding religion subject is the matter of this study, so it offers that does religiosity be truly needed among Indonesia and what does it effect to Indonesian characteristics. Meanwhile, the most developed country has been eliminated religion subject in formal education because of the ineffectively of the teachings.
Indonesian scholars tend to neglect religion subjects but they are always glorifying Islamic education is important in formal school. This study observes some research held in religion subjects in Indonesia, which are held by Kosim (2006) elaborated religion subject in formal school needed more time, qualified teacher, and curriculum evaluation. Manizar (2017) concluded that the religion subject of Islam had lackness on facilities, so his research found that optimization was really needed. Others, Hidayat, and Asyafah Islamic scholars tend to provoke the importance of religion subject than evaluating the meaning of the Indonesia constitution about religion subject in formal education. In order to point out this study, I would propose to examine understanding religion subject matter among students and to find out the effectiveness and efficiency of its subject for constitution law.

A Journey of Religion Subject in Formal Education Around the World
Islamic education in Indonesia has been a long time ago since the era of the empire in Indonesia. It began the Islamic kingdom, especially in the Wali era. Afterward, Islamic education had a problem in Dutch colonialism when they discriminated Indonesian Muslims by design Islamic education forbid to be taught in class but it supposed to be educated out of class. Islamic teachers also reported to the Dutch government before teaching. The Dutch government, in case, easily disbanded the activities if it was not suitable for the government (Kosim, 2006).
In Japanese reign, religion subject was not allowed in formal education, so it replaced with character education. After independence, the naming of character education was recognized as a religious subject. Religion subject has already been steady in any school in Indonesia. Education ministry regulates religion subject's curriculum which must be integrated and comprehended to holy book for any religion especially to Quran and Hadiths for Muslim students.

Comparison Study Between Religion Subject and Constitution Purposes
Indonesia government has already regulated religion subject into the constitution.
It refers to educational law No. 20 the year 2003 to provide religious education to students depended in their religion. As an archipelago country, the identity of Indonesia is too many that sometimes it becomes a particular problem in toleration. According to Lubis (2014) explained in his article that the education constitution generates intolerance among society. Not only intolerance but also fanaticism emerges among society throughout groups among society (Riyanto, 2000). Therefore, removal of religion subject becomes popular among society because it is not effective as well as constitution purposes. Based on released regulation from the ministry of religion, religion subject is important to students. There are three purposes of religion subject, which are instilling students to have faith and devotion to God; developing competency, knowledge, attitudes, and skills of students to become a good scholar; and enhancing akhlak for students individually and social skill for being humanistic among society.
I assume that religion subject and constitution purposes have contrary reality in certain occasions. First, instilling students to have faith and devotion to God supposed to be implied in attitude and behavior. In fact, there is students' brawl among schools in Indonesia often happened in a year even it generated fatalities (Nugroho, 2018;Pahrevi, 2018;Suryacahya, 2018). Contrary, any religion in Indonesia especially Islam prohibits the adherents to hurt each other even to kill. As Muslim, there are Quran verses and hadiths prohibit each other such as God supposed to be implied in attitude and behavior. In fact, there is students' brawl among schools in Indonesia often happened in a year even it generated fatalities (Nugroho, 2018;Pahrevi, 2018;Suryacahya, 2018 Second, developing competency, knowledge, attitudes, and skills of "and those who hurt people who are Muslim and Muslima without their mistakes, then really they have borne a lie and a real sin" -QS. Al-Ahzab: 58.
God supposed to be implied in attitude and behavior. In fact, there is students' brawl among schools in Indonesia often happened in a year even it generated fatalities (Nugroho, 2018;Pahrevi, 2018;Suryacahya, 2018 The comparison between religion subject and constitution purposes does not suit in real life. This is possibly caused by the system of religion education deficiency. The government asserts to pay attention to religion subject matter in education to configure students' attitude and behavior while they consider that religion subject is a part of curriculum material in the educational system. Moreover, state educational institutions regulate religion subject for less time contrary to Islamic schools which much pay attention to religion. Rather regulation of religion subject is less effective for state educational institution than configuring attitude and behavior of the students. Therefore, many developed countries took down the religion subject in there such as German regulated religion education to be eliminated, Ireland provided parents opting to take the children out of religious instruction (TheJournal.ie, 2016). Indeed, English pays attention to improve religious awareness in England, religions may have to let go of education (The Economist, 2018). In other words, developed countries prefer eliminating religion education in formal education inside in their curriculum. The implication of religion subject matter drives society only to discuss about faith and devotion to God instead of configuring the attitude and behavior.

Conclusion
The importance of religious education in Indonesia indicates awareness of students to be faith and devotion to God theoretically. Rather students' attitude and behavior might not be configurated by religion education in formal school. As developed countries recognize religion education ineffective for establishing the attitude and behavior of the students, so they possibly eliminate religion subject in their curriculum or making its subject being an option.
Constitution purposes regulate religion into the curriculum in Indonesia supposed to be carried out as educational regulation. The cases of students' brawls indicate failure educational regulation putting religion subject into the main curriculum. It is not only degenerating religion values but also misunderstanding constitution purposes. Indonesia throughout the ministry of religion might take a part of this problem to solve religion education proportionally.
Taking down religion subject in the curriculum does not break the national principle of Pancasila especially in first verse Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa and it does not indicate that Indonesia education refers to secularism. I conclude that it is a proper way to save the values of Islamic teaching and to regulate the educational curriculum properly. Seemingly, education in Indonesia needs to regulate the curriculum in search of proper decision for separating religion and formal education. In order to decide wisely, there must be particularly time for religion outside of school, so it might not eliminate the religion subject clearly, but it only separates religion subject of formal education.