Building Tolerance through Hindu Religious Textbooks: Teaching Tolerance Values to Elementary School Students through Stories and Illustrations

Religious education in Indonesia has an important role in shaping students' character and tolerance. However, there are still challenges in integrating tolerance values in religious textbooks. The purpose of this study is to analyze the elements of tolerance in Hinduism textbooks for elementary school students. This research used a content analysis approach to analyze the elements of tolerance in the stories and illustration pictures of Hindu religious textbooks for elementary school students. The results showed that the elements of tolerance in the textbooks could be grouped into an appreciation for differences, understanding of diversity, cooperation and brotherhood, and justice. These findings indicate that Hindu religious textbooks can be an effective means to promote values of tolerance among elementary school students. The scientific contribution of this study is that content analysis can be used to identify the elements of tolerance in Hindu religious textbooks for elementary school. The significance of this research lies in its implications for educators and curriculum developers. By highlighting the elements of tolerance, this study underscores the importance of incorporating these values into religious education curricula. It emphasizes the need for educators and textbook authors to pay attention to and reinforce tolerance elements in the content and design of religious textbooks. In doing so, religious education can effectively contribute to the development of diverse and understanding communities among elementary school students in Indonesia.


Introduction
Indonesia is a country that is rich in cultural, ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity.However, conflicts arising from these differences often occur, such as ethnic and religious conflicts (Febriyandi, 2019;Putri, 2011;Syukron, 2017).Therefore, efforts are needed to promote tolerance to prevent such conflicts.Tolerance is the ability to accept differences and respect the right of every individual to be different (Abdullah, 2018;Casram, 2016;Ghazali, 2016;Hasyim, 1979).Tolerance is essential to ensure the sustainability of peaceful religious and state life.One way to promote tolerance is through education, especially religious education in schools.
Religious textbooks can be used as an effective means to promote tolerance to elementary school students, considering that textbooks are mandatory books that every student reads.As expressed by Anwar and Salim (2019) religious education is essential in building national character, especially in instilling the value of tolerance in students.In this context, research that identifies the elements of tolerance in textbooks can provide valuable information for developing more effective religious education curricula to promote tolerance among students.textbooks for elementary school students.The textbook used as a sample for this research is the Hindu religion textbook used in elementary schools in Indonesia.
To collect data, the researcher obtained a sample of Hindu religious textbooks used in primary schools from the Indonesian Book Information System (https://buku.kemdikbud.go.id/).The sample only included books from the "Merdeka Curriculum", the current curriculum system in use.The researcher then conducted a systematic analysis of the stories and illustrations in the textbooks and categorized the elements of tolerance present in the data.Content analysis techniques were used to analyze the data, which involved identifying patterns and themes to provide a detailed description of the data's characteristics.The categories used for analysis were based on the types of tolerance elements found in the textbooks.Finally, the results were interpreted and discussed in the context of previous research on the integration of tolerance values in religious education textbooks.
The steps in the content analysis of this study involved several stages.First, the researcher collected samples of Hindu textbooks for elementary school students from the Indonesian Book Information System.Next, the researcher systematically analyzed the stories and illustrations in the books.This process involved identifying patterns and themes that emerged in the texts, as well as categorizing the elements of tolerance contained in the books.These categories are based on the types of tolerance elements previously identified.Next, researchers interpreted the results of the analysis and discussed them in the context of previous research on the integration of tolerance values in religious education textbooks.These steps help to provide a deeper understanding of the elements of tolerance present in Hindu religious textbooks for elementary school students, as well as providing valuable insights for the development of a religious education curriculum that is more effective in promoting tolerance values among students.

Tolerance, Its Aspects, and Indicators
Creating learning that promotes tolerance in the classroom is very important.In today's era, students are faced with a variety of cultural, religious and social background differences.Developing understanding, appreciation and respect for differences is therefore crucial.Tolerance learning not only helps create an inclusive and harmonious classroom environment, but also equips students with essential social skills to interact well with fellow individuals in an increasingly pluralistic society.In addition, tolerance learning also plays an important role in shaping students' social and moral attitudes, fostering empathy, reducing discrimination, and encouraging cooperation.Therefore, teachers have a crucial role in creating learning that promotes tolerance, provides space for open dialog, understands diverse perspectives, and seeks commonalities amid differences.
Previous research shows that in the context of religious education, teachers often focus more on achieving competencies and concrete learning objectives (Sulisworo, Nasir, & Maryani, 2016;Widiati, Suryati, & Hayati, 2018), so the importance of creating ideal and meaningful learning to develop tolerance is often overlooked.While measurable learning competencies and objectives are important, it is important to recognize that creating a learning environment that promotes tolerance and understanding of differences is essential for holistic student character development.Teachers have a crucial role in creating learning that is inclusive, understanding and respectful of diversity.Therefore, this research makes an important contribution by focusing on identifying the elements of tolerance in Hindu religious textbooks, so as to provide guidance and insight for teachers in developing learning that is oriented towards ideal and meaningful tolerance values, in line with the broader objectives of religious education.
Tolerance is one of the fundamental values in a pluralistic and multicultural society.Tolerance involves recognizing and appreciating the differences and diversity of individuals or groups (Fitriani, 2020;Schirmer, Weidenstedt, & Reich, 2012).Tolerance education shapes positive and harmonious attitudes in an increasingly diverse society (Banks, 2015a).The following are some aspects of tolerance values and their indicators, presented in Table 1 Understanding Each Other f.Understand that all human actions have their reasons g.Respect every thought and opinion of others 5 Awareness and honesty h.Recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of each individual i.Justifying the inevitability of diversity Source: Hasyim (1979) Hindu religious education can be crucial in shaping students' character to be tolerant and inclusive by integrating tolerance aspects into the curriculum and textbooks.Through teaching tolerance values, students can understand and appreciate the diversity of religions, cultures, and ethnicities around them, and learn to respect differences and establish harmonious relationships with individuals or groups who are different.Additionally, tolerance education in the context of the Hindu religion can also teach students about universal principles that underlie the religion, such as unity in diversity and mutual understanding (Banks, 2015b;UNESCO, 1995).
To achieve this goal, teachers must integrate tolerance aspects into the learning materials and teach cross-cultural and critical communication skills necessary to overcome stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination (Liliweri, 2003).This can be done by including real-life examples that demonstrate how tolerance values are applied in social, political, and cultural contexts and by training students to be good listeners, appreciate differences of opinions, and develop the ability to articulate their views politely and respectfully (UNESCO, 1995).Integrating these tolerance aspects into Hindu religious education is hoped to create a more tolerant, inclusive, and peaceful generation, which will be the foundation for a more just and harmonious society in the future.

Media to Promote Tolerance Values in Textbooks a. Instilling Tolerance Through Stories
Another way to integrate tolerance values in textbooks is by incorporating stories from Hindu mythology, legends, and inspiring stories from famous figures that show tolerance, empathy, and mutual understanding.Students can learn about tolerance through exciting and relevant stories in their daily lives (Dewi, 2022;Purnamasari & Wuryandani, 2019;Rantesalu & Iswanto, 2018).
One of the most frequently told stories in various levels of primary school textbooks is the Ramayana story, even told in detail in seven parts (Putra, 2021).In the Ramayana story, there are several tolerance values contained within it.One of the tolerance values seen in the story is respecting each other among humans, despite their different ethnicities, religions, or beliefs.
An example is seen in the meeting between Rama and Monkey King Sugriwa, who were different in kind and form but could work together to achieve the same goal of freeing Sita from the hands of Ravana (Putra, 2021).Moreover, there is also a tolerance value in forgiving and giving a second chance to those who have made mistakes.For example, when Bharata catches up with Rama in the forest to ask him to return to Kosala and become the king, Rama refuses the request and chooses to stay in the forest (Putra, 2021).Even though Bharata had previously been guilty of asking Rama to be banished to the forest at the request of his stepmother, Rama gave him a second chance and allowed him to become the king of Kosala on behalf of Rama.There is also a tolerance value in accepting differences of opinion and choosing a peaceful path.An example is seen in the conversation between Rama and Sugriwa, who were previously enemies but could make peace and work together to achieve the same goal (Putra, 2021).
There are also fables, which are short stories that usually depict animal characters behaving and talking like humans (Olmos, 2014).The primary purpose of fables is to convey a moral lesson or ethical teaching through the behavior and interactions between characters in the story (Hermanudin, 2019;Puspitasari & Hidayatulloh, 2020; I. S. Rahmawati, Roekhan, & Nurchasanah, 2016).One fable is the story of the Monkey and the Crocodile.
Once upon a time, there lived a monkey who resided in a mango tree.The monkey ate mangoes every day.One day, a hungry crocodile passed by and asked the monkey for some mangoes.The monkey kindly gave the Crocodile some mangoes."Wow, it's so sweet!" said the Crocodile."This is for your friend!" said the monkey kindly.The Crocodile then left and gave the mangoes to his friends."Wow, it's so sweet!" said his friends."I want his heart!" they continued.They forgot about the monkey's kindness.The Crocodile then went to see the monkey.He pretended to invite the monkey to his house.The monkey climbed onto the Crocodile's back.However, the monkey knew of the Crocodile's bad intentions.The monkey then had an idea to stay safe.He asked to be taken back to the tree so the Crocodile would not eat him.The monkey then jumped onto the tree and was saved (Duwijo, 2021).Through the story of the Monkey and the Crocodile, students are taught to understand the values of tolerance.In the story, several aspects of tolerance are reflected in the interaction between the two characters.The monkey acknowledged the Crocodile's right to eat and fulfil its needs by giving the hungry Crocodile some mangoes, showing respect for the differences between him and the Crocodile.Despite being different creatures, the monkey was willing to share food with the Crocodile.
The Monkey also shows empathy and understanding toward the hungry Crocodile's needs by giving him the mango.However, when the Crocodile plans to eat the Monkey, he uses his cunning to understand the Crocodile's ill intentions and saves himself.The Monkey knows the Crocodile's evil intentions and does not allow himself to be caught in a dangerous situation.Additionally, the Monkey is honest with himself by acknowledging that he needs to save himself from the Crocodile.Through the Monkey's behavior, this story teaches us the importance of acknowledging the rights of others, respecting differences, empathy, awareness, and honesty.
In addition to integrating tolerance values through stories, the Hindu Religious Education textbooks also describe behaviors or traits that contradict tolerance values.For example, when describing characters in the Mahabharata (Arsana, 2021).
Duryodhana is known as a cruel and evil character.He often plays with and hurts others.Sakuni often encourages Korawa to harass Pandawa.Sakuni also once encouraged Duryodhana to harm Bhima.Dursasana often acts greedily, not thinking about other people's feelings.He likes to take away other people's belongings (Arsana, 2021).
The stories involving Duryodhana, Sakuni, and Dursasana show how their behavior often contradicts the principle of tolerance.Duryodhana, who often plays with and hurts others, does not recognize or respect the rights of others to live safely and free from violence.Meanwhile, Duryodhana and Sakuni often harass Pandawa, who may have beliefs different from theirs, indicating their inability to respect the beliefs of others.
Additionally, Duryodhana, Sakuni, and Dursasana needed to appreciate the differences between themselves and others.They often hurt and took advantage of others, contrary to the aspect of tolerance that promotes respecting differences.Their actions of frequently hurting and disturbing others also showed that they lacked empathy or understanding of other people's feelings and situations.Finally, Dursasana often acted greedily and did not consider other people's feelings or take away other people's belongings.These actions reflected a lack of awareness of the impact of their actions on others and dishonesty in recognizing others' rights to their property.Through the behavior of these three characters, the story highlights the importance of practicing the values of tolerance in everyday life.
In addition to religious stories like Ramayana and Mahabharata, as well as fables, Hinduism textbooks also contain stories about students' daily lives at school and with their families.
Story 1: Simon, Aditya, and Dwijo are fourth-grade students at SD Buahagiya, a Hindu school in the Transmigration area, specifically in Mamuju Regency, West Sulawesi.Most of the students come from the Toraja tribe, with a few others coming from Java and Bali.Simon is from Toraja, Aditya is from Bali, and Dwijo is from Java.Despite coming from different tribes, they are close friends.The seeds of love (asih), the joy of giving (punia), and respect for others (bhakti) need to be developed from an early age.(Putra, 2021).Story 2: The Joy of Having Friends Having friends is joyful.You certainly have friends, both at school and at home.The same goes for Savitri, who has two friends, Tukini and Martha.They are fourth-grade students at SD Mekar Jaya in Mamasa.Martha is from Mamasa, Savitri is from Bali, and Tukini is from Java.They met at SD Mekar Jaya and became friends.Despite coming from different tribes, they could be good friends (Putra, 2021).In both stories above, students are taught to see how aspects of tolerance such as appreciating differences, understanding each other, acknowledging everyone's rights, respecting other people's beliefs, and awareness and honesty, are applied in their daily lives.The students in the above stories, who come from various tribes and backgrounds, build close friendships through mutual respect and appreciation for their differences.They show empathy and understanding towards each other, acknowledge each other's rights to express themselves, and respect their religious beliefs and cultural traditions.Awareness of the importance of friendship and honesty in their relationships helps them maintain strong and harmonious relationships.Through these stories, we can understand how important tolerance is in creating inclusive and harmonious relationships among different individuals.

b. Instilling Tolerance Through Illustrations
Instilling values of tolerance through illustrations in the Hindu Religious Education textbook is one effective way to teach primary school students about the values of tolerance.Illustrations showing various situations help students understand the importance of tolerance in daily life and cultivate attitudes that appreciate differences.
Figure 1.Values of Tolerance in Illustrations.Source: Putra (2021) Through Figure 1, which shows various daily life scenes, students can learn and recognize the values of tolerance.The first illustration depicts respecting differences in opinions, perspectives, and attitudes of others, thereby creating a harmonious atmosphere that respects diversity.The second illustration shows inclusivity, togetherness, and cooperation, with children playing together even if they come from different backgrounds, reflecting the importance of accepting and working together to achieve common goals.Meanwhile, the third illustration depicts children from different ethnic groups playing together with mutual respect and appreciation for each other's uniqueness, creating a harmonious atmosphere that respects cultural and ethnic differences.By presenting such illustrations, we can help society better understand and appreciate the value of tolerance, which ultimately strengthens interpersonal relationships and creates a more peaceful and inclusive environment.
In another part, illustrated pictures accompanied by playing activities help students recognize the values of tolerance, as shown in Figure 2. The word search game that contains values of tolerance is an effective method to help students learn and understand the concept of tolerance in a fun and interactive way.Through this game, students learn to appreciate differences and respect one another.Moreover, the game serves as a means to develop students' communication skills, as they are encouraged to communicate with their friends to discuss and find words related to tolerance, enhancing their speaking, listening, and discussion skills.
In the process, the game encourages collaboration among participants so that students learn to work together and appreciate the contributions of others.The game also teaches children to analyze and evaluate the information they encounter while searching for words related to tolerance, ultimately developing their critical thinking skills.
Furthermore, this game involves reading and writing activities to help students improve their skills.Most importantly, this game helps children connect the values of tolerance with everyday life, so they can apply them in their daily interactions, creating a generation that is inclusive and tolerant of differences.
Figure 3. Unity Among Ethnic Groups in Indonesia.Source: Arsana (2021) Figure 3 depicts children from various ethnic groups in Indonesia holding hands.Through this illustration, students are introduced to the value of tolerance.In the picture, the children appear happy, respectful, and working together despite having different cultural backgrounds.This illustration teaches the importance of unity and valuing diversity in a multicultural society like Indonesia.By holding hands, they show that tolerance and respect for differences are the keys to creating harmony and unity among different ethnic and cultural groups.
Figure 4 Tolerance among Religious Communities.Source: Putra (2021) Figure 4 introduces the value of tolerance to students.In the picture, people from different religions and genders are holding hands together in unity.This illustration teaches students to appreciate differences and treat others well regardless of religion, gender, or cultural background.This picture also reminds students of the importance of cooperation and unity in national and societal life.By looking at this picture, students can understand and internalize the value of tolerance in their daily lives.
The finding that the value of tolerance is conveyed through illustrative images is in line with the theory that images can be an effective tool in understanding concepts and learning (Franconeri, Padilla, Shah, Zacks, & Hullman, 2021;Rolfes, Roth, & Schnotz, 2020).In Rolfes' (2020) research, dynamic visualization was used in learning function concepts and the results showed that students who learned with dynamic visualization had better results than those who learned with static representations.In Franconeri's research (2021), it was shown that effective data visualization can help understand and communicate data clearly and intuitively, especially if it is designed according to the visual literacy level of the intended audience.Therefore, the use of images and visualizations in education and communication can be very helpful in facilitating the understanding of concepts and values.
However, while illustrative images can be an effective tool in conveying the value of tolerance, this research should also note that image media should not be a substitute for tolerance values in text.Carney's (2002) research shows that carefully crafted images can improve students' learning performance on a range of text-dependent cognitive outcomes, but images cannot replace text.Therefore, images should be chosen wisely and used as a complement to the relevant text and not a substitute for the tolerance values in the text.

Promoting Tolerance through Hindu Religious Textbooks
This study found two important findings on integrating tolerance values in Hindu religious textbooks for elementary school students.Firstly, stories and illustration pictures in textbooks effectively instill tolerance values in students.Through stories and pictures, students can understand how important it is to respect differences between individuals or groups and how mutual respect and cooperation can create harmonious relationships.This is supported by Rahmawati's (2019) research that found that using stories in textbooks can help students understand abstract concepts, especially in elementary school children.
Secondly, integrating tolerance values in textbooks should involve aspects related to cross-cultural and critical communication skills.This can help students overcome stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination that can hinder the creation of harmonious relationships between different individuals or groups.As Liliweri (2003), mentioned, tolerance education should train students to be good listeners, respect differences of opinion, and develop the ability to articulate their views politely and respectfully.Through this approach, students understand tolerance values and can apply them in their daily lives and contribute to creating a more inclusive and peaceful society.
This study highlights the importance of integrating tolerance values in elementary schools' curriculum and Hindu religious textbooks.The results show that stories and illustration pictures effectively teach tolerance values.Therefore, teachers, curriculum developers, and authors of Hindu religious textbooks need to ensure that these aspects of tolerance are integrated into learning materials through stories and illustration pictures.In addition, they also need to train students to develop cross-cultural and critical communication skills to overcome stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination.
The importance of integrating tolerance values in Hindu religious education is relevant in Indonesia and other countries with religious, cultural, and ethnic diversity.UNESCO (1995) emphasizes that education for tolerance is key to building a more inclusive and peaceful society.According to UNESCO, education for tolerance teaches the understanding of diversity and skills in appreciating and respecting differences and promotes understanding and mutual respect among different groups (UNESCO, 1995).Therefore, the integration of tolerance values in Hindu religious education not only helps students to understand and appreciate religious, cultural, and ethnic diversity but also contributes to the creation of a more inclusive and peaceful society.
The findings of this research on the importance of promoting tolerance values in Hindu religious textbooks are consistent with learning theories that emphasize the importance of character formation through the teaching of social and moral values.According to constructivist learning theory, students learn through interaction with their social environment, including through textbooks and learning materials they use (Brooks & Brooks, 1999).Therefore, integrating tolerance values in Hindu religious textbooks can help shape students' tolerant and inclusive characters.
Furthermore, the findings of this research are also consistent with social cognitive learning theory, which emphasizes the importance of teaching social and moral values to help students understand and develop desired attitudes and behaviors (Bandura, 1986).In Hindu religious education, teaching tolerance values can help students understand and appreciate the religious, cultural, and ethnic diversity around them so that they can interact with individuals or groups that are different more harmoniously and with respect for differences.
This study indicates that Hindu religious textbooks for primary schools have essential elements of tolerance, which aligns with the theory that religion can promote tolerance in society.According to Banks (2015b) and Gutmann (2004), religion can foster tolerance by recognizing and respecting differences in religious beliefs and promoting values of equality and moral goodness.Ives (2019) also suggests that religion can reinforce social values and cultivate a higher level of empathy.Therefore, Hindu religious textbooks can contribute to building a more tolerant and respectful educational environment.However, other theories suggest that religion can reinforce differences and even group conflicts (Hasenclever & Rittberger, 2000;Lindgren, 2018).Therefore, the use of religion in educational contexts must be done carefully and consider the social and political context.In this context, the finding that Hindu religious textbooks for primary schools have essential elements of tolerance can guide curriculum developers and Hindu religious teachers in using religion to promote tolerance in society.

Conclusion
This research found that Hindu religious textbooks for primary school have important elements of tolerance.This is shown especially through the stories and illustrations in the textbooks, which help promote values of tolerance among students.This finding is consistent with the theory that religion can be a tool for building tolerance in society.In addition, this finding can serve as a reference for curriculum developers and Hindu religious teachers in using religion to build tolerance in society.
The scientific implications of this research are that religion as a tool for building tolerance and generating positive moral values should be considered in the context of education.Curriculum developers and teachers should understand the importance of introducing and respecting differences in religion and beliefs, introducing values of equality, and introducing values of good morals in teaching religion.In addition, further research is needed to understand how teaching religion can build tolerance and positive social values in the wider community.In this case, more in-depth qualitative studies can help understand the perspectives of students, teachers, and the community on the role of religion in building tolerance and positive social values.By considering the scientific implications of this research, we can maximize the benefits of teaching religion in building a more tolerant society that respects differences and upholds positive moral values.

Figure 2 .
Figure 2. Playing Word Search Game.Source: Duwijo (2021)The word search game that contains values of tolerance is an effective method to help students learn and understand the concept of tolerance in a fun and interactive way.Through this game, students learn to appreciate differences and respect one another.Moreover, the game serves as a means to develop students' communication skills, as they