Analysis of the Value and Role of Religious Education in the Structure of the Educational Curriculum to Strengthen Character Education and Social Cohesion
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37329/jpah.v10i3.5116Keywords:
Religion, Education, Social Cohesion, Religious CharacterAbstract
The research aims to analyze the role of religious education in shaping the character of students oriented toward strengthening social cohesion. Plurality is a characteristic of Indonesian society, which carries the potential for social capital, but it also has the potential to trigger horizontal conflicts. The research focuses on how religious education plays a role in the formation of individual student character as a foundation for strengthening social harmony and cohesion. The research uses a qualitative approach grounded in hermeneutic phenomenology. The study’s findings show that religious education, integrated into the national curriculum, plays an important role in internalizing religious values in the educational process. This integration is not only a ritual aspect but also forms religious awareness, manifested in students’ daily religious attitudes and behaviors as agents of change in society. In the context of diversity, inclusive religious education will equip individual awareness with moral maturity, especially to appreciate differences. As a result, a strong religious character among students will lay the foundation for tolerance and the strengthening of social ties in Indonesian society. These findings may explain that religious education serves as a central instrument for strengthening national integration. This study is expected to serve as a theoretical reference for the development of future education and research policies, especially regarding socio-cultural dynamics in Indonesia, confirming that the maturity of an inclusive religious character is the key to maintaining the stability of the pluralistic Indonesian nation.
References
Adair-Toteff, C. (2016). Max Weber’s Sociology of Religion. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck.
Annisha, D. (2024). Integrasi Penggunaan Kearifan Lokal (Local Wisdom) dalam Proses Pembelajaran pada Konsep Kurikulum Merdeka Belajar. Jurnal Basicedu, 8(3), 2108-2115.
Arimatea, Y., & Sukarna, T. (2024). Realising Social Harmony Through Religious Moderation in Indonesia’s Multicultural Era. International Journal of Christian Education and Philosophical Inquiry, 2(2), 33-39.
Baharuddin, A. R., Riduwan, M., & Milasari. (2024). Pengelolaan Tenaga Pendidik dan Kependidikan dalam Sistem Pendidikan Nasional. Jurnal Ta’limuna, 2(1), 10-19.
Bandura, A. (1985). Social Foundations Of Thought And Action: A Social Cognitive Theory. Saddle River: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Chandra, R. I., & Suleeman, J. (2023). Future Religious Education, The Case of Indonesia: A Preliminary Study. E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, 4(5), 680-688.
Courpasson, D., Younes, D., & Reed, M. (2021). Durkheim in the Neoliberal Organization: Taking Resistance and Solidarity Seriously. Organization Theory, 2(1),1-24.
Faizin, B., Fitri, S. A., Maylawati, D. S. A., Rizqullah, N., & Ramdhani, M. A. (2025). Polarization Of Religious Issues In Indonesia’s Social Media Society And Its Impact On Social Conflict. Journal of Applied Data Sciences, 6(1), 426-442.
Garay, J. P. P., Lozan, R. A. R., Oliver, J. M. Z., & Rivera-Zamudio, J. (2022). Social Fragmentation And Its Impact On Inclusive Education: Bibliographic Review. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6(3), 1720-1734.
Hadiyanto, A., Putri, K. Y. S., & Fazli, L. (2025). Religious Moderation In Instagram: An Islamic Interpretation Perspective. Heliyon, 11(4), e42816.
Haerudin, D. A. (2025). Religious Education in Forming Students’ Character. Edukasi Islami: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 14(1), 149-160.
Hefner, R. W. (2025). The Social Scientific Study of Islam in Indonesia: A 75 Year Retrospective. Studia Islamika, 32(1), 9-42.
Hilal, N. A. D. M., Komariah, K., & Ramelan, A. H. (2024). The Multifaceted Implications And Challenges Of Relocating Indonesia’s Capital City: A Comprehensive Review Of Socio-Economic, Environmental, Urban Planning, And Policy Considerations. Sustinere: Journal of Environment and Sustainability, 8(3), 375-396.
Hoktaviandri, H., Suatri, S., Ningsih, S. S., Effauzi, M., & Ritonga, M. (2024). Diversity and Urgency Of Religious Moderation Education According To The Public Perception. Al-Hayat: Journal of Islamic Education, 8(2), 505-522.
Iksal, I., Hayani, R. A., & Aslan, A. (2024). Strengthening Character Education As A Response To The Challenges Of The Times. Indonesian Journal of Education (INJOE), 4(3), 761-774.
Jaedi, J., Zaenudin, Z., & Edi, S. (2024). Character Education And Social Problematics Of Community. Jurnal Impresi Indonesia, 2(12), 1205-1218.
Jennissen, R., Bovens, M., Engbersen, G., & Bokhorst, M. (2023). Migration Diversity And Social Cohesion: Reassessing The Dutch Policy Agenda. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Judijanto, L., Siminto, S., & Rahman, R. (2024). The Influence of Religious Beliefs and Religious Practices on Social Cohesion in Modern Society in Indonesia. The Eastasouth Journal of Social Science and Humanities, 1(3), 139-150.
Kiarie, E. (2024). Cultural Heritage Preservation in the Face of Globalization. International Journal of Humanity and Social Sciences, 3(3), 1-14.
Kohlberg, L. (1981). Essays On Moral Development. San Francisco: Harper & Row
Kuriakose, J., & Jena, B. B. (2025). Poetry Writing Can Enhance Character Formation In School Students Through The Application Of Rational Emotive Behavior Theory. Journal of Poetry Therapy, 38(2), 151-167.
Kurniawan, K. F. B., Arya Hadi, D., Titik, S., & Maksum, M. (2024). Territorialization Of Plantation Concessions: Customary Land Acquisition Process, Agrarian Fragmentation And Social Resistance. Cogent Social Sciences, 10(1), 1-17.
Kurniawan, S., & Fitriyanto, A. (2025). Enhancing Religious Moderation Among Interfaith Youth for Revitalizing Social Cohesion in Ilir Kota Village Sanggau Regency. At-Turats, 18(2), 120-138.
Kusnendar, J., Darmawan, D., & Rusman, R. (2024). Instructional Design Research Trends Towards Digital Transformation Of Education Systems In ASEAN. Inovasi Kurikulum, 21(2), 819-834.
Lapis, G. (2025). The Theme of Social Cohesion in Religious Education Policies and Practices: An Analysis of England, Japan, and Italy. Religions, 16(4), 503.
Latif, I. N. A., & Latif, L. K. (2022). Study of Planning Curriculum Based on Indonesia’s Pluralitic Society. Salam International Journal of Islamic Education, 1(1), 22-31.
Launay, R. (2022). Defining Religion: Durkheim and Weber Compared. Religions, 13(2), 89.
Lelis, R. (2025). The Great Transformation: The Durkheimian Sociology of Religion From Émile Durkheim to Henri Hubert. Anthropological Theory, 25(1), 97-117.
Mazur, R., & Szauer, R. (2024). Confessional Religious Education at School in the Face of Contemporary Challenges Based on the Polish Experience. Religions, 15(11), 1387.
Metcalfe, J. (2021). Religious Education Teachers’ Perspectives On Character Education. British Journal of Religious Education, 43(3), 349-360.
Mudana, I. G. R. (2023). Analysis of Tri Hita Karana’S Teachings With Storying Method To Improve Character in Early Children in Learning Hindu Religion. JARITA: Journal of Children’s Education and Learning Research, 1(1), 30-36.
Mufi, A. M., Elhady, A., & Mursalim, M. (2023). Section Articles Internalization of Religious Moderation Values: Active Tolerance and Social Harmony in Education in Indonesia. El-Tarbawi, 16(1), 1-32.
Muid, A., & Mustofa, A. M. Z. (2023). Religious Education as a Basic Component in the Formation of Quality Human Beings. Indonesian Journal of Islamic Education and Local Culture, 1(1), 37-46.
Munawir, K., Rahim, A., Ismawati, I., & Mutmainna, F. (2024). Islamic Religious Education in Student Character Development. Al-Hayat: Journal of Islamic Education, 8(1), 236-247.
Mustakim, I., Mawangir, M., Oviyanti, F., & Kurniawan, M. R. (2024). The Internalization of Religious Cultural Values in Shaping the Spiritual Intelligence of Students at SD Alam Palembang. Jurnal Cakrawala Pendas, 10(3), 596-661.
Muzayaroh, A. (2021). Strengthening Religious and Character Education in Madrasah Diniyah Ali Maksum Yogyakarta. Millah: Journal of Religious Studies, 20(2), 245-274.
Nainggolan, M. M., & Naibaho, L. (2022). The Integration of Kohlberg Moral Development Theory with Education Character. Technium Social Sciences Journal, 31(1), 203-212.
Nashohah, I. (2021). Internalisasi Nilai Moderasi Beragama melalui Pendidikan Penguatan Karakter dalam Masyarakat Heterogen. Prosiding Nasional: Mempertegas Posisi Pesantren Dalam Mewujudkan Moderasi Keberagamaan Berbasis Kajian Islam Interdisipliner, 4, 127-146.
Nasih, A. M., Thoriquttyas, T., Sultoni, A., Malihah, E., Azca, M. N., & Budiman, R. (2024). Strengthening Strategy to Religious Moderation at Indonesian Universities. Journal of Ecohumanism, 3(7), 3122-3130.
Ningsih, T. (2021). The Significant of E-assessment for Indonesian Literacy with Character Education in Pandemic Era. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 12(4), 231-256.
Nurman, N., Yusriadi, Y., & Hamim, S. (2022). Development of Pluralism Education in Indonesia: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 9(3), 106-120.
Octaviani, A. A., Furaidah, & Untari, S. (2019). Penguatan Pendidikan Karakter Nilai Religius Dalam Program Kegiatan Budaya Sekolah. Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, Dan Pengembangan, 4(11), 1549-1556.
Pranata, R. H., Aman, & Setiawan, J. (2020). Implementation of Multicultural Values in Indonesian History Learning to Build Tolerance and Nationalism Attitudes of Students of Ngaglik 1 Senior High School, Sleman. 2nd International Conference on Social Science and Character Educations (ICoSSCE 2019), 398, 131-136
Rantung, D. A. (2024). A Proposal Of Multicultural Relation: Christian Religious Education And Religious Moderation. HTS Teologiese Studies/ Theological Studies, 80(1), 1-7.
Razak, Y. (2023). Multiculturalism, Islam and Ethnic’s Diversity: The Case in Indonesia. Emerald: Journal of Economics and Social Sciences, 2(1), 15-24.
Robita, A., & Anwar, K. (2025). Understanding Religious Pluralism in Indonesia: Social and Religious Perspectives in the Modern Era. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 2(2), 60-69.
Saepudin, A., Supriyadi, T., Surana, D., & Asikin, I. (2023). Strengthening Character Education: An Action Research in Forming Religious Moderation in Islamic Education. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 22(12), 84-105.
Sakti, S. A., Endraswara, S., & Rohman, A. (2024). Revitalizing Local Wisdom Within Character Education Through Ethnopedagogy Apporach: A Case Study On A Preschool In Yogyakarta. Heliyon, 10(10).
Setinawati, S., Jeniva, I., Tanyid, M., & Merilyn, M. (2025). The Framework Of Religious Moderation: A Socio-Theological Study On The Role Of Religion And Culture From Indonesia’s Perspective. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 11, 101271.
Shiddiqoh, I. (2024). The Role of Islamic Religious Education in Shaping Students’s Character. Proceeding of International Conference on Education, Society and Humanity, 2(1), 904-910.
Suantara, I. W. (2020). Peran Pendidikan Agama Hindu Dalam Membentuk Karakter Siswa Di Tengah Pandemi Covid 19. Jurnal Widya Sastra Pendidikan Agama Hindu, 3(1), 73-80.
Suhardiyanto, A., Wijayanti, T., & Irawan, H. (2025). Exploring The Concept Of Cultural Divinity In Supporting Religious Moderation In Indonesia. Jurnal Civics: Media Kajian Kewarganegaraan, 22(1), 58-74.
Sukmayadi, V., & Yahya, A. H. (2020). Indonesian Education Landscape And The 21st Century Challenges. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 11(4), 219-234.
Supriatna, E., Ekowati, D., Aziz, A. M., & Mokodenseho, S. (2023). Analyzing the Relationship Between Cultural Diversity, Social Capital, and Community Resilience in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Eastasouth Journal of Social Science and Humanities, 1(1), 28-36.
Susilawati, S., Aprilianti, D., & Asbari, M. (2022). The Role of Islamic Religious Education in Forming the Religious Character of Students. Journal of Information Systems and Management (JISMA), 1(1), 1-5.
Syaefulloh, A. M., Windiani, D., Putriani, P., Rohaeni, S., & Nugraha, R. G. (2022). Implementasi Habituasi Profil Pelajar Pancasila Dan Eksistensinya Bagi Mahasiswa. Jurnal Kewarganegaraan, 6(1), 2141-2149.
Taja, N., Nurdin, E. S., Kosasih, A., Suresman, E., & Supriyadi, T. (2021). Character Education In The Pandemic Era: A Religious Ethical Learning Model Through Islamic Education. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 20(11), 132-153.
Walrath, R. (2011). Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development BT-Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development, 859-860.
Weber, M. (2012). Religion And Rationality. The Sociology of Religion, 155-164.
Wowor, J. (2020). Communal Religious Education in a Multicultural Indonesian Church. Indonesian Journal of Theology, 8(2), 157-171.
Walsh, P. D. (2024). Social Cognition And The Origin Of Concepts In Durkheim’s Sociology Of Knowledge. Journal For The Theory of Social Behaviour, 54(1), 86-103.
Zakiyah, L., Khoiroh, U., Rofiki, M., & Diana, E. (2024). Integrating Religious Culture in Every School Activity: Steps Towards Character Education. Proceedings of the International Conference on Education, Society and Humanity, 2(2), 1502-1511.
Zakso, A. (2021). The Effect Of Strengthening Character Education On Tolerance Increasing And Development Of Pancasila Students In Border Area: Case of West Kalimantan province. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 10(5), 232-248.
Zaluchu, S. E., Widodo, P., & Kriswanto, A. (2025). Conceptual Reconstruction Of Religious Moderation In The Indonesian Context Based On Previous Research: Bibliometric Analysis. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 11, 101552.
Zuhdi, M., & Sarwenda, S. (2020). Recurring Issues in Indonesia’s Islamic Education: The Needs for Religious Literacy. Analisa: Journal of Social Science and Religion, 5(1), 1-13.
Zulfikar, G., Permady, G. C., & Sudirman, A. (2023). Strengthening National Character in Islamic Elementary School. Scaffolding: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam Dan Multikulturalisme, 5(1), 884-899.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ni Putu Sudewi Budhawati; I Wayan Agus Gunada
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
An author who publishes in the Jurnal Penelitian Agama Hindu agrees to the following terms:
- Author retains the copyright and grants the journal the right of first publication of the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal
- Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book) with the acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Author is permitted and encouraged to post his/her work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of the published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Read more about the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/.
