A Biblical Response to Suanggi in the Arfak Tribe in Papua Island
The Arfak tribe lives on the island of Papua as a part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. In 2022 there was a division by adding four new provinces namely South Papua, Central Papua, Highlands Papua, Southwest Papua Provinces in accordance with the laws in force in Indonesia. Papuans...
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Africajournals
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Pharos Journal of Theology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.pharosjot.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_17_vol_104_2__indonesia.pdf |
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| author | Pontas Surya Fernandes Philip Suciadi Chia Jevri Terok |
| author_facet | Pontas Surya Fernandes Philip Suciadi Chia Jevri Terok |
| author_sort | Pontas Surya Fernandes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Arfak tribe lives on the island of Papua as a part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. In 2022 there was a division by adding four new provinces namely South Papua, Central Papua, Highlands Papua, Southwest Papua Provinces in accordance with the laws in force in Indonesia. Papuans belong to the Melanesian race and the Arfak tribe consists of four
sub-tribes namely the Hatam, Meyah, Molei, Sough.The Arfak tribe has its livelihoods in gardening, hunting, trading, raising livestock, collecting forest products. Most of the Arfak people are Christians. However, the people of the Arfak tribe still believe in Animism (a belief in a supernatural power that organizes and animates the entire material universe) and Dynamism (a belief that there are powers that exist in natural objects in the world e.g. a rock
or a tree might become an object of awe and veneration because it is believed to have great power) which is often termed Suanggi. Belief in Suanggi is in harmony with other religions which are considered to accept Animism and Dynamism in their beliefs such as those evident
in Hinduism, Ancient Egyptian Religions, and even Confucianism. This is driven by the search for a figure in power. However, there are differences in the beliefs of the people of the Arfak tribe about the resurrection of a person such as in Judaism Buddhism and some Christian sects. Christianity of course believes in the existence of an Ultimate Person, namely Jesus
the God-man as well as belief in the possibility of resurrection in the future life. Resurrection is a certainty in the Christian faith. The Arfak people who are Christians in orientation must also have the belief in death as an advantage towards life in eternity in God’s heavenly Kingdom. Christians must follow the teachings of the Holy Bible. As Christians, people who
have believed in Jesus Christ should not practice Suanggi in any shape or form because it is based on a malevolent spirit in the folklore of some islands in Indonesia. A discourse on Suanggi and malevolent spirits was carried out in this study using careful reflection on Holy Scripture and other relevant literature from academic books and journals. |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2414-3324 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T21:43:01Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-11f31c8c62c3459ba178e31021a9b7d82023-03-25T14:38:51ZengAfricajournalsPharos Journal of Theology2414-33242023-03-011042https://doi.org/10.46222/pharosjot.104.217A Biblical Response to Suanggi in the Arfak Tribe in Papua Island Pontas Surya Fernandes0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2546-3012Philip Suciadi Chia1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2453-7497Jevri Terok2https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9686-7634Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Erikson Tritt Manokwari Program Studi Sarjana TeologThe Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KentuckySekolah Tinggi Teologi Erikson Tritt Manokwari Program Studi Sarjana TeologiThe Arfak tribe lives on the island of Papua as a part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. In 2022 there was a division by adding four new provinces namely South Papua, Central Papua, Highlands Papua, Southwest Papua Provinces in accordance with the laws in force in Indonesia. Papuans belong to the Melanesian race and the Arfak tribe consists of four sub-tribes namely the Hatam, Meyah, Molei, Sough.The Arfak tribe has its livelihoods in gardening, hunting, trading, raising livestock, collecting forest products. Most of the Arfak people are Christians. However, the people of the Arfak tribe still believe in Animism (a belief in a supernatural power that organizes and animates the entire material universe) and Dynamism (a belief that there are powers that exist in natural objects in the world e.g. a rock or a tree might become an object of awe and veneration because it is believed to have great power) which is often termed Suanggi. Belief in Suanggi is in harmony with other religions which are considered to accept Animism and Dynamism in their beliefs such as those evident in Hinduism, Ancient Egyptian Religions, and even Confucianism. This is driven by the search for a figure in power. However, there are differences in the beliefs of the people of the Arfak tribe about the resurrection of a person such as in Judaism Buddhism and some Christian sects. Christianity of course believes in the existence of an Ultimate Person, namely Jesus the God-man as well as belief in the possibility of resurrection in the future life. Resurrection is a certainty in the Christian faith. The Arfak people who are Christians in orientation must also have the belief in death as an advantage towards life in eternity in God’s heavenly Kingdom. Christians must follow the teachings of the Holy Bible. As Christians, people who have believed in Jesus Christ should not practice Suanggi in any shape or form because it is based on a malevolent spirit in the folklore of some islands in Indonesia. A discourse on Suanggi and malevolent spirits was carried out in this study using careful reflection on Holy Scripture and other relevant literature from academic books and journals.https://www.pharosjot.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_17_vol_104_2__indonesia.pdfbiblical studiessuanggiarfakpapuaanimismdynamism |
| spellingShingle | Pontas Surya Fernandes Philip Suciadi Chia Jevri Terok A Biblical Response to Suanggi in the Arfak Tribe in Papua Island Pharos Journal of Theology biblical studies suanggi arfak papua animism dynamism |
| title | A Biblical Response to Suanggi in the Arfak Tribe in Papua Island |
| title_full | A Biblical Response to Suanggi in the Arfak Tribe in Papua Island |
| title_fullStr | A Biblical Response to Suanggi in the Arfak Tribe in Papua Island |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Biblical Response to Suanggi in the Arfak Tribe in Papua Island |
| title_short | A Biblical Response to Suanggi in the Arfak Tribe in Papua Island |
| title_sort | biblical response to suanggi in the arfak tribe in papua island |
| topic | biblical studies suanggi arfak papua animism dynamism |
| url | https://www.pharosjot.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_17_vol_104_2__indonesia.pdf |
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