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Apwee Ting  A childhood conversation has led me, for the past 30 years, to explore in detail the relationship between religions; the understanding of taboos in religions; and the universality underlying this understanding.
Unpack the issues...
I had two good friends when I lived in the Indonesian city of Solo. Andi was a son from a very devoted Muslim family; Chris was a son from a very faithful Catholic family; and I was a son from a pious Buddhist family. We played together because we were neighbours and our families were good friends. On one particular day when we visited Chris’ home, Andi was interested watching a statue of Mary, which was put on the table. After a few moments, he touched the statue. Immediately Chris shouted, “Don’t touch it. Andi”. Andi pulled his hand away as fast as he could. He looked at Chris and said, “Why not?” Over the next few minutes, Chris and his family tried to explain to Andi and me the importance of Mary for them. The statue of Mary was very sacred for Chris’ family; therefore please accept and respect it. Andi and I did not understand it. Later, Andi and his sisters told Chris and me that, in their faith, they couldn’t have anything that reflected the image of God; Muslims only have Quran as their sacred book; people are only permitted to touch, open and read the Quran after they perform a purification (washing ritual). Andi also explained that it is taboo for Muslims to touch unholy animals, e.g. dogs and pigs. It is not because these animals were sacred but because of ‘haram’ — something forbidden according to Islamic belief and traditions. As we explored each other’s faiths, Chris and Andi asked me about the things that my Buddhist family considered sacred and/or taboos. This childhood conversation has led me (for more than 30 years) to explore in detail the relationship between religions; the understanding of taboos in religions; and the universality underlying this understanding. Taboos are things that are prohibited in communities supported by religious beliefs, tradition, culture and social structure. Something may be prohibited because it is believed to be dangerous and could bring a curse to its community. A taboo implies the notion of the “unknown”, “unspoken” or “mystery” that a community needs to accept it as it is. It may have reasons, or may not at all. Taboos may able to provide and sustain some sort of identity to a community. Taboos can unite a community in its own laws and regulations. For example, those who do not observe or obey the taboo will receive punishments from their own community. There are things that can be regarded as taboos’ resources, e.g. the Hindu Scriptures, Bible, Quran, Torah, Laws or any other sacred books or traditions. There are people or structures that protect these taboos, usually a chief, priest, leader, monk or mufti; someone who receives the authority as the guardian of the community. Each religion sees and believes things according to its own particularity and universality. A taboo is particular because it depends on its own context, history and source of authority. For its community, a taboo is also universal, it binds them as part of their own identity. As a son of a Chinese Buddhist family, I still need to preserve my family honour regardless where I live and regardless what my belief is. It is taboo (un-acceptable) for a Chinese family to call older people by their first names; it is taboo (forbidden) to mention death to parents; it is taboo (not permitted) to talk about sex in public. With different reasons, we also find that these (ethical) taboos are also taboos for many families from different religious or cultural backgrounds. It is important here not to define what is ethical and what is a religious taboo as a separate function in community. The relationship between ethical, religious and social taboos is mixed; they complement each other; you can’t mention one without the others. In a multi-faith and multi-religious society like Australia, it is important to remind ourselves that what is acceptable for one faith community may not be acceptable for others. As part of a wider community, we need to respect a particular community’s understanding about taboos, acknowledge that our understanding may be limited, and recognise that people may not understand our own taboos.
Rev Dr Apwee Ting is the Chairperson, Indonesian National Conference and Chairperson, Uniting Church in Australia Multicultural and Cross-cultural Ministry.
Unpack the issues... Further reading The content of the following websites does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors of The Transit Lounge. Discussion point
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