Exploring the Spiritual Meaning of Interfaith Engagement among Youth in Conflict-Affected Indonesian Communities

Abstract

Interfaith engagement among youth plays a critical role in fostering religious tolerance and social cohesion in pluralistic societies. While existing literature has examined interfaith initiatives from institutional and sociopolitical perspectives, little is known about the inner spiritual experiences of young participants involved in such engagements during times of religious tension. This study addresses the gap by asking: How do interfaith youth in Indonesia experience spiritual transformation within interfaith communities during periods of social conflict? Using a descriptive phenomenological approach, this study explores the lived spiritual experiences of twelve interfaith youth (n=12) from diverse religious backgrounds who participated in interfaith dialogue and collaboration in conflict-prone regions of Yogyakarta and Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic reduction grounded in Husserlian phenomenology. The analysis revealed four key experiential themes: discovering shared humanity through vulnerability, inner spiritual conflict, sacred encounters in ordinary spaces, and the emergence of a pluralistic spiritual consciousness. These findings highlight how participants navigated complex emotional and spiritual processes that reshaped their faith identities and deepened their understanding of others.The results offer new insight into the affective and existential dimensions of interfaith dialogue, suggesting that spiritual transformation is not only possible but also central to the lived reality of interreligious youth engagement. This study contributes to a richer theoretical understanding of interfaith spirituality and underscores the importance of incorporating reflective, experience-based practices into future interfaith programs.