The Myth of Peace: A Comparative Theology of Decolonization and Ritual in Javanese Temples

This paper studies the myth of peace in the temples of Sukuh, Cetho, and Kethek during the twilight of the Majapahit Kingdom (14th–16th century) and Christian liberation theology. Both traditions emerged from periods of upheaval, seeking harmony through decolonial and transformative practices. The Javanese temples, with their punden architecture, Shaivite reinterpretations, and ruwatan rituals, reflect a quest for cosmic and social balance. Similarly, liberation theology, through Ignacio Ellacuría’s “liberating grace” and Cláudio Carvalhaes’s liturgical resistance, emphasizes decolonization and communal justice. Drawing on Raimon Panikkar’s intercultural myth as and Victor Turner’s ritual theory, this study examines how both traditions construct sacred narratives to address oppression and environmental crises. The ruwatan ritual is compared to Ellacuría’s and Carvalhaes’s transformative practices, highlighting a shared impulse to decolonize dominant paradigms and reimagine peace as spiritual and social renewal. This comparative approach enriches interreligious peacebuilding and offers a framework for contemporary challenges.