Research Clifford Geertz (in Robertson, 1986: 182) argues that the Javanese village is as old as the Javanese. Evolution villages in Java to achieve their present form at each stage of it has been laid out and expressed with a religious system that is less unified. Before the arrival of Hindu religion around 400 BC, the religious traditions of the various ethnic Malays still contains elements of animism.
After centuries later animist tradition in Java is proven to absorb into the elements from Hinduism and Islam which came later in the XV century AD Thus, according to Geertz at the present time in rural Java religious system generally consists of a a balanced combination of elements of animism, Hinduism, and Islam, a basic syncretism which is true folk tradition, a basic substratum of civilization.
Geertz study prompted the three classes of the Java community, namely the priyayi, santri, and abangan that each has characteristics of different religious.
Geertz above findings show there is a special feature of the Java community diversity, especially Muslim communities, although in later development, when the public aware of the religion and religious knowledge deepens, they gradually untied syncretism which is a legacy of religious belief or age her that the dynamics is considered as a culture that is still well preserved, even should be upheld. In other words, a culture that developed in Java influence the attitude of the religious community.
Communities such as that which gave birth to a religion that became known as Jawi religion, or Javanese Islam, which is a belief and concepts of Hindu-Buddhist inclined towards mysticism mixed together and recognized as a religion.
In general, these are converted to the Muslim community, but do not live the teachings of Islam as a whole, because of the other streams also run as a guide, the flow kejawen. Kejawen actually be categorized as a culture that is contrary to the teachings of Islam, because this culture is still showing behaviors that are contrary to the teachings of Islam, such as confidence in the presence of other forces besides the power of God
Confidence in the strength of which is meant to believe in spirits, heirlooms, and the tombs of the figures, which are supposed to give blessings in one's life.
Most of the Java community has had a formal religion, but in life still appear to have a belief system that is still strong in his religious life, such as the belief in the existence of gods, spirits, or ancestors. Since humans are aware of the existence in the world, from that moment he began to think about the purpose of his life, truth, goodness, and his Lord.
One example of this opinion is the custom in the Java community, especially that adheres to Islam Kejawen for pilgrimage (come) to the tombs which are considered sacred on Tuesday night and Friday PON to seek blessings.
Java community who embraced Islam Kejawen in performing various daily activities are also influenced by beliefs, concepts, views, cultural values, and norms that are mostly located in the natural mind. Recognizing the reality as it is, then the Java mainly of Javanese groups do not like debating the establishment of his or her belief about God.
They never consider that trust and confidence in yourself is the most true and the other false. Mental attitude like this is a fertile ground for the growth of very large tolerances in both the religious life as well as in other fields.
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