Ketuhanan

Ketuhanan is a term in Indonesian and Malay that denotes divinity or the quality of being God-related. The word derives from Tuhan, meaning God, with the nominalizing suffix -an, and is used in religious and philosophical discourse to discuss the nature of God or belief in God.

In Indonesia, Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa is the formulation used to express the state’s belief in the One Almighty God. It is the first principle of Pancasila, the foundational philosophy of the Indonesian state, and has been part of the constitutional framework since its early development and reaffirmations. The phrase denotes monotheism and is intended to accommodate Indonesia’s diverse religious landscape by stipulating belief in a higher power without prescribing a specific creed.

The principle influences national law and public life. It underpins the constitutional expectation that citizens maintain belief in a supreme being and informs the administration of religion, education, and civil matters within the country’s multi-religious context. It also figures in debates over religious freedom and the status of indigenous or non-monotheistic beliefs in public life.

Beyond the Indonesian context, ketuhanan is used in theological and philosophical discussion to describe the concept of divinity more broadly. In Islam, related ideas include tawhid, the oneness of God; in Malay-language religious discourse, ketuhanan can refer to God across monotheistic faiths in a general sense.