Liberation Theology Reflections: Critical Hermeneutic Contributions to Alleviating the Complex Realities of Poverty and Hunger in Indonesia

Poverty and hunger are complex realities and serious questions of the Indonesian nation and people. This study does not intend to show factual data on poverty and hunger and assess them according to economic measures. Rather, this research is conducted to reflect on human existence and its vocation in the complex reality of poverty and hunger. Thus, it is a reflection of moral theology on human existence and its vocation in the midst of the complex realities of poverty and hunger. This study uses the literature study method to explore the relationships of political power and ideological indoctrination that color the complex realities of poverty and hunger. The results show that political power relations and ideological indoctrination have created systematically distorted communication. As a solution, the author proposes Habermas's critical hermeneutics as a scientific method that the nation and people of Indonesia can use to get to know themselves. Uncovering the hidden issues behind political power relations and ideological indoctrination. So that they want to get out of systematically distorted communication and return to their existence and liberating self-calling. Habermas's critical hermeneutics helps the process of systematically distorted communication. By encouraging the collective self-reflection of the Indonesian nation and people to recognize their existence in the midst of distortions that hurt or frighten the common mind. It is this encouragement of shared self-reflection that helps the Indonesian nation and people to realize the deceptions against themselves. Returning to the collective awareness that human nature as the image of Allah and his calling is earthly and transcendent.