1987, p. 35). Thus, the majority of the nation's people believe in the existence of one God, regardless of the local variations in their religious practice.
Allen M. Sievers at the University of Utah has claimed that the basic characteristic of the traditional Indonesian world view is "mysticism" (Sievers, 1974, P. 3). This mystical world view is strikingly different from the rational Western perspective on life. Although the average Indonesian person believes in the one Islamic God, there is also widespread belief in a variety of Hindu and Buddhist deities as well as "a host of goddesses, ghosts, spirits, demons and genies" (MacKinnon, Collins, Anwar and Oey, 1985, p. 78). The impact of mysticism on Indonesian society has even spread to its political system. Thus, important political leaders are often seen as having mystical powers (McDonald, 1981, p. 130). This factor can be seen, for example, in the personalities of both Presidents Sukarno and Suharto.
The traditional world views of the Indonesian individual usually include a value system based on a belief in God. The institution of religion plays an important role in the maintenance of traditional values. Simon Winchester has noted that the popularity of Islam in Indonesia is unique throughout the Pacific region. The fact that Hinduism has taken hold in Bali is said to be "even more odd" (Winchester, 1991, p. 61). Despite the missionary efforts of previous Dutch colonists, Christianity is poorly represented among the faiths of Indonesia. Although most Indonesians believe in the Islamic doctrine of one God, their religion also has strong elements of Hinduism and Buddhism. One of the ways that the beliefs of Hinduism are kept alive is through the Indonesian puppet shows known as wayang kulit. The figures in these plays often act out ancient Hindu tales such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata (Cummings, Forsyth, Nobel, Samagalski and Whee
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