The Importance of Religion and Spiritually Oriented Knowledge in the Lives of Generation Z

Main Article Content

Syarifuddin Syarifuddin
Abdi Syahrial Hrp
Muhammad Rifa Badawi

Abstract

The rapid advancement of science and technology in the modern era has profoundly influenced human life, particularly Generation Z, who have grown and developed within a digital ecosystem. While these developments offer significant opportunities for accessing information and improving quality of life, they also give rise to various challenges, including a crisis of life meaning, moral degradation, and a weakening of spiritual awareness. This article aims to examine the importance of integrating religion and spiritually oriented knowledge as a foundational framework for character and personality development among Generation Z. Employing a qualitative descriptive approach, this study is based on a literature review, philosophical analysis, and a normative-spiritual perspective. The findings indicate that religion and science are inherently interconnected and mutually reinforcing, contributing to the formation of a holistic human being balanced in reason, conscience, and action. Such integration is particularly relevant for Generation Z in navigating the complexities of the modern era without losing transcendental values and humanistic principles.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
Syarifuddin, S., Abdi Syahrial Hrp, & Muhammad Rifa Badawi. (2026). The Importance of Religion and Spiritually Oriented Knowledge in the Lives of Generation Z. SIASAT, 11(1), 27-37. https://doi.org/10.33258/siasat.v11i1.237
Section
Articles

References

Al-Attas, S. M. N. (1995). Prolegomena to the metaphysics of Islam: An exposition of the fundamental elements of the worldview of Islam. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC).
Al-Farabi. (1985). The perfect state (R. Walzer, Trans.). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. (Original work published ca. 950)
Al-Ghazali. (2001). Ihya’ ‘ulum al-din (Vols. 1–4). Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah.
Asad, T. (2003). Formations of the secular: Christianity, Islam, modernity. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Barbour, I. G. (2000). When science meets religion: Enemies, strangers, or partners? San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco.
Bauman, Z. (2000). Liquid modernity. Cambridge, England: Polity Press.
Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (1966). The social construction of reality: A treatise in the sociology of knowledge. New York, NY: Anchor Books.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Campbell, H. A. (2013). Digital religion: Understanding religious practice in new media worlds. London, England: Routledge.
Chittick, W. C. (2007). Sufism: A short introduction. Oxford, England: Oneworld Publications.
Habermas, J. (1987). The theory of communicative action (Vol. 2). Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Habermas, J. (2006). Religion in the public sphere. European Journal of Philosophy, 14(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0378.2006.00241.x
Heidegger, M. (1977). The question concerning technology and other essays (W. Lovitt, Trans.). New York, NY: Harper & Row.
Hjarvard, S. (2016). Mediatization and the changing authority of religion. Media, Culture & Society, 38(1), 8–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443715615412
King, P. E., & Boyatzis, C. J. (2015). Religious and spiritual development. In R. M. Lerner (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology and developmental science (7th ed., pp. 975–1021). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Nasr, S. H. (2007). Islam, science, Muslims, and technology. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Islamic Book Trust.
Noddings, N. (2013). Caring: A relational approach to ethics and moral education (2nd ed.). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Pargament, K. I. (2013). Spiritually integrated psychotherapy: Understanding and addressing the sacred. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1108/10748120110424816
Turkle, S. (2011). Alone together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Twenge, J. M. (2017). iGen: Why today’s super-connected kids are growing up less rebellious, more tolerant, less happy—and completely unprepared for adulthood. New York, NY: Atria Books.
UNESCO. (2015). Rethinking education: Towards a global common good? Paris, France: UNESCO Publishing.