Interpretasi Kebijakan Ruhut Parmahanion Dohot Paminsangon (RPP) HKBP pada Upacara Pemakaman Adat Batak Toba

Abstract

The HKBP Ruhut Parmahanion dohot Paminsangon (RPP) policy is designed as a guideline to maintain order and solemnity in the implementation of church services, including in the context of grief and death. However, in practice, the implementation of the Batak Toba traditional funeral ceremony often presents dynamics between cultural values and church provisions. This study aims to examine in depth how the HKBP RPP policy is interpreted and implemented by traditional leaders and church leaders in the context of the Batak Toba traditional funeral ceremony. This study uses an ethnographic method with an interpretative approach, which allows researchers to understand the meaning of the RPP policy as experienced and carried out by the Batak Toba community in the context of their daily lives. Data collection techniques are carried out through observation, in-depth interviews and field documentation with traditional leaders and church leaders, who are direct actors in the implementation of the RPP policy, especially in funeral ceremonies and field documentation. Through this approach, researchers not only see the formal structure of the RPP policy, but also trace how the values of the Gospel and church teachings are lived and negotiated in the Batak Toba cultural space. The results of this study mean that the Gospel that salts customs becomes an important foundation in establishing a relationship between Christian faith and local cultural traditions. This means that the Gospel does not immediately erase or reject customs, but rather provides a new direction, purifies, and aligns cultural values to be in accordance with the teachings of love, justice, and truth as taught by Christ. Thus, the Gospel acts as a force that shapes and renews customs, keeping them relevant without losing their spiritual meaning in accordance with God's will. Therefore, in its implementation, the church does not only function as a religious institution, but also plays an active role as a bridge between faith and culture in the lives of the Batak Toba people.