The closure of the Immanuel House of Prayer by local authorities (Forkopimcam) and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) generated intense social media debate over religious freedom in Indonesia. Online media largely constructed the controversy through two competing frames: social order and the protection of religious freedom. This study employs a qualitative approach and Robert Entman’s framing analysis to examine coverage from nine media outlets, interpreted through the lens of religious politics in the digital public sphere. Media emphasizing social order tended to marginalize the perspectives of religious minorities, whereas media advocating religious freedom overlooked the legal status of the Certificate of Church Registration (SKTL) and relevant procedures under the Joint Decree of Two Ministers (SKB 2 Menteri). The findings reveal a polarized media discourse shaped by competing understandings of religious legitimacy, legal compliance, and minority rights. The study proposes a substantive religious approach grounded in tawhīd (divine oneness) and khalīfah (stewardship) in Islam and imago Dei in Christianity, emphasizing human dignity over political instrumentalization and discriminatory symbolism. Such an approach may help mitigate media polarization and foster more inclusive religious discourse.
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