Emmy Fitri, Jakarta – The impending reward once the contentious bills on pornography and pornographic acts is endorsed, could be a division among the people – specifically the devout believers and the not-so-devout.

Lawmakers have evidently failed to detect this potential rift among the people here, even on the days when they decided to restart the bill, which was actually shelved by their predecessors.

Across the country, boisterous rallies voicing support for and enmity toward the bill, have merely been taken as 'the dynamics of a democratic country.' And, predictably, like other high-profile (and controversial) legislation, lawmakers forged ahead without bothering to listen.

Staunch Muslim groups have incessantly praised the "noble intention" of the bill, which the devout believe can aid in protecting the young generation from further immorality. They have also pleaded with the lawmakers to endorse it with little or no deliberation.

On the other side, women's rights activists and those with common sense, point out how the bills undermine and target women as a source of many sins, and further how sexuality and cultural diversity are viewed by some people as crimes.

The War of Words between the two different sides is now in full swing.

The Balinese opposition to the bill has been a good example to reiterate that the Balinese Hindus have a different faith from the majority of people, so they do not want the bill. Other provinces with significant non-Muslim populations might also join the movement opposing the bill.

Many have expressed suspicions that some lawmakers hope to use the bill to retain their cushy seats by winning the hearts of the Muslim voters ahead of the 2009 election.

Critical eyes however, see a different perspective in the legislators' steadfast determination to go ahead despite mounting protests: The lawmakers are apparently trying to bridge the gap between mankind (in this country) and God.

They are trying to take over God's role on earth by judging what is a sin, regardless of the fact that it involves the most private areas of one's life.

Unbelievable? It is. Just take a close look at the first paragraph of the explanation of the draft bill, which says "as religious believers, Indonesians are convinced that God forbids antisocial behavior, such as indecency and immorality in our sex lives, for instance; sexual harassment, adultery, sexual deviation etc."

By and large, the bill requires citizens to agree upon this clause, and if they do not, then they are sinful animals.

Where do the House members wish to stand between the state, the people and God? It is really a confusing leap that the House members are trying to make.

The truth does not only exist in Islam, which forbids such sins as sexual deviancy and immorality. Many other religions are of the same opinion. So why do the hard-line supporters of this all happen to be Muslim groups? Are Muslim supporters trying to play the holier-than-thou card? Perhaps.

Sex has been a lucrative industry since the beginning of civilization. If sex is considered a demon, the best way to wage war against cannot be to try and kill the demon. Remember, demons are immortal.

The best way would be to protect oneself with common sense and keep the beast at bay, so one will be saved.

Logically, it is similar to fasting during Ramadhan. Muslims do not go berserk when people around them are eating, because the teachings assert 'save your anger and consume the suffering and heaven awaits you.' Besides, many laws have contained clauses touching upon pornography. The Criminal Code has articles on pornography, street prostitution and even adultery. If these are considered inadequate, the broadcast law can be revised to regulate "porn" or graphic images aired on television.

So why produce new laws, while we are quite aware of the high cost and the valuable time that the lawmakers spend on each one.

So what would happen if the bills were really endorsed? Quite obviously, there would be a holy war between believers and non-believers. Or the police would be outnumbered by offenders and overwhelmed with porn-related crimes. Prisons would be bursting at the seams.

Worse still, the state budget item for prison expenses would balloon exponentially. It will create chaos on a daily basis.

Some say it is a cliche to say that morality has nothing to do with religious beliefs, but it is true.

In this country, it is not even news to hear how an ustadz (teacher) sexually harasses his acquiescent students, how scout instructors molest young girls or boy scouts, how state officials steal money from the state coffers, how public figures openly disparage political rivals or how religious leaders become engrossed in worldly materialism.

If believing is a matter of seeing, then those who have seen aforementioned incidents, must say no to this bill.