SM Goh: inter-faith harmony in Singapore is active, not passive
February 28th, 2010 | 
Author: Written by Our Correspondent
During a speech made at the opening of a new church yesterday, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong “says inter-faith harmony in Singapore is active, not passive, meaning religious groups make it a point to stay in touch, allowing them to clear up any misunderstandings that may arise.”
“It’s not just passive harmony, but active harmony.We have the Inter-Religious Organisation, where the leaders meet often so that they are in touch with one another, so they are able to very quickly react to any misunderstanding and put things right,” he added.
His remarks came in the aftermath of the a controversy sparked by Pastor Rony Tan from Lighthouse Evangelism who made some insensitive remarks about Buddhism and Taoism during a church session.
He had since apologized for his words after being hauled up by the ISD for questioning.
The inter-religious organization is set up under the auspices of the state to promote mutual understanding and dialogue between the various religions in Singapore.
Though SM Goh appeared to be impressed by the role played by inter-faith dialogues in maintaining religious harmony in Singapore, others are more circumspect.
A Buddhist monk, Venerable Dhammika blogged about his personal experience at such sessions:
“I doubt that inter-religious dialogue, at least as it is conducted in Singapore, really brings about a change in how the different religions feel about each other. I have often attended inter-religious gatherings and I have noticed that everyone is friendly, accommodating and open-minded. The participants are already respectful of other faiths. The ones who could do with a bit of tolerance – the bigots, zealots, fundamentalists and the evangelicals, won’t come. Here in Singapore several major denominations have pointedly refused to join the Inter-religious Organization which they see as fratranizing with Satan.”
The Singapore government frequently organized such inter-faith dialogues to promote interaction between leaders of various religious faiths in Singapore.
As they are not compulsory, the participants are usually those who are tolerant and respectful of other faiths, as pointed out by Venerable Dhammika and as such is “all too often just an exercise in the converted preaching to each other.”
The state media, which has been busy of late trying to paint a rosy picture of “religious harmony” in Singapore should consider interviewing the religious leaders who have never attended such dialogues to solicit their views on the matter.
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27 Responses to “SM Goh: inter-faith harmony in Singapore is active, not passive”
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Allan Ooi AWARE Chee Soon Juan Chiam See Tong Claire Lee David Widjaja DBS Dr Allan Ooi Dr Silviu Ionescu Dr Vivian Balakrishnan Foyce Le Xuan highnote5 Hong Lim Park Jack Lin Xinli Jack Neo Jack Neo affair Jack Neo scandal Josie Lau Josie Lau Meng Lee Kenneth Jeyaretnam Lee Kuan Yew Lehman brothers Lighthouse Evangelism MAS minibonds Miss Singapore World NTU stabbing PAP Pastor Rony Tan Ris Low Romanian diplomat in hit-and-run Rony Tan S-League silviu ionescu Singapore Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games Tan Kin Lian Thio Su Mien Tiger Woods affair Tong Kok Wai Top 8 Vivian Balakrishnan Wendy Chong Y O G Youth Olympic Games
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Mr Peanuts’ idea of “inter-faith dialogue” is for the garhmen to appoint a “leader” for each religion and then show them in local TV and newspapers kissing each other!!!
Is Pastor Rony Tan in the Inter-faith org? Shouldn’t he be made to do “community service” by making him attend Inter-faith dialogue. But then again, you can drag a cow to the water-hole but you cannot make the cow drink the water!
This reminds me of a friend whose son attends a mega church in Jurong and he saddened the family very much by not participating in the Taoist funeral of a loved one because he said he was told so by the pastor. The mother went all the way to attend service at his church to demonstrate that she accepts his faith but the son would never attend any Buddhist talks. Relationship remains strained.
Millister Mentor said this, Mentor Millister did that, Senior Millister sais this and did that, where’s the Prime Millister?
Does Sinkapore has a Prime Millister AT ALL?
I have no faith in a system that pays millions to useless old fools who dont justify the salary.
inter-faith harmony is again after a survey of 100 people in singapore . The hundered people represent ALL singaporeans .
Out of these 100 people , 84 are MPs . LOL
///Here in Singapore several major denominations have pointedly refused to join the Inter-religious Organization which they see as fratranizing with Satan///
The IRO need to be vested the power to register all religious orgs in SG. By blatantly refusing to join IRO is evident enough that their org is a threat to religious harmony in SG and as such also threat to national security and should not be allowed to remain registered as a religious org.
100%Singaporean on Sun, 28th Feb 2010 10:21 am
It happens too frequently. Usually from kids with less than strong rooting in family values and sometimes as a result of parents not inculcating these values to them when young. So with a spiritual / value vacuum in his/her head, soemthing will fill the void in a matter of time. And these “salemen” knows who to target.
TR just have to do it again and again…stirring old topics, then add in salt and pepper just so as to increase their hit rates. When are you going to stop this…goodness sake, most have move on!
Unless it is TR objectives of catering to those who cannot, don’t know or for their own agenda, refused to move on…than it is not an alternative media, it is just a gossip media to stir shit!
@LOL
Wouldn’t be able to stir shit if the pot of shit a.k.a Singapore’s mainstream media didn’t exist in the first place, would it?
You can’t handle the stuff here, or are deeply offended by the anti-PAP sentiments? Go back to your daily fix of pro-establishment crack dished out by the Straits Times, CNA etc. Don’t come back.
@LOL on Sun, 28th Feb 2010 12:05 pm
The point is, TR is exposing the bloody hypocrisy of the establishment and mainstream media! This is not stirring shit, rather its about enlightening as many people as possible to the reality beyond the PAP’s propaganda machinery.
No one is stopping YOU from moving on.
I-R-O is a must for multi religious & cultural country like Singapore.
As the saying goes we can agree to disagree but the TWAIN will never meet.
We can be active or passive but that is only political jargon.
All great faiths preach tolerance,love, understanding and all roads lead to heaven or nirvana.
Its the PREACHER repeat PREACHER brainwashing their followers and no one else that is creating this GREAT DIVIDE.
CitizenReddot on Sun, 28th Feb 2010 1:25 pm
Yes. Well said. The preacher. As they and only they know who are vulnerable victims to prey on.
In every wood where there’s a Red Riding Hood, there will be a wolf lurking. And after gobbling up granny, will brainwash Red not to hold joss sticks at her funeral.
The IRO need to have the power to nail these wolfs before they get to grandma’s house.
CitizenReddot on Sun, 28th Feb 2010 1:25 pm
Very apt quote.
“Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.” Rudyard Kipling
With reports of the West getting increasing secular, % of xtians in US going down, many of them going for Eastern religions, some of us here in the East are barking up the wrong tree.
100%Singaporean on Sun, 28th Feb 2010 10:21 am: Hey, this reminds me of some of my cousins who converted to x’tianity. They then told their parents that they no longer recognised them as parents, since their real father was the bearded fella living in the clouds. Disgusting!
KopitiamApek on Sun, 28th Feb 2010 11:34 am: Yeah, some x’tian frens said they don’t believe in religious harmony – since in their eyes, their is only 1 religion. Disgusting!
Interesting stats of angmo countries
Christianity by country
source: wiki
New Zealand 53.5%
Australia 64.0%
1901 96.1
1911 95.9
1921 96.9
1933 86.4
1947 88.0
1954 89.4
1961 88.3
1966 88.2
1971 86.2
1976 78.6
1981 76.4
1986 73.0
1991 74.0
1996 70.9
2001 68.0
2006 63.9
United States 78.0%
(a 2006 online Harris Poll found that only 26% of those surveyed attended religious services “every week or more often”)
United Kingdom 71.9%
(in practice all have relatively low levels of religious observance and today are secular societies.)
France 53.5%
Whereas we have African ex colonies like
Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe have all above 80%
Inversely proportional to the literacy level of the country?
KopitiamApek on Mon, 1st Mar 2010 12:02 am
Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe still retain the humanity
like an infant which is pure and innocent who have still have faith and mutual trust between people. Cheats, lies and evil heart disconnect everyone. Their belief in God, exist or not, have been helping them to stand strong against all the extreme odds.
Singapore current social order is in the following sequence 法 理 情
but it is missing a closed loop for total harmony. Law cannot help to bring harmony and hence the inter-faith harmony attempt to achieve that. Meeting does not help harmony but good for control and salvage any fault line explosions. More efforts like new faculty in NUS/NTU to allow sponsored scholars to study each religions history and publish their finding regularly. Promote understanding of each faith and focus on common goals is more effective to achieve harmony.
Goh Chok Tong used to be a great leader…but now he is only a PAP dog whose commands million dollars salary…what are you doing now. GCT? where is ur integrity?
Inter-faith harmony is active only because members of the IRO are ‘compelled’ to act according to the organisation’s declaration and objectives. Non-IRO organised religions such as LE church and et al don’t participate in inter-faith dialogue for the reason that their faith is THE ONLY FAITH.
From the political point and given the multi-racial, multi-religion, multi-culture environment here, it is necessary to promote and sell inter-faith harmony, else there will be bloodbath.
It is naive to believe that religious zealots (in the name of God) will not kill, burn, shoot, steal, destroy, kidnap, hijack, blackjack, etc. There is a long history of violence, wars, murders, ‘cleansing’ caused by religions. And more recent events nearby are good reminders.
Whether one believes inter-faith harmony is real or not working, do recognise that PR is necessary to create a positive, confident and safe environment for all.
Whatever gripes, grouses, greviances netizens have with gahmen or GCT’s peanuts, there is no better person to talk about religious harmony than one who professed no religion.
My FAITH is in secularism not religion.
I have witness myself in person even some of the Minister Mother pass away they did not attend the funeral !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They don’t be bother.
This chap is farting again.
ya !
where is the switzerland living standard you promised ？
http://www.sha.tc/singapore/singapore-swiss-standard-of-living
singapore soccer team in world cup this year ？
When someone speak bad on Buddhism, should Buddhist retaliate? Is Buddhism about Tit for Tat? Should Buddhist call for arrest of Rony Tan when the government let him go?
I left the “Arrest Rony Tan” group because it is not promoting Buddhist’s agenda on loving kindness and forgiving, and help to administer a new group “pastor rony tan helps strengthen buddhist faith”.
You may also like to take a look at this group on non harsh word and non retaliating
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=348037296880
I can’t believe that there are still people attacking Christianity faith in Singapore multi-racial and harmonoiusly co-existing religious practises this day! It is appalling that others need to secure their religion beliefs through mocking their faith. Perhaps the very ones who insisted that “western reglion” to be kept at bay are also in need of some re-education.
Christianty does not start from western culture. They come from middle east.
It is a shame that the western belief of not acknowledging natural parents as their parents have diverted from the biblical knowledge of honour your parents. I would still attend my relatives funeral as a Christian, it is only that I would not perform certian rituals that requires me to hold incense, lest it be a form of worship.
Please let this mindless quarrel and ridicule stop before you have become the very person you tried to persecute for attacking other people’s faith. I truly hope this will end here. Thank you.
In the news yesterday
Bestselling American author Mitch Albom made a reference to the case of Pastor Rony Tan, who was recently criticised heavily by Singaporeans, and also warned by the Internal Security Department, for his insensitive remarks aimed at other religions here.
Albom said: “It was good to hear that people objected to that. That’s sort of what my book is about. We’re going to have to learn how to live side by side.”
http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20100301-201509.html
New Insight on Mon, 1st Mar 2010 2:05 am
///Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe still retain the humanity///
Christian Rebels Wage a War of Terror in Uganda
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/05/world/christian-rebels-wage-a-war-of-terror-in-uganda.html?pagewanted=1
@ KopitiamApek on Mon, 1st Mar 2010 8:46 pm
/// Christian Rebels Wage a War of Terror in Uganda
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/05/world/christian-rebels-wage-a-war-of-terror-in-uganda.html?pagewanted=1///
An insightful revelation. Africa is still mired in so much backwardness and controversies.
@ Robin’s Karma on Mon, 1st Mar 2010 4:38 pm
/// When someone speak bad on Buddhism, should Buddhist retaliate? Is Buddhism about Tit for Tat? Should Buddhist call for arrest of Rony Tan when the government let him go? ///
Below is taken from a Buddhist website. Hope this helps:
‘Brethren, if outsiders should speak against me, or against my teaching, or against my disciples, you should not on that account either bear malice, or suffer heart-burning, or feel ill-will. If you, on that account, should be angry and hurt, that would stand in the way of your own self-conquest. If, when others speak against us, you feel angry at that, and displeased, would you then be able to judge how far that speech of theirs is well said or ill?’
‘That would not be so, Sir.’
‘But when outsiders speak in dispraise of me, or of my teaching, or of my disciples, you should unravel what is false and point it out as wrong, saying: “For this or that reason this is not the fact, that is not so, such a thing is not found among us, is not in us.”
- DN 1 (Brahmajala Sutta)