looks like we have more to fear of the born again christians
than terrorists.
Religion
Hard-sell jitters
Increasing reports of insensitive evangelism irk many Singaporeans
and raise fears about a possible backlash. By Seah Chiang
Nee.
June 20, 2009
STEREOTYPED as a society that only
worships money, Singapore is surprisingly seeing a surge of
religiosity – or simply put, too much religion.
This exuberance is, however, confined to a small segment of
fundamentalist Christians, and appears out of line with most
materialistic Singaporeans.
The Christian community makes up 17% of the people, while
Buddhists and Taoists form a majority 51%, and Muslims, 16%.
But in recent years there has been a surge of born-again
Christianity. These include bible-quoting evangelists who gather in
city squares and MRT stations, persistently
striving to convert the public, including followers of other
faiths.
Others work in schools, polytechnics and hospitals, even among
patients.
A major concern, however, is their targeting of schools, a
melting pot of different cultures, races and religions, trying to
convert impressionable teenagers.
Young men in their 30s, usually working in pairs, would approach
students outside the school compound to talk about God.
The kids would be asked for their cell-phone numbers, and those
who comply may find themselves harassed by persistent SMS invitations to attend services.
Another worry is the belittling of other religions, which could
spark off friction.
A university lecturer who accompanied her mother, a dementia
victim, received more than a blood test at a hospital, when the
evangelising nurse asked about her mother’s religion.
When she replied “Buddhist” she was told to go to church because
“it’ll be good for you”.
In a recent high profile trial, a Christian couple were jailed
eight weeks under the Sedition Act for distributing and possessing
anti-Muslim and anti-Catholic tracts.
The two – SingTel technical officer Ong Kian Cheong, 50, and a
Swiss bank associate director, Dorothy Chan Hien Leng, 46 – have
appealed against conviction.
The intent was to convince Muslims to convert to Christianity by
using inflammatory and misleading information, the court heard.
Bizarrely, they hit Catholics even harder, describing the Pope
as Satan.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has named religious divide as
potentially one of the biggest threats to social order.
“Don’t mix religion with politics”, warned Home Affairs Minister
Wong Kan Seng. He said that the Government would intervene if any
activism threatens Singapore’s social fabric.
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean has advised people to manage
their differences, saying: “If you push your argument too hard,
there’ll be others who push back.”
These comments came as emotions ran high over the failed
takeover of AWARE, a social body, by members
of a small fundamentalist church apparently in pursuit of their
religious beliefs.
The vast majority of Christians work within the framework of
this multi-religious society, conscious and tolerant of other
ancient religions.
They attend church once a week and return home to their families
without trying to convert followers of other faiths.
The increasing reports of insensitive evangelism have irked many
Singaporeans and have worried the majority of non-activist
Christians about a possible backlash.
Evangelism notwithstanding, Singapore remains a stable, tolerant
society where any hint of extremism is deeply resented.
Some 85% of Singaporeans profess having a religion, probably
including many nominal believers, while atheists make up the other
15%.
There is, however, an anomaly among the younger set.
Singapore is a tightly competitive society and a rat race for
its citizens, from a very young age. The result is the emergence of
youths who know very little about religion.
From comments in a survey, prominent educator Phyllis Chew said
she was surprised to hear such comments about Islam – “their
marriages take place in the void deck” – and Buddhism – “it’s about
filial piety”.
It was conducted among 2,800 students, aged 12-18. Chew said it
showed that while 76% were tolerant of other religions, their idea
of tolerance was “not talking about it”.
“A lack of knowledge of different faiths is a potentially
unstable situation,” she said, calling for a revival of religious
teaching in schools.
The recession, one of the worst in Singapore’s history, appears
to be making Singaporeans a little bit more religious, too.
“I pray harder in these times, although my job is not affected
this time,” said a 25-year-old Singaporean as unemployment rose to
the highest in three years.
“I’m praying for my fiance, that his job is safe,” she said.
They were planning to wed and feared retrenchment.
Attendance in churches, temples and mosques has generally risen
as Singaporeans turn more to religion for comfort.
“People might experience depression and socio-psychological
problems worrying about work, Alexius Pereira, sociologist at the
National University of Singapore,” told Reuters.
“It is through such worries that they turn to religion.”
How effective is modern evangelism? When it comes to numbers, it
is the born again Christians who are proportionately the biggest
gainers.
The reason is less their aggressive evangelism than the lure of
educated youths by their glitz and modern church operations. The
gain has, however, been slow and gradual.
Occasionally followers do switch, and it has nothing to do with
educational levels. Neither are changes one-sided.
Chinese have switched to become Muslims, and Hindus to
Buddhists. Only the Malays stay largely with their faith.
There is another reason why many adult Singaporeans – especially
those who are ageing – turn to religion.
After accumulating sufficient money for retirement, Singaporeans
– however materialistic – often begin to turn their thoughts to the
after-life.
A bit is kiasuism may be at work, too.
I once asked a housewife who likes to play the jackpot machine,
why she had not embraced a religion. Her reply: “I’m waiting till I
am older and closer to death.”