Senior
Minister Goh Chok Tong says Singapore is blessed with religious
diversity and harmony.
Speaking at the opening of the Bartley Christian Church, he points
out that people of different faiths live happily side by side
here.
Religious institutions also reach out to the larger
community.
"They do not just cater a minister to their own flock. They are
actually an integral part of a larger community. So you have the
Bartley Christian Church reaching out to the Ramakrishnan
Mission, reaching out to the Braddell Heights CC. And likewise
other institutions in Singapore are doing the same
thing."
SM Goh points out that leaders from the Inter-Religious
Organisation meet often and they are able to react quickly to any
misunderstandings to put things right.
MP for Marine Parade GRC, Seah Kian Peng, who was also present at
the opening, shares the same sentiment.
Mr Seah says tolerance and acceptance among people of different
faiths help create an ever increasing circle of common
space.
And Singapore needs this space to help it move forward as one
community.
"In recent weeks, we have seen the importance of churches as well
as the role of respect and sensitivity in public discourse. Let us
not forget that our speeches are heard by many who may not be
present at the event. We have to be prepared to defend our
statement and our views to a larger audience. And we can certainly
usefully put forward our own positions and views without running
others down."
These comments come in the light a recent issue involving Pastor
Rony Tan from Lighthouse Evangelism who made insensitive remarks
about the Buddhist and Taoist faiths.
He has since personally apologised to the leaders of the two
religions and they have accepted his apology.
--938Live