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Learn to tolerate and compromise

The Straits Times – “Singapore homeland security calls out Christian pastor over insensitive comments” 9 Feb 2010

Earlier this year, The Straits Times broke a story about a senior pastor, Rony Tan of Lighthouse Evangelism, who was called in for an investigation by the ISD after receiving complaints about online videos. which showed him making insensitive comments about Buddhism when he was interviewing his two church members. As the members, a former Buddhist monk and nun, shared their experience as Buddhists, Pastor Tan mocked Buddhism’s beliefs and practices on reincarnation, karma, nirvana, chanting and meditation. He was making statements like being under the influence of demons, “the blind leading the blind” and false religion. ISD responded: “Pastor Tan’s comments were highly inappropriate and unacceptable as they trivialized and insulted the beliefs of Buddhists and Taoists. They can also lead to tension and conflict between the Buddhist/Taoist and Christian communities.”

After realizing his mistakes, Pastor Tan ordered his church to immediately stop circulation and remove this particular sermon. He also publicly apologized for his comments on his website, writing: “…I sincerely apologize for my insensitivity towards Buddhists and Taoists, and I solemnly promise that it will never happen again… tell my members that not only to continue loving souls, but also to respect other beliefs and not ridicule them in any way, shape or fashion. Let’s put our goal of building a harmonious Singapore as a top priority.” In addition, he visited the leaders of the Buddhist and Taoist communities to offer his sincere apologies. Venerable Kwang Sheng of the Phor Kar See Kong Meng San Temple accepted his apology: “It is good that the authorities have looked into this matter, but it is a matter of national interest. We want to call on the public and the authorities to make sure let there be no second time… Singapore is a multi-racial and multi-religious society. There is no point in arguing who is right and who is wrong,” Singapore Buddhist Lodge Chairman Lee Bock Guan further emphasized: “Buddhism teaches us to forgive everyone makes mistakes.”

There are a couple of lessons for us from this incident:

  • The impact of online media

With the widespread use of the Internet and various popular social networks like YouTube and blogs, anything posted online can be read or viewed by thousands or millions of people. This online medium is a double-edged sword as the message or information is so accessible to anyone that it can easily lead to tension or disagreement if the content is insensitive or inappropriate. The authority can also trace the source without any difficulty. Therefore, before publishing something, we must think about whether the information should be made available to the public.

  • Be a responsible communicator

No man is an island. Every day we interact with people and our words will influence others in a positive or negative way. If you are a teacher, pastor, business leader, or politician speaking in front of a large audience, then it is even more important to be mindful and aware of what you are saying. The general rule is not to discuss religion, politics and sex. However, when you choose to go into that subject, be prepared to face the consequences (from the opposing viewpoints).

  • Knowledge of different cultures/religious

This incident clearly indicated that the pastor did not really do his homework or understand about various religious and their history. As different religionists have different beliefs and practices, the acts or behaviors of a particular religious practitioner may not be clearly understood by believers of other religions. Therefore, it is easy for anyone to make a judgment without finding out the history or meaning behind a belief/act and just scoff at their religionists. Spending time learning about other cultures or religions can broaden our horizons and teach us to appreciate religious diversity more. Our education system can pay extra by providing knowledge to people esp. when they are young and receptive.

The Straits Times – “Twin threats of race and religion” on August 17, 2009

At the 2009 National Rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong highlighted a dispute between a Malaysian wedding and a Chinese funeral regarding the use of the empty deck premise. There was an elderly woman who died in 2008 and her family went to set up an altar on the empty roof of an HDB block before seeking approval from the City Council unaware that the venue had been reserved for a Muslim wedding. Both parties did not want to change their arrangement and this created a tension. So the City Council and grassroots leaders had to step in to solve the problem and offered to file charges and help put up signs directing their guests to the right place. Fortunately, the Malay family was willing to move to another empty deck nearby even though they had booked the premise first.

According to the statistics collected, this type of incident will occur in every 300 funerals. Municipalities have to handle these cases carefully and both the Malaysian wedding and the Chinese funeral have to be budgeted for. If these cases are not dealt with properly, they can escalate into a potential serious racial or religious conflict. One such case may endanger peace and harmony in Singapore. Prime Minister Lee reminded us not to take our harmony and cohesion for granted and learn to be sensible and tolerant of religious differences, as well as a willingness to give and take. There is no end to the possible causes of racial or religious friction in our neighborhood, like the noise from the auction on 7th moon, the heavy traffic or parking problems from Friday prayer or church service and smoke or ashes lost everywhere due to burning incense sticks.

PM Lee has also outlined four basic rules for religious harmony in another article:

  1. All groups have to exercise tolerance and restraint.
  2. Keep religion separate from politics.
  3. The government must remain secular.
  4. Maintain the common space that all Singaporeans share.

I have learned that there are still many small clashes going on everywhere in Singapore and it is common and natural for us to have conflicts in our lives as they allow us to understand more about other people’s cultures, religions and beliefs. From each conflict we encounter, we will get to know ourselves and others better and learn how to prevent similar conflicts from happening again. Singapore took years to build the harmony and stability we enjoy now. As Prime Minister Lee said, we must not take things for granted and must continue to tolerate and compromise. I have also been involved in a new initiative with Singapore United in the Community Engagement Program where young leaders belonging to different religious groups come together for an open discussion about faith and go on educational excursions to places like SCDF and Mosque. It is very meaningful and informative.

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