Dialy Lessons from LIfe 14-15 July 2010 - Speak up against extremists: SM Goh

"Speak up against extremists: SM Goh - Thu, Jul 15, 2010 my paper

WHEN senior pastor Rony Tan from Lighthouse Evangelism made insensitive remarks about Buddhism and Taoism in an online video in February, religious leaders and even other Christian followers quickly spoke against his actions.

Alluding to this incident, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said that religious followers have a 'social duty to speak out against those who hold offensive views towards other religions or communities'.

It is only through such swift and categorical rebuttals that people from other religions can be reassured that the offensive comments are NOT held by the religion's mainstream members, he said."

I missed writing the blog last night for 14 July 2010 as the Blogger site was down. Anyway, this is a very important topic for a multi-cultural, multi-religious, and multi-racial nation like Singapore.

This is one area where I totally agreed with the government on a stern, merciless, take-no-prisoner approch of censorship and clamp down on any offensive leaders and members of any religions in Singapore against another religion!

Lessons for me are:

1. any religion has to respect the right of other religions unless the other religion is so devilish that it kills any non-believers as the right thing to do!! i.e. acts that any reasonable government will rule as murderous and violate the laws of the land for sure!!;

2. each religion is entitled to exhort and tout its own merits. This can be done STRICTLY on the ground that it DOES NOT compare and put down other religions. There is no OTHER rule need to be set. Just this one. If you follow this rule, fine and well. If you violate this rule, you will be brought to the court to answer the charge and you will be severely punished without doubt! It is NOT a topic for debate. It is the inviolable rule!;

3. each religion will have believers of various degree. I once remarked that to be truly religious, you must be a fanatic. If not, you cannot possibly live up to the expectations of the religion. That is one of the main reasons why I never did become a believer of any religions as I KNOW I cannot measure up. Rather than being a half-baked Muslim or Christian or Taoist or Buddhist or whatever, I rather believe in: Do good. Hence, it will be a challenge for those who DO NOT subscribe to the EXTREME form of religious adherence to 'whistle blow' on ANYONE within the religious groups to the authority. Hard to do BUT they MUST DO. Think about it - deep and hard.

May Singaporeans continue to be vigilant against insensitive remarks against any other religion. So help me God, Allah, Buddha, and whatever Supreme beings you believed it!