Dr Mathews noted that Christianity in Singapore tends to be conservative, evangelical, ‘embracing an exclusivist stance’ in viewing other religions.
Shall I say elitist's attitude too, since only their believers go to heaven but non believers go to hell?
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Clergy ‘wary of inter-faith talks’
Nearly half of Christian leaders fear such dialogue will compromise their beliefs: Poll
By Li Xueying – The Straits Times
3 September 2008
THE bulk of Christian clergymen in Singapore are apprehensive about inter-faith dialogue, said a sociologist who is also a Pentecostal church pastor.
Dr Mathew Mathews came to this conclusion after conducting a survey of clergymen here.
One of its key findings: Nearly 50 per cent feared inter-faith dialogue would compromise their religious convictions.
Dr Mathews, a visiting fellow at the National University of Singapore’s sociology department and who is trained in theology, interviewed 183 clergymen for his study.
It sought to determine how Christian leaders relate to others in Singapore’s multi-religious society.
The key findings were presented at a forum organised by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) yesterday on religious diversity in Singapore. Attended by 200 religious leaders and academics, it also saw the launch of a book on the same subject.
Edited by multiculturalism researcher Lai Ah Eng, the book, titled Religious Diversity In Singapore, has 28 chapters by academics and leaders of various faiths.
A theme that ran through the book and forum was that of tolerance and the way religions can bridge their differences.
One issue was whether religious leaders themselves would take the step.
Dr Mathews noted that Christianity in Singapore tends to be conservative, evangelical, ‘embracing an exclusivist stance’ in viewing other religions.
This spills into the clergymen’s attitudes towards collaborating with other religions: 41.5 per cent would find it difficult to collaborate with a non-Christian religious leader for a charity drive.
They fear it would lead to the perception that ‘all religions are equal’.
The study sparked a discussion at the forum on the extent religions here can tolerate and understand one another.
Some were pessimistic.
One participant asked: ‘If religions hold on to that exclusive point of view, there is no hope. Am I right to be depressed?’
Replied Dr Mathews: ‘Though one holds on to the position that the other is wrong...you can still relate to them on other levels - as a citizen, as a human being, for instance.’
Professor Ten Chin Liew, a philosophy don, earlier noted that some differences were simply irreconcilable, for instance those on afterlife and the divinity of Christ.
He is ‘a little sceptical’ about whether they can be eliminated.
Even when religions share common values such as kindness, it is not possible to ‘water down’, say, the Catholic faith to such general values, he said.
‘You just have to find common ground on as many issues as you can.’
That would be an uphill task, suggested another study of 2,700 young people.
Done by sociolinguist Phyllis Chew, it showed three-quarters of them are tolerant of other religions, but this was seen as ‘not talking about it’ rather than genuine understanding.
However, others were more optimistic that the differences can be bridged if more is done at the grassroots level.
Inter-faith dialogue advocate See Guat Kwee called on civil society and religious leaders to take on this responsibility from the Government.
‘We need deep friendships and to talk frankly, behind closed doors if needed.’
Another participant also asked religious leaders to ‘do what the academics have done’ in openly discussing differences, rather than treat the matter with ‘such sensitivity’.
In response, IPS chairman Tommy Koh said Singapore does need to be sensitive when talking about religion.
He cited events in the region, like in South Korea where Buddhist monks are accusing President Lee Myung Bak of being pro-Christian.
‘If Singapore becomes unstable over the issue of religion, it can threaten everything we have built over the last 43 years,’ he added.
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