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With the upcoming release of the Church sponsored feature film ‘Meet the Mormons’ we report on our recent efforts within Singapore to be a part of a wider religious dialogue.
With the upcoming release of the Church sponsored feature film ‘Meet the Mormons’ we report on our recent efforts within Singapore to be a part of a wider religious dialogue.Singapore is a small country and has enjoyed religious harmony for many years. It is agreed by many, that after so much effort and building of goodwill, it would only take one spark to destroy this peace. Four speakers representing different religions spoke at an Inter-racial and Religious Confidence Circle (IRCC) dialogue on 13 July 2014 in an effort to increase understanding of the different beliefs and festivals.
Sister Pongkodi organized the Church’s presence at this event and represents us at the Punggol Branch of the IRRC. Six young adults from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints volunteered at the dialogue. They helped with the set-up of the venue as well as material preparations before the event. Volunteers were rewarded with sumptuous buffet meals before and after the event along with the other 40 participants.
This dialogue was held at Punggol South and focused on festive celebrations by various faiths. Brother Charlie Chan, Stake Patriarch from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke about Christian festivals. He shared the significance of Christmas and Easter and why these are sacred times of importance for Christians.
The second speaker was Mr Rama Venkatraman who talked about Hinduism.
Mr Venkatraman commented, “We can all gel well if we can see the uniqueness of each religion and learn to appreciate it. If we find similarities, we can root to a common place.”
The third speaker was Mr Ameerali Abdeali who is President of the Muslim Kidney Action Association. He shared his thoughts on the IRCC and some of the Muslim beliefs and celebrations.
Mr Abdeali said, “We used to keep our religion in silos and we interacted in the common space as Singaporeans. Although we may all be from the same source we may have different practices; what is critical and imperative is that you having a different religion does not mean I have to fear or avoid you, but rather I should respect you. Beyond that there is understanding.”
He concluded by saying, “I believe in friendships, I don’t believe in inter-faith debates. Inter-religious interactions should never involve debates about why my faith is better than yours, how I can look at your book and point out what is wrong and why mine is better. The worse thing to do is to hate – you are not in my religion I hate you.
Religion can be manipulated by other people who have their own selfish agendas. The best protection we can offer our children is to teach the right values of the faith and help them to understand it.”
Lastly, Master Long Say Keng Adrian spoke on behalf of the Singapore Taoist Association.
The event concluded with a buffet dinner.
This article was taken from a report by Samantha, formerly from Bedok Ward. In conclusion, Samantha writes, “It was an honour to belong to the religious organization which represented the Christian faith at the dialogue. It was also fulfilling to help at an event which promoted inter-religious harmony. Personally, I learnt quite a bit from the speakers of other faiths. This dialogue opened my eyes to the active efforts made by government organizations and citizens in promoting inter-religious harmony in our country.”
This article was taken from a report by Samantha, formerly from Bedok Ward. In conclusion, Samantha writes, “It was an honour to belong to the religious organization which represented the Christian faith at the dialogue. It was also fulfilling to help at an event which promoted inter-religious harmony. Personally, I learnt quite a bit from the speakers of other faiths. This dialogue opened my eyes to the active efforts made by government organizations and citizens in promoting inter-religious harmony in our country.”