AWARE SHOWDOWN: Religious leaders back Archbishop

AWARE SHOWDOWN: Religious leaders back Archbishop

By Aaron Low

Key religious leaders in Singapore have thrown their backing behind the Anglican Archbishop’s stand that churches - and religious bodies in general - should stay out of the affairs of secular organisations.

Leaders of Buddhist, Taoist, Catholic and Protestant bodies said they agreed with Dr John Chew’s statement that the pulpit should not be used to push social or political causes.

They declare that secular organisations should stay secular, while religious organisations that want to propagate their beliefs should do so to their own members.

‘We feel that organisations which are meant to be secular in nature, to better serve the general public, should always be kept secular, while other organisations with non-secular or religious stances are free to propagate them to their own members,’ said Venerable Kwang Sheng, president of the Singapore Buddhist Federation.

‘It is best that members of a secular society be always mindful of the objectives of the society, and to respect secular points of view, so as to foster harmony for society at large,’ he added.

Archbishop John Chew, who is head of the local Anglican diocese as well as president of the National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS), issued a statement on Thursday saying the NCCS does not condone churches getting involved in the leadership tussle at the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware).

This came about a few days after Pastor Derek Hong of the Anglican Church of Our Saviour urged the women in his flock to support the new leaders at Aware, most of whom attend his church.

One of his statements during that Sunday sermon - ‘It’s not a crusade against the people, but there’s a line that God has drawn for us and we don’t want our nation crossing that line’ - caused many ripples of concern among Singaporeans.

Pastor Hong issued a statement on Friday saying he regretted his actions on the pulpit and that he would be ‘more sensitive to similar situations in future’.

On Saturday, the head of the local Catholic Church, Archbishop Nicholas Chia, weighed in on the issue.

Responding to The Sunday Times, he too stressed the importance of drawing a clear line between secular and religious organisations.

While religious organisations can give their opinions on secular organisations,’we don’t go into their affairs’, he said.

He added: ‘Aware is secular. If there are issues, the Government can look into it. If it is a religious organisation within the church, we will handle it.’

The head of the Taoist Mission, Reverend Master Lee Zhiwang, told The Sunday Times: ‘Secular organisations should be run based on what’s best for the people, including respect for individuals’ religion and values.’

‘Religious groups should not be involved in this matter. Let members of Aware resolve their own issues,’ he added.

Even as these religious leaders spoke out against interfering in the affairs of secular organisations, however, other religious organisations preferred to let their silence speak.

The City Harvest Church, a Protestant church with 24,000 members in Singapore, reflected a sentiment common among many of the 30-plus church groups contacted by The Sunday Times yesterday when it said: ‘We feel the Aware matters should be resolved internally by their own members. We are not in a position to comment.’

http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=28024.212