God And Us In Singapore

Sunday August 7, 2005 ■ CatholicNews

4

NEWS

The effects of seemingly widespread belief in God on Singapore society is inconclusive, but Sister Wendy Ooi, fsp, is hopeful

By Daniel Tay SINGAPORE – When Singapore

“GOD AND US,” a Special Report in The Straits Times of July 16, reported that a huge majority of Singaporeans say they believe in God. The survey of 622 residents aged 15 and above reveals that 86% say they have a religion; of the balance 14% (those who do not have a religion), 70% say they believe in God. This means, if we take the numbers at face value, approximately 94% of those surveyed believe in God. Considering that the nation is a thriving metropolis, a financial hub, a sophisticated, cosmopolitan society of educated citizens and large numbers of expatriates, Singapore, many would think, would be a place where secularism would dominate. But the numbers indicate that the nation seems to be living up to its previous tourism promotion slogan – Surprising Singapore! It is surprising to find that such a high proportion of the population believe in the divine. Why is this so? Singapore’s location at the crossroads of Asia, the home of many ancient faiths, may have played a part. Yet, ironically, the survey finds that the rate of conversion to Christianity is the highest among the major religions. I wonder if the horrendous events in the not so distant past like 9/11, the Bali bombing, the tsunami disaster, and other terrorist attacks – the most recent, in London and Egypt –

have anything to do with people in Singapore (and perhaps much of the world) giving God a place in their lives. Perhaps the realisation that life can be cut short, of death coming like “a thief in the night,” has awoken many to an awareness of God and perhaps a need for him. But does this widespread belief in God flow through to a higher standard of morality? Perhaps not. Teenage promiscuity, for one, is on the rise. A survey conducted in 2002 found that nearly one in five Singaporeans aged 13-18 have had sexual intercourse. Health Ministry records showed that an average of 1,574 teenagers had abortions every year between 1998 and 2004. Singapore law allows abortion and capital punishment and these practices are readily accepted by society generally. Changing the status quo on these two issues, which are of major concern for the Catholic Church, is difficult.

Nevertheless, as the government becomes more open and consultative, there is hope for changes in laws and practices where morality is of concern and for religion to play a role in those changes. The casino debate is hopefully a precursor of better things to come. Even though many in Singapore had predicted that the government would go ahead with the development of casinos regardless of what different interest groups might say, it is also true that the different major religions in Singapore at least had their say, and many, like the Catholic Church, spoke clearly. One thing we can really appreciate of Singapore is our racial and religious harmony. It is my hope that with such a strong majority of believers in Singapore, more efforts will be made by religions, either acting on their own or in concert in inter-faith organisations, to raise the morality of the society. ■

learning the church’s stand on issues such as social justice in the business world. It was registered last May and its chaplain is Father Frederick Quek. “Undergraduates are in the stage of life where they are searching,” said Nicholas Chia, 22, the President of FIDES. The head altar boy from the Church of the Holy Trinity added that the aim of FIDES is to give Catholic students in the university a grounding in the faith which will enable them to make faith informed decisions.

Management University (SMU) begins its new semester on August 22, Catholic students will be looking for a convenient place to meet. Unlike the former SMU campus in Bukit Timah, which was small and compact, SMU’s new city campus sprawls over the Bras Basah and Bugis area. FIDES, the Catholic students society in SMU, is at the forefront of the Catholic students movement at SMU. “We are currently looking into alternate locations for our gatherings,” said Delphine Goh, 23, a FIDES member. “One good place is Cana.” Cana – The Catholic Centre is located on the second level of the Catholic Welfare Services building on Waterloo Street. FIDES held its Freshmen Orientation Activity there on July 18. The third year undergraduate who attends Mass at the Church of the Risen Christ was initially apprehensive about joining FIDES, but now finds the organisation to be a good way to stand firmly on her spiritual foundation in an exciting secular university. FIDES began as an informal gathering of Catholic students who recognized the importance of

“We hope that FIDES will help our Catholic students to get to know God better and understand why some things are the way they are in the church,” Nicholas said passionately. For information about FIDES visit: http://links.smu.edu.sg/cca/ fides/ ■

a difficult childbirth and Mdm Neo herself nearly lost her life. Her palm still bears the mark made by the cross of the rosary she was gripping so tightly then. About three years of memory loss followed, during which Mdm Neo could only recall about a quarter of her life’s details. The one memory that remained all along was that of Our Lady, to whom she has been praying to since the age of nine. Mdm Neo’s memory gradually returned before she had her second child Vanessa. At the age of four, Vanessa fell from a stool. Following that she would walk awkwardly and fall frequently. Vanessa also vomitted often and had

difficulty making friends. By 2003, Vanessa’s condition had worsened to the point that she was unable to leave the house unsupervised and could not go to school. In 2004, Vanessa underwent two successful operations to save her damaged kneecap. Mdm Neo also feels that Mother Mary had something to do with the financial assistance from a stranger which was used to send her son, Daniel, to the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore, where he is now in his second year. ■

Nicholas Chia and Delphine Goh are active members of the SMU Catholic students movement.

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of the year, Mdm Evelyn Neo, 53, and her 14-year-old daughter, Vanessa, have been faithfully going to the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary every Friday to sweep the church hall. Several times a week, Mdm Neo helps to arrange flowers to decorate the church. In the evenings, she brings Vanessa to water the plants. Mdm Neo is one of many Catholics who serve the church anonymously. In her case, she does it in gratitude to Mother Mary whom she believes helped her and her family through many difficulties. “It gives me a lot of joy to do all this for Mother Mary,” Mdm Neo explained as she hugged her daughter after cleaning the statue of Our Lady. About 17 years ago, Mdm Neo’s eldest daughter passed away during