Monday, February 08, 2010

Tolerance, pass it on

Ever hear of Lighthouse Evangelism pastor Rony Tan? No? Don’t be surprised when Singaporeans string him up for attacking the central tenets of Buddhism. Because in Singapore, you can’t criticize another's believes because they are assumed to be sacred.

According to a report on Channel News Asia, ISD told Pastor Tan that in “preaching or proselytising his faith, he must not run down other religions, and must be mindful of the sensitivities of other religions”

The Ministry of Home Affairs gave a brief statement that Pastor Tan’s comments werer highly “inappropriate and unacceptable as they trivialised and insulted the beliefs of Buddhists and Taoists” which can also “give rise to tension and conflict between the Buddhist/Taoist and Christian communities.”

I like my freedom of speech. I find it disturbing when I encounter censorship and the protection of religion in other cultures.  We must protect our rights.

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