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20 Jul 2016

Watch: LGBT and Christian conservatives in conversation in Singapore

Figures of conservative Christianity and an LGBT group joined a panel hosted by the Independent Singapore to discuss LGBT

A forum jointly organised by the Independent Singapore and GLBT Voices tackled issues relating to the gay community in Singapore and beyond. The event, taking place on 16 July, sought to allow different groups to engage in direct conversation.

Panelists included Viswa Sadasivan, former Nominated Member of Parliament and a television production, communications training and strategic consultant, Pauline Ong, an executive pastor at Free Community Church, Crispus Ratnam a born again evangelical Christian and founder of Worldwide Victories, and Nicholas Lim who is the founder and administrator of Singapore’s GLBT Voices.

The panelists were asked to comment on such topics as their opinion on the LGBT community and the place of free speech. They also discussed Singapore’s anti-gay law Section 377A and how they conceived marriage.

“I thought this was an excellent platform to present each other’s views in a civil and mature ways,” said one participant of the dialogue.

The conversation remained divisive, however, with Crispus Ratnam commenting that “homosexuality is an epidemic that is affecting the human race.”

Reader's Comments

1. 2016-07-20 20:21  
It's interesting to see a Christian fundamentalist opening up, even if the door is only barely ajar. But I am baffled by the influence this group has on Singapore's society, while they only represent a small minority. I copy Singapore's official 2015 census that I found on a Wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Singapore

Buddhism 33,1%
Christianity 18.8%
(Catholicism 6.7%)
(Protestantism and other non-Catholic 12.0%)
Not religious 18.4%
Islam 14.0%
Taoism and folk religion 11.0%
Hinduism 5.0%
Other religions 0.6%


If you study the statistics, you will see however that taoism has known a
huge decline since 1980 (from 30% to 11%), to the benefit of Buddhism, agnosticism and, mainly, Christianity.

Nicholas Lim (who was outstanding) said: "We live in a secular society".

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