Section H - Other Religions and Communities

Summary

165. One of the most challenging issues facing multicultural and multireligious societies today is the balance between faithfulness to one's religious tenets and respect for the religious sensitivities of others. The broader literature has shown that Christians in multicultural societies may experience tensions between their religious and civic identities because of the different demands and responsibilities that come with these different identities (Bramadat and Seljak 2008; Turner 2010).

166. Specifically, for Singapore, one of the key concerns in a multicultural society is the relationship between different faith communities as well as attitudes towards proselytization. This section has three objectives. Firstly, it seeks to survey the respondents’ perception of other religions and communities; secondly, it gauges the attitudes of respondents towards proselytizing in a multicultural society; and thirdly, it gauges the social habits of respondents with regards to friends from other faiths.

167. H1.1 Christian values are compatible with those of different ethnic or cultural communities.

Megachurch respondents are most likely to “agree” with this statement at 51.5 per cent, while independent church respondents are most likely to “disagree” with it at 27.5 per cent (see Figure H1.1). Large percentages of respondents across denominations chose “neutral”. This may indicate that they had no opinion on the matter or did not want to register a negative or positive answer.

168. H1.2 Christian values are compatible with those of different religious communities.

Megachurch respondents are most likely to “agree” with this statement at 45.4 per cent, while independent church respondents are most likely to “disagree” with it at 34.5 per cent (see Figure H1.2). Again, large percentages of respondents across denominations chose “neutral”. This may indicate that they had no opinion on the matter or did not wish to register a negative or positive answer.

169. H2.4 I believe that the message of God's Word can overcome ethnic and religious sensitivities in Singapore.

The majority of respondents across denominations agreed with this statement (see Figure H2.4). The findings were similar across ages and education.