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ETHOS Forum 2019: Religion in the Public and Private Spheres

The Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) of the National University of Singapore conducted an important study in the second half of 2018, which aimed to assess the religious beliefs and practices of Singaporeans, their perceptions of religion in relation to inter-religious harmony and politics, and their attitudes towards social and moral issues. In order to disseminate the key results of this study to Christians in Singapore and to invite reflection on its implications, the ETHOS Institute for Public Christianity organised a forum entitled “Religion in the Public and Private Spheres”, held on 25 Apr 2019 at the chapel of Trinity Theological College (TTC).

Dr Mathew Mathews, a Senior Research Fellow at the IPS who led this study, took the participants through its salient findings, which covered areas like the attitudes of Singaporeans towards sexual mores, the perception of Singaporeans as to the proper role of religion in society and the way Singaporeans view people of other faiths.

This presentation was followed by a panel discussion involving Dr Mathews, Bishop Emeritus Dr Robert Solomon and Dr Goh Wei-Leong. The floor raised penetrating questions on the implications of the findings of this study for the church in Singapore, in matters such as church unity and Christian engagement with our government. These were ably addressed by the panellists, who shed light on these complex issues through their deep insights and rich experiences. The discussion was competently moderated by Rev Dr Edmund Fong, a lecturer of TTC.