By Shawn Lim, Guest Writer
By now, most of us would have watched the videos in which Pastor Rony Tan of Lighthouse Evangelism, an independent church, made some nasty comments on Taoism and Buddhism. He was called up by the Internal Security Department and was warned about his comments. Thereafter, he apologised to both the Taoist and Buddhist Federations.
My question is, should he have been let off with only a warning? Pastor Tan obviously knew what he said was wrong, which explains why he took the initiative to apologise. He also knew that this is Singapore, where different religions co-exist and there is racial harmony.
Therefore, why did he post the video knowing that what he said had, in his own words, ‘done a great deal of harm to the Buddhist and Taoists’?
As a Christian myself, I was taught to love my neighbours, which would include people of other faiths.
One only needs to look to our neighbouring country, Malaysia, to see what misunderstandings of religious practices can do to a country.
So I find it disturbing that the the ISD and various Government officials chose to adopt the stance of ‘since he has apologised, let’s move on’.
I don’t know the main reason why the ISD chose to intervene when it had previously ignored the AWARE saga. Maybe it was because of the religious tension in Malaysia, or because of the public’s reaction.
What they should have done, instead of warning him, was to punish him. Fine him; send him to jail, whatever. If it takes a show of power to prevent this kind of incidence from happening again, by all means, do whatever that is necessary.
Strangely enough, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng pointed out that not only the Buddhists and Taoist were offended, but this incident had “angered even Singaporeans”.
So why are the authorities so lenient when what Pastor Rony was clearly out of line with the first rule of religious harmony; which is to show respect for other religions? Do they not realise that a ‘warning’ in an increasingly vocal society is not enough?
Sometimes, an apology is simply not enough. In Pastor Tan’s case, he is an ‘opinion’ leader, which means he has more influence than the common man.
HELP keep the voice of TOC alive!
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@Demonic spirits were therefore very real to him, unlike to many of us who could only perceive them academically.@
dmonic spirits were very real to residents of wood bitch.maybe those were his former disciples?
@That is why I feel Pastor Rony Tan should be highly commended for his courage and humility to bite the dirt and apologise for his ‘errors’.@
his courage and humility were so impressive, it rained yellow river.
@Neither was Pastor Rony Tan afraid to go to prison. That is why I am in strong support of those anti-Rony Tan who wanted ISD or the police to lock him up in jail—-but only after an open criminal trial. Why should a strong supporter of Pastor Rony Tan like me think it is such a great idea locking him up in jail? Because many in Changi Prison are troubled and tormented souls who need spiritual nostrums for their very deep-seated problems, which are really spiritual in nature.@
he is not afraid to go to prison because he fits in well with the prison crowd there.
[i]And in the history of mankind, no other religion has contributed to more deaths,atrocities and the most gruesome violence against humanity than Christianity, isn’t that amazing?
Today, probably no other religion exploited men,women and children for the most PROFIT than Christianity, again, in the history of mankind.
And how many ended in asylum because of christianity? Probably many but who is counting?[/i]
joan of arch for a start..SHE helped to defend her country in times of war
she was burnt @ the stake by the christians and their priests..
(wah sound liked present pap government..we defend singapoor..yet we were crucified for the foreign talents)
Thank you all for your comments. Some I agree fully, some I disagree. But let’s not go in to that. I have made my stance clear and I still stand by that.
Please do not think that I wrote this to gain attention. That was never my intention. I wrote this based on my honest opinions and views.
To my Christian brothers and sisters, I never intended to ‘hang one of our own to dry’, as some of you might assume.
I would have said the same thing if Pastor Tan was from another religion. I have alrdy forgave him, but like some of you pointed out, negative comments of another religion will happen from time to time, so shouldn’t we do something to prevent the next brother or sister in Christ from making the same mistake?.
If you would like to engage me, you can find me on my blog at http://www.tauhuayboy.wordpress.com or on Twitter @mediumshawn.
***Therefore, why did he post the video knowing that what he said had, in his own words, ‘done a great deal of harm to the Buddhist and Taoists’?***
It is so simple that he does know his own mind-heart. He was/is being possed to do the way to he dis/does. If only he has a clean & holy mind-heart he would/will do that kind of thing. Regardless what religion one believes, if one is not clean or pure, one is a bias with corrupt mind & heart!!!
At some points here - when one does thing at the expense of others one is actually does at very own self-expense or self-service. Therefore when Buddhists & Taoists were insulted or be littled like this incident or case, it is naturally ACTION & REACTION phenomena. The harder you hit it the harder it rebounds to your own badself! When will the dust settling down is yet to be seen & no one can judge the weather! Shall we or should try our best to do educate own people instead!?
Pastor Rony Tan is indeed a great man of God. Like all anointed preachers with a dash of extra virgin oil, they answer to NO MAN except God.
But I suppose, it takes more virgin oil to be able to say you are sorry, considering, repentance under duress is a far greater virtue than steadfastness.
Nevertheless, we can’t afford to see a son of Singapore abandoning this country just because he was invited for tea,can we?
He, being the spiritual leader that he is/was, would be a terrible role model for the three kids( who were similarly invited for – coke session) to emulate considering they do not have the benefit of a large congregation to bless them with a fat bank account so they can comfortably immigrate. Imagine if Rony immigrates, they without the means to do the same may have to resort to alternative exit route such as, bungee jumping without a rope from the top of Duxton, we wouldn’t want to see that, would we?
In any case, I am glad that the regime values his talent for writing national song an asset to Singapore that they took great effort not to trample on his fragile Christo- Ego which took decades of preaching the unflinching power of God (to himself)to develop and then to see him reduced to a pathetic “quitter” because he couldn’t stomach “liang char” will be a great blow to the image of Judases and Jesus.
I am glad we saved a quitter(almost).
he should change his church name from lighthouse to flight house. lolz.
he should have said sorry to his god for letting him down lah unless, this god dont exist in his radar
goes to show you, even at this stage, he fears man more than he fears god, what a sham and what a shame for christianity.
Maybe is time for those who BOAST, they answer to NO MAN except God, to QUIT less they have to eat their words and bring more shame to Christianity or be proven that the christian faith is all but a sham??
Please, if you(LEADERS) can’t live your doctrines, don’t preach it and DELUDE your followers that they. there is no greater disgrace than GRACE FOR MONEY!!
rony tan hated buddist, taoist, gays and probably every one else on earth except christians. but now, we’ve turned the tables! its our turn to hate him. give him a taste of his own medicine! and it will never stop! i dont care if he feels like leaving singapore, pls leave! he is a disgrace!
no need to hate lah, just call it like it is Lol
after glancing all the post….. what i can summarize in a few sentence is this and this applies to everyone.
You can protect him as much as you want. You can praise whoever for his words and repentance. You can quote whatever teachings in your faith to protect him and try your best to persuade us that he is not in the wrong.
Three words is enough to denounce all these posts.
Talk is cheap.
Action speaks louder than words.
Prove it rather than just talk. People who are able to walk your talk deserved my respect.
What i see here in Singapore are people only talk and talk and talk…….
In the mid-1980s, a group of social workers associated with the Catholic church – some Catholics, some non-Christians – were falsely accused of plotting to overthrow the gahman and establish a Marxist state in Singapore.
They did nothing to threaten religious harmony, they did not ridicule other religions, etc. Nothing like what Rony Tan did.
They merely spoke out for the rights of workers who, they felt, we being unfairly treated by their employers and by the law. There was absolutely no evidence that they were trying to overthrow the gahmen, but they were forced to “confess” to such a plot. And they were severely punished by detention without trial. The so-called leader of the group, Vincent Cheng, was detained for several years.
Now, suddenly we have a very forgiving gahmen who let off Rony Tan with just a “pep talk”, even though there is concrete evidence of his wrong-doings. This is, as usual, the gahmen practising DOUBLE STANDARDS! And some have questioned whether the double standard is because Rony Tan had earlier written a song in praise of Singapore and the Singapore gahmen, dedicated to Mr & Mrs LKY.
It seems whether one gets punished or forgiven depends on so much on the wrong-doing. the harm caused or the threat-posed. It depends which side of the political fence one is on. If you lick the correct toes, you get away with grave sins.
If you disagree with the gahmen, they will find all ways and means to punish you. I still remember how, the gahmen having run out of laws to punish Chee Soon Juan for selling his books in public, resorted to charging him for being an “illegal hawker”!
If we were to be gracious and forgiving, then it is time for the gahmen to publicly forgive and retract all the false accusations made against the so-called Marxists. Perhaps when a certain old man is finally gone from the scene, only then will there be a remote hope that such an act of forgiveness might take place.
You people are the ones that SHD be put behnd bars for spreading hatred. You have ulterior motives and hv no desire for peace.If you sincerely care for peace you would have stopped all this hate messages.
who wants to wager here?
put down the pastor name in this comment column if you think he has more spine than Pastor Rony Tan.
put down his name and church if you think he will fear GOD more than he fears man. and because he believed he speaks for god and god is in him and for him, he will not deny christ, and his word, because he feared for his life.
i am interested to know how long this list will be. lol.
Will have to wait & see the REAL story in time to come as per Singapore ISD’s complete investigation either with charge or not with LightHouse Evangelism Organisation Leaderships as well as other similar cases such like the AWARE saga in Singapore. Forgiveness had been done to both the Buddhists & Taoists leadership/heads but are the SIngapore people down stream happy about the rule & law of Singapore afterall they are made of their very own people. Perhaps we will see the true colour of PAP! During this Chines Lunar New Year I see everywhere in Singapore full of shrines & altars being display in public shops not to mentione private or HDB houses. I hope & wish all the reporters go to interview them & feedback in TV or local newspaper for fairness & justice of freedom in faith or religions & cultures in Singapore as we will soon become the GLOBAL CITY AS WORLD MODEL!
I wonder does religion polarise the society if religious leaders repeatedly tell followers that if you don’t become a convert, you go to …….? even though this may be done in private under the roof function, the followers bring home with them the effects of the information and from there they interact with people with this in mind. trying to ‘save’ others and telling them the same? would this not offend other religious groups if not cause a polarization effect between religious groups?
this is a technical question.
“Three words is enough to denounce all these posts(Christianity).
Talk is cheap.
Action speaks louder than words.
Prove it rather than just talk.”
He proved with his action. He admitted it was all fake when he confessed.
[i]Regardless what religion one believes, if one is not clean or pure, one is a bias with corrupt mind & heart!!!
At some points here - when one does thing at the expense of others one is actually does at very own self-expense or self-service. Therefore when Buddhists & Taoists were insulted or be littled like this incident or case, it is naturally ACTION & REACTION phenomena.[/i]
just by flashin a tiny piece of note against leekuanyew in the name of chrisitanity durin a free election campaign..
got you SUED..leave you and your familLEE homeless and stateless…
is tanglianhong any worst than this pastor?
I would not call im pastor as he does not deserve my respect.
Mr Rony Tan had made a press statement saying that
” A wrong is a wrong and must be rectified, not justified”
The posts here i see are all about justifications.
I believe its time for all those christians extremist to wake up and open their eyes.
If they keep being so insensitive over other religion, its like as though they are no different from the Ku Klux Klan and all the crusades they had did over the centuries and centuries
{Nezha on Tue, 16th Feb 2010 2:38 am
God deliberately made Rony Tan said the wrong things so that the 3 boys can be saved mah. Aiyoh. Praise the lord, for his great compassion endures … LOL!}
———————————————————
BRAVO TO PASTOR RONY TAN! HIP! HIP! HURRAY!!
Hi “Nezha”, you may have a point there. But the God the Christians believe in is absolutely consistent and holy; so He does not do wrong as a way to get things be righted (i.e. doing evil so that good can be done). That is not the schizophrenic god that I worship.
“Let no one says when he is tempted [to do wrong], “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted with [or to do] evil; and He Himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured by his own desire, which when conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when full-blown brings forth death…. for God is the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:13-15, 17.
So it is incorrect to say that God made Pastor Rony Tan said the wrong things so that the 3 boys could be forgiven for their seditious crimes. That is why Pastor Rony said last Saturday night that NO ONE in LE MUST JUSTIFY FOR HIS ERRORS. He insisted that his every wrong must be rectified; not justified. Bravo to the courageous Pastor Rony Tan! Hip! Hip! Hurray!!
“Everything works for good to those who love God, and who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 . So “Pastor Rony, the villain” has delightfully morphed into “Pastor Rony Tan, the hero!” Can you see that? Bravo! Praise the Lord!!
So what the whole matter clearly shows is that God is in control of the situation, and He is using our imperfections and imperfect accomplishments to point for us the direction that He wants Singapore to go for His continued blessings and protection. I can see very clearly that God wants to use the unfortunate episodes to put our dear Pastor Rony Tan through more painful lessons in humility, as His way to prepare him for this noble task, not that he is a proud man. Can we call a humble man who resists continual assessments in humility humble? I don’t think so.
In fact what makes me to be attracted to Pastor Rony Tan in the first place was his humility and his unassuming nature, even as he told his gripping stories. Praise the Lord the continual assessment that God has put Pastor Rony Tan through has seen him again scoring very high marks!
And this is what God wants Pastor Rony to lead us: God wants him to lead LE members and Singapore through the path of humility and altruism, which is clearly mandated by our Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:3-4. Our dear Prof Lee Wei Ling had also recently opined the epidemic of narcissism which she correctly said is afflicting Singaporeans (ST 17/1/10 pg A35).
So these are two very inspirational persons who are eminently qualified to lead us in the path that God wants Singapore to go. Hopefully, it can be accomplished before MM Lee leaves us for his date with destiny, something he had opined that he would never live to see—-Singapore developing into a gracious society in his life-time.
Moreover, very, very few Singaporeans have the courage and humility of Pastor Rony to bring themselves to say sorry to others, even when they are in the wrong. And here we have Pastor Rony Tan acting on his own initiative to say repeatedly his apologies—and with great remorse. There was no malice; just his overzealous concern for troubled souls to be saved (a tormented soul that he was before he gave his heart to Jesus). That night 13/2/10, he again said he was very, very sad and remorseful—that he had let down many people. He thanked them for their understanding and forgiving spirit.
What I see as his ‘mistakes’ really is his breach of political correctness that our freaked out world is suffering post-911. But it is better to be safe than sorry. We do not need the miss-applied bravery of David fighting goliaths here, as some would want to Pastor Rony to do. I prefer that he emulates the humility of our dear Lord Jesus as the way to touch divinity for the miracles that we all so needed for our respective problems in our lives.
Or we be accursed for our over-blown hubris that other nations have correctly accused and lambasted Singapore for. Bantamweight Singapore must know it is just bantamweight. So we need to learn from Pastor Rony Tan how to humble ourselves before God and before men.
To help Singapore moves in this direction so that PM Lee can have an easier task leading and building for us the type of Singapore that we all so wanted, join me and the CEO of SBF Mr Kwa on Khe to say and show faith in this transcendentally beautiful prayer, will you, my beloved Singaporeans?
“Inspire me, Lord, to be thankful to Thee for Thy favours to me and my loved ones to do good deeds which will please Thee. Admit me, through Thy Mercy, to be among Thy righteous.” An-Naml 27:19. “For the noblest in God’s sight is he/she who is the most righteous.” Al-Hujurut 49:13.
Allahu Akbar! God is Greatest!!
Sheep i think you got the wrong idea of proving. It does not mean proving his words and acts are fake.
It is to prove that he is indeed sorry and he is going to correct his wrong by his actions in the next few years or so. Like i said…. you can say whatever you want, what we want to see is end results.
If after all these justifications and talk, your devotees and all others of the same belief still do and act the same as what he did and damn all other religions as bad. Then i see no reason why i should believe that he is truly sorry and he knows exactly what is wrong.
peace lover
Guess who started the ball rolling with his videotaped speeches on hate and intolerance? And he hot away scot free…
Hum
Its no secret that many churches for many years have been dissing other religions, faiths and categories of people in the privacy of their institutions. Rony Tan was arrogant enough to push the boundries and taken to task for it.
I used to have many christian friends and acquaintences who have told me off for doing yoga (yes yoga!), going to chinese temples and ctiticising the buddhas in my house.
They are no longer my friends. And i have politely told them off. So yes, people do bring their pastor’s and religious leader’s words to heart and they live by them in public – criticising, condeming, insulting and mocking. It takes one of true understanding and strong faith to rebut these terrible words and actions and in the end, one gets the stronger for it.
That said i have many christian friends who are dear to me and respect my ideals, principles and faith and we can even discuss the pros and cons of our different religions. Ultimately, do not be blind, unquestioning or dumb to everything your religious leader says. After all, inspired, blesses, choses or not, he too is but a man, a human being prone to mistakes and all the 7 deadly sins.
He was humble when he admitted Christianity is nothing but a sham. Praise God. God is Great.
i agree with sloo,
My grandfather passed away a decade back. One of his daughters is a christian. She attended the funeral but did not offer any incense to her father.
Now offering incense to the dead is not part of the religion, it is a form of respect. You are paying respect to your father. Its not like when you hold the joss sticks means you are not being faithful to your religion. No!
What have the pastors in those churches teach their devotees?
@Oh Tham Eng
Feb 16, 2010 11:08 AM:
CEO of Singapore Buddhist Federation is “Mr Kwa Soon Khe”, not “ Mr Kwa on Khe
Believing in Christ is all about the walk. If you can’t walk it( what use to others then?) at least show us you will stand by your beliefs.
Can’t walk it and can’t stand by your talk, other religions are secretly laughing at Christianity.
I believe if the government is not going to deal with this issue carefully, this will probably be another political weakness.
I know the PAP are monitoring all our blogs and posts. If you are going to do something drastic like cutting down PRs and introduce new policy to HDB you better hear our voice.
If not i believe its time for a change. A change is need to cleanse all unwanted wayangs sitting in the top.
“Believing in Christ is all about the walk. If you can’t walk it( what use to others then?) at least show us you will stand by your beliefs.
Can’t walk it and can’t stand by your talk, other religions are secretly laughing at Christianity.”
From the pictures in ST of the three religious leaders, we can tell who were laughing.
One day all of us will face God for judgement and that includes all of you who has nothing better to do thanfanning fires and making things worst …if you are sincere about peace and harmony …spend time praying instead of sending hate messages
{bongiovi Feb 16/2/10 11:18 AM:
Oh tham eng,
It is people like you who are insensitive over religion. Do you know that the last sentence you have typed cannot be anyhow use or chant by a non muslim? You try chanting that in the middle east, indonesia or malaysia and lets see if you can walk out of the place alive. Don’t you remember the recent saga over the use of god in melayu in malyasia. I dare you to go over to malaysia now and announce to them your faith and chant that last sentence you just typed.
———————————————————————-
WHY I HAVE TO SHOUT “ALLAHU AKBAR! God is Greatest!” !
Not to worry, Mr “bong giovi” Are you a Muslim or a non-Muslim? It seems to me that you are a Muslim. When I succeed to accomplish a good deed, I will shout praises to Allah, the God who created the heavens and the earth. Allah was first used in the Christian Arabic Bible long before the Quran came to the scene. It is so sad that when Muslims want to do evil, such as mas-slaughtering their own fellow Muslims, they will also want to shout, “Allahu Akbar!”. This is blasphemy!
How can Allah be great when innocent Muslims are being slaughtered by Muslim suicide bombers? It must be “allah” then, not “Allah” who wants innocent Muslims mass-slaughtereed as his way to agitate Muslims into blaming and hating non-Muslims and creating global disturbance.
“Allahu Akbar!” can only be shouted when one has done a great deed for Allah, such as helping others, as Prophet Sulieman (King Solomon) had rayed that Allah would favour him to do.
You may not know that it was I who had appealed on 12/2/10 for the three Chinese boys who had bad-mouthed Indians that led to the Police forgiving them. But I can’t claim all credit to myself. All glory and praises should be given to Allah who favours me with the ability to do this good deed.
I had also shouted “Allahu Akbar” for my succesess to help a Muslim boy escaped a criminal charge for printing money in 2000. So what is wrong to let people know that Allah should have all the praises for enabling me to do good deeds to please and honour Him?
In such instances, one can shout praises to Allah, but not when evil is done, such as to slaughter Muslims by Islamic terrorists.
Lastly, Yemen is a place swarming with Islamic terrorists. Yemen is also the ancestral home of Osama B Laden. Yet I am so honoured there alongside Prince Hassan of Jordan in their Yemen Observer. You can click here for the evidence to read what I had done there: http://www.yobserver.com/opinions/10013281.html
[i]spend time praying instead of sending hate messages[/i]
right..let start with that pastor 1st? shall we?
ong tham eng…..
It seems like you are a typical hypocrite to me.
I shall not waste my time on you, you brain-washed pea brain.
Btw, i am not a muslim.
You replies and post demonstrated weakness in understanding the situation and is only blinded by focusing on one way track.
So what if you are one of those who appeal for the boys? That does not change the fact that you are ignorant about other religions.
I hope i wont see you in the front page covered in wounds and sores if you still think that you are right.
As per the subject heading/topic ***Punish Pastor Tan*** – I believe it is on legal points of concept we are talking here!
If we want to drag in other factors such like cultures or religions etc etc… it would be complicated BUT it is not mission impossible! I prefer to walk the talk such like wherever we - from predawn morning till sun-set - mojority of Singaporeans walk/work/play/eat/drink/chat/communicate/interract/live with each other in a COMMON places with HIGH TRUST & RESPECT - be it in shoppings centres, hawker centres, working places, wet & dry markets etc… not to mention private home where individual can practice what you like or love. Can all MPs of SIngapore see the overall pictures of our mojority cultures in SIngapore at large?
I believe one should not, in the first place, use or stand on religion point of view at its basis ground to argue/defend. More so, we should not use abstract concept or spirit or somekind of spiritual power or God for that matter to control discussion or dialogue because Singapore is a nation made up by people from all walks of life under RULE of LAW with its Asian style & fashion. We are afterall still quite/very conservative community! If everyone insists to use its religion as basis to stubbornally/blindly defend its stand then there will be more wars/conflicts like Islam & Christianity since thusands of years even though they believe a single creator. They have yet to solve their porblem! Now do we want to be trapped into a triangle wars/conflicts of situation. We just need to mind our own business without hurting each other further!
It is okay if we want to touch with our cultures beliefs etc but that is on sidelines of stories. Using a powerful abstract & unknown to contro people mind or heart is appropriate right from the beginning! Somehow we have a mixture of everything here & there which may be hard to separate at time of discussion.
{
bongiovi
Feb 16, 2010 12:51
ong tham eng…..
It seems like you are a typical hypocrite to me.
I shall not waste my time on you, you brain-washed pea brain.
Btw, i am not a muslim.
You replies and post demonstrated weakness in understanding the situation and is only blinded by focusing on one way track.
So what if you are one of those who appeal for the boys? That does not change the fact that you are ignorant about other religions.
I hope i wont see you in the front page covered in wounds and sores if you still think that you are right.}
ENCOURAGING THE UNFORGIVING AND THE UN-VIRTUOUS TO SIGN UP FOR A COURSE IN THE GOODNESS OF BUDDHISM
Well, “bangiovi”, you are just another Mr Right who is too proud to admit your mistakes and lack of virtues.
In that case, please sign up with the wise Venerable Kwang Sheng for a course on the goodness of Buddhism.
If Pastor Rony could have such a good time with the wise and gracious Venerable Kwang Sheng during his trip to Bright Hill Temple, you will not be disapponted to sign up for a course under him on the goodness of Buddhism.
Cheers!
Otherwise I fear that your karma will go down by a few notches, and you be reborun into a lower form of animal. Re-incarnated into a rat in your next life? I hope not, “bangiovio” , sir!.
CORRECTION:– ***Using a powerful abstract & unknown to contro people mind or heart is appropriate right from the beginning!***
Should read as ” Using a powerful abstract & unknown to control people mind or heart is NOT appropriate right from the beginning!***
I imagine someone who understands karma and has a clear mind, in similar situations would volunteerily asked to be delt with by the law, in order to be responsible to the society at large; and he would do it because he genuinely cares about the people and the society, more than his personal ego.
In think Jesus understood others’ karma, even if he was wronged by others; that explains his action which was born out of genuine love and compassion.
May God bless you, “Witness” and “bongiovi”! Cheers!
The making of the videos and posting them in YouTube is certainly amazing.
Now most can see this preacher and his congregation worldwide.
Singapore is on the international radar again !
Here is a phrase everyone can keep.
“You CAN Bluff All the People at ONE Time !
But You CANNOT Bluff All the People ALL THE TIME , LEH !”
Today, amongst us some are intellectuals and some know everything, leh !
Maybe in Sarawak, is ok, lah!
Because recently, a pastor said on CNA TV that some of the parishioners cannot even pronounce the word “god”, leh !
Next, those foreigners who watched the videos will be asking themselves, after all this publicity, the ex-monk is only a Kids school teacher ?
Any intention by the preacher to groom him as the next generation high-tech preacher ?
And this preacher, is he a christian ?
As one writer wrote, read Matthew 12, v36/37 ?
It may become “a good for a laugh”, leh !
Sob, my religious studies !
***Pastor Derek Hong apologises for misusing pulpit***
I missed this article last year. I only pick up right now as I go along! Pastor Derek Hong as a Christianity Rev of a church said & promised that it will not happen in future. Well with the same preaching/teaching & believing among Christianity, may be of different style, yet resurect once again this year with another Pastor Rev Rony Tan! Both are rich people with groups of great believers or followers! Can anyone garentee there won’t be any more such things happen in Singapore? To me their Authorities have abused its spiritual power which is NOT practical walking/living on earth no matter how wonderful & beautiful they had been preaching or teachings. Isn’t it indicating something very wrong with Singapore Chirstianity society/community!
Not only Sarawak, in Sabah too. Things had not been blown out because of the local weak in mentality yet with kind heart & as a matter of fact most are just blinds followers of course with advantages or benefits gifts offering to their hands like my family members. They have the sole motive of controlling the weak like slavery if one does not mindful & careful eough.
peace whatever,
“One day all of us will face God for judgement and that includes all of you who has nothing better to do thanfanning fires and making things worst ”
Are you sure All, as in Everyone on earth, past and present and future?
while u may be convinced, i am interested to know what is your basis for claiming so?
This means, i also believe you but like to know your basis.
By the way, your words may be unfair to other religious groups who Do Not Believe in your thingie.
dynasty
Feb 16, 2010 18:53
peace whatever,
“One day all of us will face God for judgement and that includes all of you who has nothing better to do thanfanning fires and making things worst ” - That’s fine & fair but we have so many Gods in Singapore & which one you are talking friend? The “……” meaning you are with or not with it?
Are you sure All, as in Everyone on earth, past and present and future?
while u may be convinced, i am interested to know what is your basis for claiming so?
This means, i also believe you but like to know your basis. - And you yourself sure enough? If not don’t talk about, if so - what make you so sure then? What kind of interest do you want to know? Just mind your business & have your own BELIEF in your heart or at home where you can well kept & no one can disturb you & it. Not in the public where you can freely go & enjoy at Hawker Centers or markets where other beliefs being display. Same as toehrs keep to our beliefs(s) with PEACE of mind. We are in PEACE then!
By the way, your words may be unfair to other religious groups who Do Not Believe in your thingie. – True enough, so…? what/whom spiritual power or God(s) does/do the judgement?
Venerable Dhammika proposed the government rewards tolerant leaders to marginalize those who are intolerant:
“The government should consider something like the Public Service Award, the PBM or the BBM, but to be given for service to interfaith understanding. When such people are looked upon as commendable, socially responsible and worthy, the bigots gradually come to be seen as out-of-step, as a public nuisance, as un-respectable. You can marginalize the intolerant by rewarding and lauding the tolerant.”
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FINALLY I HAVE ONE BUDDHIST MONK WHO THINKS LIKE ME
Sad that no Taoist or Buddhist supports my suggestion that the government should given an award to the wise and gracious Buddhist monk, the Venerable Kwang Sheng for his great contributions to religious harmony in Singapore.
Not to worry, Venerable Dhammika, if the Christians can be true to their scriptures, this is better than joining the IRO: “Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Let no one look only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others,” exhorts our Apostle Paul. Philippians 2:3-4.
“Finally brethren,….whatever is true, pure, honourable, just, lovely and gracious [that you see in Buddhists, Muslims, Taoists, Hindus, atheists, etc]; if there is any excellence or anything worthy of praise [such as in the garbage collectors], think about them…..and the God of peace will be with all of you.” Philippians 4:8.
Well, this is what I have shared with Pastor Rony Tan for what God has wanted him to lead his flock and all Singaporeans—-to walk with him the path of humility and altruism. This is what Singapore needs, and this is also the condition that God will look for to multiply even more miracles in Lighthouse Evangelism Church, to show how He will bless His people and all Singaporeans.
May God be greatly praised!
Aiyoh!
My dear christian bros and sistuhs, can u stop bickering among yourselves? Tsk tsk!
OR rather, many thanks for providing the rest of us with this top class ENTERTAINMENT, right from the kiddies playground! Your civil war is ssssooooo SHAMEFUL!!! At the same time, ssssoooo EDUCATIONAL! Thanks hor, for showing us “the way”! Keep up the good work!!
Didn’t jesus say, “Love Thy Neighbour”? Which of the 3 words don’t u understand?? U can’t even love your own “family”, LOL!!! Why don’t you spend more time reading the “good book”?
Hey, we atheists don’t fight among ourselves, perhaps u should join our Happy Family! Check out one of our holy books, The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and u will be SAVED! It’s not as bloodthirsty as some religious texts though!
Well, this is what I have shared with Pastor Rony Tan for what God has wanted him to lead his flock and all Singaporeans—-to walk with him the path of humility and altruism. This is what Singapore needs, and this is also the condition that God will look for to multiply even more miracles in Lighthouse Evangelism Church, to show how He will bless His people and all Singaporeans. – OTE
only if Pastor Rony Tan, and ALL his comrade-in-arms, RECTIFY the wrong that jesus is the ONLY way, ONLY truth and the ONLY life and not to JUSTIFY it( which we think Christianity has grossly misinterpreted its intended message).
if Christianity maintains her religious central dogmas on the mystical christ, it will continue to lead to unrest, discord, disconnect, segregation and disorder which will inevitably unravel all the efforts to peaceful coexistence – sooner or later.
unless we have the assurance that Pastor Rony Tan, and ALL his comrade- in -arms, lives up to his words to “rectify the wrong and not to justify it” , let’s not delude ourselves because this peace achieved thus far is only superficial and can be easily dismantled.
to become a society with depth and substance, we need to have depth and substance in dealing with an old monster/beast.
we are compassionate towards Pastor Rony Tan because on the surface, he looks repentant and remorseful. but beneath his well crafted words of peace and harmony still lies a monster of destructive doctrines and teachings that will poison many generations to come.
Apply the Sedition Act.If not the Terrorist Act.I am surprise that someone still think its a blessing in disguise and he can still preach even he is sent to jail.
Shawn Lim.You wrote a fair article.Its people like you and my friends who make me realise that not all are like pastor rony tan.
The damage may not necessary cause harm only to Taoist and Buddhist,but may result in a more serious consequense than many thought.
Pastor Rony not only paint a bad picture on his faith,a disgrace to the Tans(I am half a Tan)
,a wrong picture of the Chinese here and others may think that Singaporean are arrogant etc..Apology to the 2 Organisations and its believer is not enough.I always felt the threat if these people continuously do not learn their lesson.I want everyone to live in harmony and peacefully.
Anyone, read or heard the video responses in YouTube ?
One just
DENOUNCES Rony Tan as a Religious Leader and
Called Him A LIAR !
He even told Rony to act responsively !
A LIAR, A LIAR !
Imagine that !
Denounce him as a religious leader ?
Shit ! Shit !
The preacher and all his spirits, including his lord and retinue will descend now to sue this guy immediately ?
That is why I told many that nowadays there are many intellectuals, and some even know everything !
In countries like Sarawak or Sabah yes, as a pastor on CNA TV said that some parishioners cannot even pronounce the word “god” !
Now look what he is getting into…all the demonic spirits….
And his lord will bring him and all his congregation up to heaven immediately ?
Guaranteed ?
He is making a mockery of himself !
No wonder many Singaporeans planning to migrate once have plenty of $$$$
1)Singapore is a parliamentary democracy with a westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government representing different constituencies. The majority of the Members of Parliament are elected into Parliament at a General Election on a first-past-the-post basis and represent either Single Member or Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs).
2) Universally accepted definition of ‘democracy’, there are two principles that any definition of democracy includes, equality and freedom. These principles are reflected by all citizens being equal before the law, and having equal access to power,[ and freedom is secured by legitimized rights and liberties, which are generally protected by a constitution.The ” majority rule” is often described as a characteristic feature of democracy
3)Majority rule is a decision rule that selects one of two alternatives, based on which has more than half the votes. It is the binary decision rule used most often in influential decision-making bodies, including the legislatures of democratic nations.
4) Singapore is a multi religious country. According to Statistics Singapore, around 51% of resident Singaporeans (excluding significant numbers of visitors and migrant workers) practice Buddhism and Taoism. Muslims constitute 15%, of whom Malays account for the majority with a substantial number of Indian Muslims and Chinese Muslims. About 14%, mostly Chinese, Eurasians, and Indians, practice Christianity – a broad classification including Catholicism, Protestantism and other denominations. Smaller minorities practice Sikhism, Hinduism and others, according to the 2000 census
http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/
MAINTENANCE OF RELIGIOUS HARMONY ACT
Cap. 167A
Oh Tham Eng-
-I respect some of your points particularly about the legal aspects but unfortunately I am not familar about LAW afterall I am just a commoner walking on the street for 3 meals & a place to settle down. Nevertheless, you seem/sound you have over stepped or over applied about your personl belief/religion right here when we are discussing something as if only your belief is universal & acceptable one!
-ThinkingBox Feb 17, 2010 3:58 – had made quite clear that the ratio of population in Singapore whose beliefs/religions in term of % composition are made up of. You cannot possibly impose your belief or super-spirit or God(s) to others as if they are judged by your will! That will make another 100o years of wars/conflicts among humankind to go on! I don’t know how the statistic is true or not but I guess it is quite appropriate with common sense in our commoners.
- Sometime it is good to have authorities people concern to get involved in this online moderation of open book chatting/discussion for the betterment of Singapore as a whole as long as we keep the rule & law! Afterall they are commoners like you me & him too! May be they can come in as personal capacity!
- I hope I misunderstand your intention here! Do let me know so that I can admit & correct & apologise if neccesry.
-PEACE