National Council of Churches of Singapore

Update on Lady Gaga Saga

30 November 2012

News of Protests against Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Tour in Korea and other Asian Countries hit the news from 22 April 2012 and she performed amidst protests on 27 April in Korea. These were followed by news of angry protests in the Philippines following her performance on 18 May 2012.

This attracted our attention and we began to find out more about her and her performances.

Concerned about the profanity and blasphemous content of her performances, we requested that this be discussed at the National Steering Committee for racial and religious Harmony on 23 May 2012.

Our concern was received and assurance was given that the performances will be closely monitored.

When it was clear that the content was indeed offensive, calls were made to MDA as well as letters written to protest. These resulted in us being invited by the CEO of MDA, Mr. Aubeck Kam for a meeting on 2 July 2012 to discuss the issue.

The meeting ended well with the CEO of MDA agreeing to look into the following:

(1)        A letter of Apology to the Christian Community via the Catholic Church, NCCS and LoveSingapore.

(2)        Ways to ensure such offensive acts do not happen again.

(3)        To consult the respective religious body when MDA is unsure of the impact of content of any impending events.

Finally, a letter dated 8 October 2012 was received from Mr. Aubeck Kam, CEO of MDA, thanking us for bringing the matter to their attention as well as our meeting with them. They recognized that some segment of the content offended some sector of the community and promised to take that into consideration in future ratings.  They promised to be more stringent in future ratings of religious contents.

We responded with a letter, thanking them for listening to our concern and their promise of a more stringent rating BUT, in view of the sensitivities and strong sentiments, a mere higher rating is not good enough.  We strongly urged them to strictly enforce their guidelines and regulations – in other words, contents that denigrate, ridicule or offend any religion or religious symbols and icons should never be allowed.   We also offered ourselves (The NCCS) to assist the MDA in the event when they are unsure if certain content is offensive to the Christian Community.

We hope to bring the whole episode to a close at the next NSC meeting by having the NSC endorse the call to respect and protect all religions and religious symbols from abuse in Singapore.

–     BISHOP TERRY KEE
President
National Council of Churches of Singapore
30 November 2012

National Council of Churches of Singapore
Public Statement
(For immediate Release)

Statement to the Press regarding CHC Police Case
26 June 2012

Greetings from NCCS!

The following is the statement released by Bishop Terry Kee, President of NCCS.

The National Council of Singapore is saddened to hear of the arrest of Pastor Kong Hee and four other individuals connected with the City Harvest Church for alleged criminal breach of trust and falsification of accounts of the said church.

We appreciate the clarification by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affair that the charges filed by CAD are against the five individuals and not the City Harvest Church (CHC) itself.

Members of the Christian community are united in disapproving any misuse of public or institutional funds, including money raised by or given to churches. Dishonesty in financial matters is clearly contrary to the teaching of the church.

As this is now before the court, it is important that we avoid speculation or pre- judgement into this matter and allow the legal process to take its course.

We call upon the Christian community to pray for every person connected to City Harvest Church that they may not lose faith in God who loves them and promises to be with them through it all , as they go through this difficult time.

We also seek the understanding of fellow Singaporeans not to react against the church or churches in Singapore.

Yours,

Terry

Through the office of
Elder Richard Chong
Executive Secretary
National Council of Churches of Singapore
B1-27 The Adelphi,
1 Coleman Street ,Singapore 179803
Tel: 63368177 Fax: 63368178
Email: [email protected]

National Council of Churches of Singapore
Official Statement

 

Casinos

A Statement Prepared by the National Council of Churches of Singapore

 

Introduction

The Singapore Government has announced that it is exploring the feasibility of developing an “integrated entertainment resort, which may also include a casino.”  The National Council of Churches of Singapore, as a responsible Christian community which is also interested in the socio-economic and moral well-being of the wider society, would like to express our concern regarding the possible inclusion of a casino in the proposed entertainment complex.

 

We want to begin by affirming that it is desirable to hold fast to the good values and virtues which our society has nurtured and taught through the efforts of the various faith communities, associations, clans, and educational institutions, often with the support of our government’s policies. Our concern is that these hard-earned values and virtues like thrift, industry, generosity, and fairness, should not be unravelled by projects or policies which could subvert them and thus impoverish our society instead of enhancing it.

 

Our Stand

We speak against the building of a casino in Singapore for these reasons:

 

1. Casinos undermine virtues.
   • They tend to compromise the moral values and virtues required by a society to flourish as a nation marked by excellence in human achievements and good character.
   • Gamblers are inclined to put their trust in luck and chance, often motivated by greed and the mistaken belief that money can be easily obtained without hard-work and social responsibility.
   • Apart from jeopardizing hard-work and social responsibility, a gambling culture, accentuated by the presence of a casino would signal that time-tested virtues shared by people of different faiths, such as honesty, compassion, prudence, integrity, neighbourly love, trustworthiness, and social justice, are no longer of primary concern to Singapore.
2. Casinos will introduce more social ills.
   • Casinos may generate high financial yields. Those who will benefit most from such profits will be the casino operators, their shareholders and the government that collects tax.  However, revenue from casino collected by the government will be outweighed by the economic and social costs incurred in combatting crimes and the attendant social ills associated with, and attracted by, a gambling culture.
   • The downside of looking only for high yields, with little regard for social ills, is that such riches will be financed not only by gamblers who might be able to afford their losses but worse still by people who cannot, but are nevertheless tragically trapped in their gambling habits.
   • Losers will not advertise their losses. Invariably they will suffer in silence. That is not the only tragedy. The rippling effect of losses will mean that the losers’ families will have to bear the brunt of their foolish indulgence in gambling. In some well-publicized cases, the loser may conspire to cheat and defraud others to feed his gambling addictions.  The end result, sadly, is that the social fabric that sustains a prosperous and peaceful society will be further frayed.
3. It is not in our national interest to have a casino
   • In the interest of Singapore’s long-term future, if a casino is built, what are we saying about the kind of a society we want Singapore to become and to excel in? A country which may pride itself on having the best entertainment resort with gambling facilities is unlikely to be a wholesome family-friendly society, which our government seeks to advance. It is unlikely that a country known for its gambling culture and access to casino facilities will be a desirable place for any responsible family, nourished by time-tested virtues, to settle in, take root and flourish. This would negate the effort to attract and retain talents and even ordinary people of good character, so vital to the continued well-being and prosperity of Singapore.
   • It has been said that certain controls can be introduced to ensure that not every Singaporean will be permitted to enter the casino, if one is built. But that option is weak. Besides the social fallout and the negative impact created by a new “qualifying and non-qualifying” class of local gamblers, Singapore’s hard-earned international reputation as a safe, just and corruption-free country that cares for poor and vulnerable people, will be tarnished when Singapore takes on a new tag as a country now targeting and preying on the wallets of gambling tourists, not all of whom are rich.
   • Furthermore, a great country should be one that will protect the interests of not just its citizens. What makes a country great and commendable is its willingness to provide similar protection to overseas visitors. There is nothing commendable about making money from gullible local gamblers or tourists who spend their money in casinos even if they choose to gamble on their own free will.
   • Singapore is not so poor and desperate that we have to depend on revenues derived from casinos and gambling to increase our GDP and to finance social projects. Even if we are poor, we should be a people of dignity and moral courage. There are other ethically sound and responsible ways of generating incomes, attracting businesses and drawing tourists which the government can tap on and promote without compromising our moral standards.

Our Commitment

The National Council of Churches, with members from different social backgrounds, as responsible people who are interested in the well-being of our society – especially those who are vulnerable – will continue to contribute to the building of a compassionate, just, prosperous, peaceful and flourishing Singapore. And we can do this, with God’s help and with the cooperative efforts of other concerned and ethically responsible Singaporeans of different faiths, without relying on casinos to generate income or subsidize social projects.

 

National Council of Churches of Singapore
Official Statement

 

The Life Sciences: A Christian Perspective

A Statement Prepared by the National Council of Churches of Singapore

Science and the Christian Faith

The twentieth century has often been dubbed the ‘Bio-Tech Century’ because of the phenomenal advancements in the life sciences and the technologies associated with them. From the mapping of the human genome to the successful cloning of a mammal and the harvesting of human stem cells, these advances raises important issues and concerns because their impact on the future of human beings is still largely unknown. The Church cannot ignore these developments in culture because her mission to proclaim the Gospel can never be divorced from her sensitive and responsible engagement with that culture.

The best of Christian tradition supports the development of science because the scientific enterprise is viewed as an exercise of stewardship – a responsibility entrusted upon human beings by their Creator. Scientific knowledge and advancement may be seen as instantiations of the providential grace of God, and scientific activity, when conducted responsibly and with integrity, can bring glory to God, who by his grace has made such activity possible. But like all human endeavours, the scientific quest is also tainted by human sinfulness, which result in its perversion. History affords us with many examples of how science, instead of bringing about the alleviation of suffering, has in fact been responsible for it. Science can be conducted in an inhumane manner even if its goals are noble. This theological perspective on science prevents us from absolutising it and establishes the basis for envisioning the ethical parameters that must govern scientific activity.

This document presents a Christian perspective on the following three branches of the life sciences:

“Genetically-modified food

“The Human Genome Project

“Cloning and Human Stem Cell Research

Genetically-Modified Food

Genetically-modified food refers to food obtained or prepared from crops and animals whose genes have been intentionally modified by scientists in a laboratory. While the prudential application of biotechnology to animal and crops should not be stopped, GM food does present several issues of concern. The first has to do with the environment.  God has given to human beings the responsibility of taking care of the environment, and this responsibility must be extended to the need to exercise caution in the genetic engineering animals and crops. While farmers have for a long time practised selections and hybridisations, the difference between ‘old’ and ‘new’ biotechnologies is essentially that in the new biotechnology, the ‘transgenic element’ is introduced. It is therefore imperative that GM plants and chemical products be extensively and rigorously tested before it is introduced for large-scale farming. The distinction between ‘the absence of evidence’ and the ‘evidence of absence’ is important. Just because there is no known or perceived evidence that certain GM food and products can cause illness or upset the ecosystem does not mean that the evidence is absent because some evidence may take a longer time to detect. GM food producers must see it as their responsibility to protect bio-diversity and care for the environment.

The second concern is justice. The acquisition, production and marketing of GM food may be motivated by the search for profitability, while neglecting wider social interests and the common good. Guidelines should be issued and implemented by properly instituted authorities to ensure greater accountability and the just management and marketing of GM technology and GM food.

Human Genome Project

The Human Genome Project (HGP) which began in 1988 has the goal of mapping ands sequencing the human DNA. Once this is completed the position of human genes will be unveiled, and the order of the four pairs – the A, T, G, and C nucleotides – that form the DNA molecule will be known. It is envisaged that the several thousand genes suspected of being responsible for inherited diseases will be identified and the way for the treatment through gene therapy prepared. This new knowledge will have implications in every dimension of life – philosophical, legal, social and ethical.

While genetic research should be encouraged, genetic determinism and other forms of scientific and philosophical reductionism must be rejected. This is because the view that human beings are nothing more than genetic-neurological-hormonal processing machines is inimical to the Biblical concept of man. According to the Christian understanding, human beings are created in the image of God, capable of freedom and relationship. The Christian Tradition also presents the relationship between freedom and responsibility by insisting on the moral character of human action. Made in God’s image, man is therefore not only a free, rational, cultural being, he is responsible being who stands before God and before his neighbour. Concerning genetic technology, the statements that were made in the section ‘Science and the Christian Faith’ apply. Genetic technology can be seen as God’s gift to man, and should be used for the alleviation of human suffering. But because genetic science in the hands of sinners can be exploitative and destructive, the questions of abuse and distributive justice must constantly be addressed.

Cloning and Stem Cell Research

Biological science made a significant breakthrough in July 1996 when embryologists at the Roslin Institute succeeded into cloning a lamb from cells taken from a matured sheep. This milestone in biotechnology has resulted in great hopes as well as anxieties. In November 1998, another significant breakthrough occurred when the first human embryonic stem cells were isolated and cultured. Scientists became hopeful that the human embryonic stem cell research would lead to the cure of diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. These two distinct but related developments have resulted in much controversies and debate in medical ethics.

The Christian response to human cloning and embryonic stem cell research must go beyond pragmatic and even therapeutic considerations. Although the cloning a human being does not tantamount to reproducing the same person, questions regarding safety, and the commodification of human beings, with its attending psychological and social implications must be raised and given serious consideration. The replacement of sexual procreation with an asexual reproduction process is dehumanising because it severs the link between sexuality, love and procreation and is abstracted from the familial context. With regard to embryonic stem cell research, the issue centres on the status of the embryo. The Christian Tradition maintains that human life begins at conception, and that the embryo from its earliest stage of life is a human being and deserves the same respect and protection as other human beings. The ethical concerns surrounding embryonic stem cell research far outweighs the therapeutic potentials that such research holds. The use of embryos for experimentation that results in their destruction must never be countenanced by society.