If you read Straits times from Monday 07.02.2010 onwards, you would have learnt of Pastor Rony Tan of Lighthouse Evangelism. He appeared on the front page of the news on Monday, and a long passage is written about him. Thereafter, there are news about him everyday, online and offline.
So what is the Hot news all about?
Pastor Rony Tan is being called up by the ISD (Internal Security Department) of Singapore, for his undesirable and controversial comments of other religions during his church services. He has committed an offense under the Sedition Act.
What's more, those services which feature his comments were recorded and uploaded online too. They are found on YouTube after his case featured on newspapers. And with today's technology, everybody in the world can watch these videos!
His comments are kind of controversial and put the harmony between different religious groups in Singapore at risk. He got present Christians who were ex-Buddhists and ex-Taoists from his church to share their experiences and testimonies during the service. Rony Tan also asked them questions to probe further about some practices of the other religions. Some of his comments had their audience laughing out loud.
I have watched those videos on YouTube, just before they were removed by the user the next day. After watching them, I can say that his comments are quite ridiculous, and it's more of an entertainment to the crowd. The crowd laugh to his 'jokes' made at other religious.
I find that it is very very inappropriate for him to do this. Singapore is well-known for its racial and religious harmony. Different people from different background and different faiths can live together harmoniously. As he ridiculed other religions, he has not put himself, and his church in good light too.
The fact that Singaporeans can live without the fear of racial and religious riots on the streets, is because we respect each other's race and religions. If people think that by putting down other religions will put their own religions in good light, then they are very very WRONG!
It's meaningless. It's the same as gossiping and laughing at others, and trying to gain support from your friends to show that you have done the right thing sneering at others. And when your friends laugh with you, you feel good, 'cause you feel that your friends are on your side too. You may feel that you are in good light, and the people you criticize are in 'bad' light. But you are in the 'bad' light too! Because you did not show respect for others!
So if Pastor Rony Tan believes that he can strengthened the faiths of his church members with his 'funny' comments on other faiths, then he is dead Wrong! Furthermore, he had shown his inadequacies of his knowledge of other faiths. He is just making false claims and assumptions of other religions, and make it seems like he knew a lot. Now, he looked helpless when these religions have clarify his ridiculous claims.
Currently, there are many raging groups set up to 'protest' against Rony Tan. There's a Facebook group created to anti-Rony Tan, to vent their anger at his criticisms, to gather more people to join forces against him... Even though I'm not supportive of his actions, I think that it is needless to set up this anti-group.
I do not know what they want to get out of this group, by anti-Rony Tan, and criticising him of his actions, 'shooting' him up down left right. I'm being asked to join this group, but I decline. This is not the way to solve a problem. It's just creating more problems.
This issue may not end that soon. So let's follow the news. :D
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