In secular Singapore, it is important that our citizens continue to form a cohesive identity, and not be fragmented by disparate perceptions of race and religion.
The Opinion article by Dr Mathew Mathews and Mr Melvin Tay titled "Fading faith? Fathoming the future of Singapore's religious landscape" (June 22), wrote about how the Census of Population 2020 showed a change in the proportion of different religious groups as well as the non-religious group.
They advise enhancing the work of interfaith platforms to include the non-religious group in their discourse, and also for schools to play a part.
Another Forum letter, by Mr Benjamin Ng C.K. (Move past 'tolerance' towards deeper understanding of different faiths, June 22), suggests that the Ministry of Education reintroduce religious knowledge as a subject in schools, to deepen knowledge of all of Singapore's major religions, and promote understanding beyond just tolerance, as encouraged by former minister Abdullah Tarmugi.
Religious knowledge as taught previously would teach only a particular religion, usually the students' own religion.
Since all our religions teach similar core values of love, kindness, generosity, truth and honesty and similar precepts in behaviour - to renounce killing, stealing, adultery, and so on - why not bring back classes in civics and ethics, which teach the core values in the different religions, emphasising their similar values?
In higher grades, the basis of ethics could be introduced through works from Western philosophers, such as Aristotle and Plato, as well as Eastern and Oriental teachings in the Sutras, works of Sufi poets and the Vedas.
Students could also be taught about the sense of happiness and self-flourishing, or eudaimonia, manifested in living an ethical life.
This may appeal to the non-religious group and would not at all clash with learning about our religions, and in fact be a parallel, different synergy to the perceptions of living in harmony.
James Khoo (Dr)
Founding Chairman
Asian Civilisations Museum
