TR EMERITUS

Original article by Lucky Tan HERE “实践同性恋是一项罪孽，但它不更坏过其他罪孽，例如偷窃、贪婪和醉酒” ：洪牧师 (音译 Paster Hong)，我们的救世主教堂(Church of Our Saviour)。 . 这完全是非常简单的。 如果2000年前那部古书认为它是罪孽，它必然是罪孽。这毕竟对某些人是一种罪孽的定义，并且他们完全依从那部古书而渡过他们此生。由于这么多宗教、不同信仰、许多圣书和圣经，我们现有大量的罪孽流传在世上。甚而象我自己一个不信宗教的人亦认为某些事物是反人类的罪孽，我在下文将谈论这些罪孽中的一个。   我有一个朋友是素食主义者，他告诉我根据他的宗教吃肉是罪孽。试想一想：刹一条生命，以便满足我们对食肉的热望，这不可能是件好事吧。 吃肉(特别是火烤肉)同癌症和各种各样的健康问题的经常发生是有关系的。 哎呀，吃肉对全球性天气变暖也起了极大的作用，因为饲养家畜不是一个节省能源的食物生产方式[链接]。当前散播全世界的猪流感也起源于饲养为食物的猪只。相信因果报应的那些人认为求食而杀害许多动物的消极报应对人类将有灾难性的后果。 如果您科学地去考虑一下，吃肉所导致的害处比2个男人在他们卧室的私家房事所导致的害处还多。 . 在我解释我本文的主要意见之前，让我再谈谈另一种罪孽。作为一个无宗教的人，我发现我们的放款人(money lenders)的某些活动是极端罪孽深重的。 他们通过债务而奴役我们的一大部分人口，并且通过广告和推销敦促我们在信用卡上花费，因而鼓励了不良的消费行为。 我们可以看到不负责任的消费者贷款给美国家庭带来了极大的害处。 它确定地伤害了家庭，并且民意调查表示，债务是导致离婚的其中一个原因。 对我来看，主管DBS银行的消费者贷款部门的领导人，她促进信用卡的用途所导致的害处比2个男人在他们卧室的私家房事所导致的害处还多。   无论怎样我们全都是罪人。我们中一些人吃肉，一些人在银行工作对老妇人销售结构财务产品(structured products)，并且一些人陶醉于酒…等等。这么多罪孽到处流传，去阻止人犯罪实际上不是那么有效的。 如果素食主义者接收禽畜协会去劝阻他人吃肉，这将违反素食主义者的原意：人们将恨他们而不听他们的讯息。以下做法将更加有效：他们组织讲座会而去说服人们吃菜对大家都有益处。 我的意思是这样的：防止其他人犯罪是不可能的。 强加您的价值观给其他人只可能导致他人反对并且怀疑您的价值观。最近一些人派给我一本颇令人相信的素食好处的小册子：这是困难的，但我仍然每星期将尝试素食1-2餐。 …赢取支持和传播您的价值观的最佳做法是告诉人们为什么您认为您的观点是正确的，并且为什么您的价值观对人们有益处。在新加坡没什么东西会阻止小教堂成为宠大的教会…，您最好花更多精力在您的宣传讯息上，而不是当其他人对您的价值观有不同看法时便去接管他们的组织。 如果对一些学校教材有些小问题，打几个电话去那个对批评颇敏感的教育部(MOE) ，问题便可解决了。  Read More →

Background: In a big show of solidarity, stalwarts of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) and their supporters turned up in force and won it back. Nearly 3,000 people attended an extraordinary general meeting and over nearly seven action-packed hours, blasted away at the team of unknowns which snatched the Aware leadership on March 28. Then they voted resoundingly to oust the team led by DBS Bank vice-president Josie Lau and inspired by senior lawyer Thio Su Mien by 1414 to 761.  [imagebrowser id=29] Contributors: Ong Hwee Ting Soh Lai Yee Ivan Ng Ting Ee Fei  Read More →

By Fang Zhi Yuan It was indeed an unforgettable Saturday for those who turned up at the AWARE EGM which was called to move a vote of no confidence against the newly minted exco just a month after they took over the leadership of Aware. In a big show of solidarity, stalwarts of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) and their supporters turned up in force and won it back. The fracas was widely publicized by both the mainstream and new media with many twists and turns leading up to the fateful day itself. Along the way, other external organizations such as COOS and MOE were dragged into the politicking as supporters of both camps fought bitterly with each other to have their voices heard in the public arena to lobby for support from the middle ground. Right from the beginning, the mainstream media was on the side of the old guards when it labelled the results of the earlier AGM as a "constitutional coup". Its objectivity was seriously called into question by the unprofessional conduct of CNA's Pearl Fross when she appeared to be trembling with delight during her presentation on the EGM results, unable to keep her emotions under control. While the media has been blatantly biased in its coverage of the saga, the new exco didn't do themselves any favors by a series of PR disasters. They could simply extend a warm welcome to the old guards to stay on and guide them, but they chose to treat Aware as their personal fiefdom by excluding those not in their clique which includes fellow exco members Clarie Nazar and Chew I-Jin. The bizarre termination of the services of the highly regarded Braema Mathi as head of the CEDAW committee drew widespread condemnation from all quarters and from then on, public opinion tilted in favor of the old guards. Supporters of the new exco also tried to play the media card by using rather underhanded means to scandalize Aware's CSE as a covert programme to promote homosexuality in schools. When MOE was forced to rebuke to Dr Thio's claims, an online campaign was launched to petition MOE to investigate the matter. A segment of the CSE's 'private and confidential' manual to instructors were deliberately taken out of context and selective segments were posted on the official Aware website itself to lambast the old guards for teaching "anal sex" and "homosexuality" in schools. In spite of its last-ditched efforts to obsfuscate the real issue at stake, many Singaporeans, including Christians are sufficiently put off by the new team to turn up en masse at the EGM to cast a vote of no confidence against them. The expected busloads of COOS supporters did not arrive, probably because of the about-turn by Paster Derek Hong that he would not allow his pulpit to be involved in the internal affairs of Aware and recent statements made by political leaders on the importance of keeping Aware secular. In the end, it didn't matter much because regardless of the results of the vote of no confidence, Josie and her team have lost all moral authority, credibility and decency to stay on as leaders of Singapore's premier women advocacy group. Sally Ang lost the plot altogether when she shouted literally into the microphone at Margaret Thomas who courteously reminded Josie that she has exceeded the 3 minute time frame allocated to her, to "shut up and sit down". Neither did they appear comfortable or knowledgable about Aware when they kept referring to their Legal Counsel from Rajah and Tann which cost Aware an exorbitant sum. Though the vote of confidence is not legally binding, it is impossible for them to stay on in the face of so much public misgiving, distrust and pressure. Even their own Legal Counsel admitted that the exco should step down out of 'courtesy, custom and common sense'. As Josie and her team retreat into themselves for a period of introspection, they should reflect on what went wrong in their audacious bid to take over Aware and most importantly, that it was never justified in the first place. Perhaps deep in their hearts, they still feel that they have done the right thing in the name of their religion to further its cause in mainstream society. Let's hope this episode will send out a strong message to other 'Josies and co' out there that there is a significant silent majority who wants to keep Singapore secular and will not allow religious influence to encroach into civil society. To quote from Archbishop Nicolas Chia from the Catholic Church: "While religious organisations can give their opinions on secular organisations, we don't go into their affairs." There is no denial that religion has a role to play in society, but a clear line must be drawn by ourselves (not God) between religion and civil society at large.  Read More →