Religion and People

Hindus in Singapore

2009-04-29T23:06:00.001-07:00

In Singapore is a multi ethnic country that is home to different religious groups. The Hindus also form a major part of the demography of singapore. though the majorrity of people in Singapore are Chinese and hence the main religion of the country is Buddhism, the Hinduism also found its niche in the country. Hindus form the third largest population after the Malaya-speaking Muslims.

The early 19th century saw a lot of immigrants from South India. Most of these immigrants are Tamils. They came here to work as coolies and labors for the British East India Company in Singapore. These immigrants brought along their religion and culture from their homeland as well. Their arrival saw the building of temples throughout the island and the beginnings of a vibrant Hindu culture.The first temple, Sri Mariamman Temple in Chinatown, was built as early as 1827 by narayana Pillai .The temples are all built in the Dravidian style.The temples served to hold the Hindu community together .There are currently about thirty main temples in Singapore, dedicated to various gods and goddesses from the Hindu pantheon.

.Almost all Hindus in Singapore are ethnic Indians.Hindus make up a minority, comprising about 4% of adult Singapore citizens and permanent residents . A unique feature of Hinduism in Singapore is the fact that a noticeable number of non-Indians, usually Buddhist Chinese, do participate in a variety of Hindu activities .It is by no means unusual to see non-Hindu images, such as manifestations of the Buddha, in Hindu temple compounds in Singapore

Some of the major Hindu festivals celebrated every year include Deepavali, Thaipusam, Pongal, Tamil New Year. the Fire walking festival, Holi and various Hindu temple chariot processions.Thaipusam is a major Hindu religious festival that is only celebrated in Singapore and Malaysia, since it was banned in India.Thus it can be said that Hinduism in Singapore is unique in it 's own way .

Taoism in Singapore

2009-04-29T22:24:00.001-07:00

Chinese community is the largest community in Singapore. many people from the Chinese community is Singapore practice Taoism. The followers of the Tao adhere to the lessons of the ancient religious philosophy of Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu is the founder of Taoism which means the way. He is also known as the Celestial Worthy of the Way, the Pure One, or as Tai Shang Lao Jun. Taoism is one of the most influential religion in Singapore. the followers of Taoism are concerned with life-after-death theory. They also believe in the balance of the two cosmos energies. IN Tao theory these two energies are depicted through Yin Yang theory. They also believe is vitality, good health and longevity theory. Feng Shui is another important aspect of Taoism. Feng Shui can be literally translated as wind and water. This way of living is also generated from the Yin Yang Theory of Taoism. This is also rooted deeply in ancestral worshiping which is done to seek harmony between the the living or yang and the dead or yin.

Ancestral worship is a popular practice among the Chinese community. The Qing Ming Festival which takes place during the second full moon is observed by the majority. This reflects that Chinese tradition is rooted deeply in the culture of modern Singapore. the Chinese people pray in memory of their bereaved loved ones and the spirits of the dead are honored with offerings including food, beverages, joss-paper, joss-sticks, and even paper houses, which are intrinsic practices of the Taoists.

There are a number of temples and shrines of Tao origin in Singapore. during your trip to Singapore you will be able to find a number of Tao temples that are frequented by tourists. However, the Tao religion is not included officially as one of the major religion in Singapore.

Religious Tolerance in Singapore

2009-04-29T22:17:00.001-07:00

Religious tolerance is very important part of life in Singapore. Since the colonial times up to the independence of the island, the governing instiotutions of Singapore has give prime importance to racial and religious harmony. In other words the harmony among different ethnic and religious groups have always been the top priority of the Singapore government.

The government in Singapore has to some extent successfully erased some religions and racial boundaries. Some religions, especially those practiced by Chinese ethnic groups, have even shared their places of worship with different other religions like Hinduism and Islam. Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple which is situated in the eastern coastal line is a prominent example of this religious tolerance. In this temple you an see alll three religions - Taoism, Hinduism, and Islam that are housed under the same roof. It is in fact a manifestation of religious harmony in Singapore.
The younger generation of people in Singapore have also contributed to this religious tolerance. Then blend the traditional wisdom of the previous generations with religious co-existence. This religious co-existence has been encouraged by the British colonials who made Singapore their colony. If you visit Bridge Street, which was a major road through the old Chinatown, you will see it is home to the Sri Mariamman Temple. This temple is a south Indian Hindu temple that was declared a national historical site in the 1980s. there you can also find the Masjid Jamae Mosque there. This masjid served Chulia Muslims from India's Coromandel Coast.

The religious tolerance is also taught at the schools of singapore. there are also students from different communities that are in the same class. Thus the children are taught religious tolerance from a tender age there. This leads to religious harmony in Singapore.

Singapore Religion

2009-04-29T22:04:00.001-07:00

Singapore is one of the most well known tourist destination of the city. It is a strategically located ort country is South East Asia. due to its strategic locations and recognition as a port country, the city state has a long and varied history of immigration for a wide array of nationalities and ethnicities. The dominating ethnic groups in Singapore includes the Chinese, the Malayas, the Indian as well as Arabs. All these people belong to different religious communities and groups. This makes Singapore a multi religious country. this port country of Southeast Asia has maintained identity as a multi-religious nation.

Singapore is home to a number of religions. People belonging to different religious communities staying this city-state. A large section of Singapore's population are from Chinese origin. Most of the Chinese people follow Buddhism. Whereas a large section among the Chinese also follow Taoism Confucianism as well as Christianity. The Malaya community consisting of The religion in Singapore is varied. The Chinese population in Singapore follows Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Christianity. The Muslim religion in Singapore is also dominant as most of the Malays form 15% of the population. Most of the Malayas are Muslims. The Indians constitute only 7% of the total Singaporeans. The Indians mostly follow the Hinduism. About 14% of the populations in Singapore who consider they to be free thinkers. These people do not belong to any religion in Singapore. Other religions in Singapore constitute the Jews, the Sikhs, the Zoroastrians as well as the Jains.

This diversity of religion in Singapore has become a signature of its cultural diversity. This has given way to a number of religious buildings such as mosques, churches and Hindu temples as well as Sikh temples and Jewish synagogues, some of which have eventually become buildings of great historical significance. Some of the religious sites of Singapore include the Hajjah Fatimah Mosque, Kong Meng San Phon Kark See temple, Central Sikh.

Christianity in Singapore

2009-04-25T21:27:00.000-07:00

Singapore is a country that has people from different ethnicities. You can find Malaya people, Indians, Arabs, Chinese as well as Eurasians in this small country in Southeast Asia. these people practice different religions and are part of different community. The religions practiced in Singapore include Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and many more. Chirtianity is one of the most prominent religion in Singapore. you will find numerous churches as well as other christian institutions in this city-state.

Christianity first arrived on Singapore soon after the establishment of modern Singapore in the year 1819. In half a year, the first Protestant missionary arrived on Singapore to set up a local ministry.later the local born church leaders took charge of the ministry. Several theologicval collegeswere also established. These colleges were set up to educate and produce more and more next generation leaders. Soon more churches as well as other christian organizations were established. This resulted into a growth in the followers of Christianity in Singapore. more than 14% of the population of he country follow Chirstianity in Singapore. almost one third of the christian population of the counrtry are catholics while the rest of them are protestants. Christianity ois considered as one of the four main religions in Singapore.

The Roman Catholic population of Singapore consists of Eurasians, Chinese and Indians. There are 30 Roman Catholic parishes in different parts of Singapore sand each of them administer a particular district. Most of these catholic parishes are directly involved in social services. Some of them are also encouraging the creation of Small Christian Communities. the National Council of Churches of Singapore is the umbrella organization under which the umbrella organization for the non-catholic churches.

Jainism in Singapore

2009-04-18T05:31:00.000-07:00

Singapore is a multiethnic country that has become home to people from different parts of Asia. As they are from different ethnicities they also have distinct cultural identity of their own. most of the ethnicities practice different religion and that makes Singapore a secular country as well. In this small country you can see diverse number religious groups. The religions practiced in Singapore include Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism and many more.

Jainism refers to the religion practiced by the Jains. The Jains have settled in Singapore since the beginning of twentieth century. There is no historical data available on the exact date. It is not clear whether the Jains were there at the beginning of the previous century. In the initial stage of settlement the Jains used to perform their religious rituals on individual basis. Later different religious buildings and institutions are built.

Till the year 1953, there was free inflow of Jains to join their families in Singapore and there were no strict immigration rules. Most of the Jain people are from India and they are highly influenced by the democratic ideas of India. The first committee was built in the year 1957 and the committee was named Panch. Every year a new committee is established to organize and conduct Jain festivities as well as other religious functions.

After the World War II the Jain community got organized and the religious activities are carried out at Waterloo Street. After that the religious activities were performed at different rented venues. Soon they felt the needed to have premises that they can call their own. So they organized themselves and made a registered society named Singapore Jain Religious Society. Any Jain regardless of any creed can be a member of the society.

Buddhism in Singapore

2009-04-12T22:05:00.000-07:00

Singapore is one of the most well known touistdestination in sotueast Asia. thogh a small country the city state is home to a number of ethnicities and cultures. people from different parts of Asia have made Singapore their home. Each of these communities haver their own culture and religious practices. They also perform different religions too. the religions that are very prominent in Singapore culture include Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism. Buddhism is the most porminet religion in singapore. a large section of the popuation of Singapore follow this religion. While in Singapore you will be able to see a wide array of buddhist temple, shrines and monesteries.

The history of Buddhism in Singapore dates back to the Srivijayan times. The researchers have got some wevidences that ecen durinfg the Srvijayan era Buddhism was present in Singapore. during the past few decades the oldest Buddhist school of thought has experienced a potential growth in Singapore. Buddhism is seen a s the most viable religion in Singapore. almost half of the total population in singapore follow Buddhism today. Buddhist teaching has also became a thing of interest in recent times. There are also some small minorities like Singhalese and Thai Buddhists. Buddhism in singapore encompasses a number Buddhist thoughts and customs. The chinese customs and traditions have also find their place in the buddhism practice in Singapore. there are also different schools in Buddhism. The Mahayana school, Theravada school, and Tibetan Buddhism have acquired sizable followings.Mahayana Buddhism is the most prevalent form of Buddhism in Singapore.

In the recent time a number of buddhist publication is being realeased and as a result the buddhism has become quite popular among the younger generations. You can also find a number of Buddhism temples and shrines in Singapore where the devotees pay regular visits.