RELIGION
The diversity of religions
existed in Singapore is an outcome of various nationalities
residing there.
More than half of the
Singapore's population are the followers of Buddhism and Taoism,
for as the statistical facts about Singapore indicate that
Chinese people are the largest ethnic group in Singapore, so
there leaves no doubt that is why they are Buddhists or Taoists
as these two religions were originally brought with them from
China. But later some of them proselytized to Christianity
influenced by the arrival of the Raffles.
Malays are into Islam, thus
they are called 'Muslim' in the religious term. While most of
Singapore's Indians are Hindus, though some of them are Muslims
or Sikhs.
1. Buddhism (28%) and Taoism
(31%)
Buddhism was brought into
Singapore by the early Chinese settlers. It is basically
centered on 'the Three Jewels' - Buddha, Dharma and Sangha -
which assist and guide the practices of Buddhism. Most of the
Buddhists in Singapore observe the Mahayana sect, a prominent
doctrine of Buddhism, followed by the Theravada, Vajrayana and
other small schools. For Taoism, many of its philosophy derived
from the doctrine of Confucius or Confucianism (551-479 B.C.),
which later portrays a great reflection on the government's
philosophy...For more information - Buddhism
& Taoism in Singapore
2. Islam (18%)
In Singapore, Muslims is
consisted of 18% of the total population. The largest proportion
of the Muslims in Singapore is the Malays, followed by the
Indians. Nearly all the Malays were born Muslims, but there is
as well a sizable proportion of Indians and other communities.
The influence of Islamic matters overshadows Muslims' lives
through the way they dress, cook, and live...For more
information - Islam in Singapore.
3. Christianity (10%)
As usual, each religion has
been brought into Singapore by its own ethnic immigrants, and so
did Christianity. Soon after the Raffles landed on Singapore's
ground, the Christian missionaries arrived within a year with
the plan to spread their religion...For more information - Christianity
in Singapore.
4. Hinduism (4%)
Vividly contrasted with
Buddhism, Islam, or Christianity, people always visualize
Hinduism as a ritualistic religion. Hinduism does not rely on
one founding figure as Jesus Christ for Christianity, Siddharta
Gautama for Buddhism, and Mohammed for Islam, but it is a
religion with many gods and goddesses. In addition, the sacred
scriptures have no forceful influence to its observers as the
Bible or Quran do to their religious followers. Only the Vedas
are considered as the holy texts, but they are not used as a
guidebook for one's conduct in modern India...For more information
- Hinduism in Singapore.
5. Other Religions (9%)
Apart from the major religions,
there are some other religious followers here in Singapore.
There are sixteen Sikh organizations, and seven Gurdwaras (Sikh
temples). Besides, there are two Jewish synagogues, while the
Zoroastrians and Jains, the followers of Mahavira, possess no
temples...For more information - Other
Religions in Singapore
In conclusion, customary
religious beliefs and practices strictly remain in Singapore, as
evidenced by many major religious celebrations held annually
with numerous people attending them. On the other hand, the
government is well aware of the differences in each religion,
which firstly ingrain into people's minds since at home, then
school, and society. Religious differences can bear both
positive and negative consequences, and the government perceives
them well. The campaign to harmonize different ethnic groups to
one nation is extremely hard, but so far there's no religious
conflict that burst out. This can be totally considered as a
successful work of the Singapore's government.
This article is authored and
copyrighted by
Royal Exclusive Travel
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