NUS Research Gallery: Singapore, a modern but religious country

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Singapore, a modern but religious country

People are treating religion more intellectually now for they no longer follow religion blindly. In the past, they would just do the rituals blindly. Nowadays, they want to understand the meaning behind the rituals."
— Asst Prof Alexius A Pereira, Department of Sociology





A secular state but not a secularised society — an apt description for Singapore as religion still has its place here despite modernisation and economic development. This seems to be contradictory to some economic theories which suggest that people's need for religious assurances diminishes as industrialisation improves their economic security.

According to the World Values Survey, over 70 per cent of Singaporeans still feel that religion is important in their lives; believe in metaphysical concepts of god, soul, heaven and hell; and actively participate in religious activities, fulfilling religious obligations. The survey was conducted by the Department of Sociology with a sample size of over 1,500 Singaporeans in 2002. Asst Prof Alexius A Pereira, who is part of the team which conducted the survey, was tasked to examine religiosity in relation with economic development in the city-state.

Asst Prof Alexius said the "rationalisation" of religion is probably the most important reason why Singaporeans today are still deeply religious. The ability of religion to adapt to the changing profile of the society ensures that people do not drop out of a religion, but rather switch to a different religion. For instance, to shed its perceived image as a superstitious religion for the old, Taoism has started translating its scriptures into palpable prose in English for the younger generation.

"People are treating religion more intellectually now for they no longer follow religion blindly. In the past, they would just do the rituals blindly. Nowadays, they want to understand the meaning behind the rituals. So they switched to religions perceived as 'more modern and rational' such as Buddhism and Christianity. In modern society, people are free to choose their religion. Hence religions have to make themselves relevant so as to retain their 'market share' in the 'religion economy'," said Asst Prof Alexius.

Interestingly, Asst Prof Alexius said the secular Singapore government ironically discouraged secularisation through its policies. For instance, the "cultural preservation" policies to encourage Singaporeans to retain their cultural heritage, in turn, contribute to the preservation of religion.

Explained Asst Prof Alexius: "The government tried to preserve ethnicity. It did so by preserving religious life as well because religion was viewed by people as being an important component of ethnicity. Religion is very much a part of people's identity and is central in their life. Being Muslim is part of being Malay, being Buddhists is part of being Chinese, and being Hindu is part of being Indian.

"The Singapore government also believes people who are religious are morally good people. Religious studies were even made mandatory in secondary education in the 1980s. Although they were replaced by civics and moral education later in the 1990s, the government's principle for basis of morality was clear. And they take the views of religion leaders seriously. By and large, the government does not help to promote secularisation with its policies."

New age religions

In other modern societies, there has been an emergence of "new age" religions. These new beliefs preach individual spirituality which is radically different from the traditional form of religion that adheres to an organised religious body or authority. Sociologists explain that people's increasing rationality means that they are less likely to depend on traditional religious body or authority for assurances. At the same time, rationality and science however, still cannot provide answers for existential and morality issues. Hence "new age" religions are here to fill such areas.

"But Singaporeans are unlikely to embrace such new religions," said Asst Prof Alexius. "We found that 'new age' religions are almost negligible in Singapore. Most people belong to a 'regular' religion or have no religion. So my gut feeling is that these newer religions will not take hold in Singapore. Standard religions are giving people what they need, and they have evolved with them to meet their needs, and will continue to do so."

However, Asst Prof Alexius said that religiosity in Singapore will change over time as society continues to evolve. He hopes the Sociology Department will have the opportunity to take part in the next edition of the World Values Survey — Singapore in 2010 to identity any changes in the state of religiosity in Singapore.

"This study gives us a somewhat big overall picture of the state of religiosity in Singapore now. Hopefully the study will lead to other strands of research, for instance, delving deeper into the daily religious habits of people," he said.

Link:

http://www.nus.edu.sg/corporate/research/gallery/research116.htm