Why "Lighting the World" in Singapore is Complicated

[Note: I drafted this post related to Christmas a few weeks back, and only had time to edit it this week. Hence, this late post about Christmas in January!]

My mom and I were walking home from church a few Sundays ago, and we passed a Malay wedding held at the pavilion under the block of my HDB flat (apartment building). It just so happen that a group of male singers were singing and chanting and beating their drums to celebrate the occasion, and
It
Was
Beautiful.

I loved it experiencing that beautiful cultural moment (however brief and uninvited :p) that is unique to this area of the world. And even more striking (and amusing) is the fact the public pavilion used for the wedding is the same venue for other more...inauspicious events. As my mom observed, the pavilion is (generally) used by Malays for weddings, Indians for birthday parties, and Chinese for funerals.

Hahahaha...so true. For one public pavilion to be used by so many races and religions for different, and even polar opposite, purposes is remarkable. But this requires strict policies concerning the usage of the pavilion, such as the forbidding of religious proselytizing activities.

Anyway, the very same night of the wedding wedding, some members posted on my ward's (church congregation) WhatsApp chat group about the Church's Light the World campaign in Hong Kong and the Philippines. It was SO COOL. I heard that the tuk tuks in Cambodia also had Light the World posters at the back of the vehicles. For Light the World posters to be posted on public transportation vehicles in Asia is really remarkable.

In Hong Kong

Suggestions for train passengers in the Philippines about everyday acts of service.

 Then of course, the inevitable "What about Singapore?" question arose because there was no equivalent campaign here. We were only given Light the World wallet-size cards to pass out to those around us.

The reason? Strict governmental policies that forbids the posting of explicit religious messages on public transportation. Allowing the Church to post its campaign (despite the benefits) will open the door for other religious groups to do the same, and it will almost surely create racial tensions. Hence, the government enforces such strict policies to police messages posted in public spaces.

Then it dawned on me that the same principles and laws that forbids the Church from posting messages on public transportation in Singapore are the very same principles and laws that help maintain the peace in the housing estate I live in, and allows for the multicultural usage of the public pavilion. While the government will not allow the Church to post such messages in public spaces, doing so allows people across all races and religious to use public spaces without worrying about offending their communities or stirring up religious/ racial tensions.

Is it frustrating that the Church suffers from religious limitations? Of course. After all, the core of the Light the World campaign is to encourage everyone, members and non-members, to serve their families and communities. There isn't any explicit proselytizing message involved (can't say there isn't an implicit one...). So I get that not being able to launch as visible a campaign as the rest of Asia is disappointing.

But as I walk by the pavilion almost everyday to go to work/ church, I can't help but smile whenever I see caterers setting up for yet another Malay wedding. Or when a group of Chinese aunties use the pavilion for their weekly dance/ exercise sessions. Or when a group of children from all races play soccer there, even with barriers to stop them.

And I can't help but be grateful that I live in Singapore where the government enforces strict policies that allows racial and religious harmony to flourish in our neighbourhoods and communities. 

Beside, as I joked with my mom, we can't do the same thing as the Philippines and leave small notes of goodness for our MRT users. Our government is too efficient, and already has a similar campaign.😁