In March 2020, the Singapore Police began investigating a Facebook post linking holy texts to toilet paper. Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam deemed the post offensive to Muslims and Christians.

The Facebook page named NUS Atheist Society had posted an image of the Bible and Quran, which are holy texts in Christianity and Islam respectively. An accompanying caption read: “For use during toilet paper shortages.”

Read the news article here:

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/police-probe-facebook-post-linking-holy-texts-toilet-paper

The Straits Times quoted the Humanist Society (Singapore) statement:

In a statement on its website, the Humanist Society (Singapore) said the post was “neither reasoned nor compassionate” and unhelpful given Covid-19, which affects all regardless of race or religion.

“We would like to encourage productive and rational dialogue during this crisis. We should focus on disseminating facts, providing comfort, and promoting public unity amidst the pandemic.”

Our full statement can be read here.

Our President Tatt Si wrote a letter to ST Forum, wading into the debate over what is the true national anthem of Singapore.

https://www.straitstimes.com/forum/letters-in-print/law-governing-national-anthem-allows-other-dignified-versions

Tatt Si argued that there must be many versions of the anthem, with people being free to express their feelings for our country in our personal way.

Mothership.SG published an article about the difficult closeted life of an ex-Muslim (Rahim) in Singapore.

https://mothership.sg/2019/09/singapore-atheist-ex-muslim/

The article noted that while there are more Singaporeans with no religion than there are Hindus (five per cent), Taoists (10 per cent) and Muslims (14 per cent), some atheists, including Rahim, remain closeted.

Mothership.SG mentioned that there are more non-religious communities in Singapore now, including the Humanist Society Singapore and the Council of Ex-Muslims Singapore (CEMS), that exist to raise awareness and serve as a support system for such people.

We wrote this note in appreciation to Mothership:

https://humanist.org.sg/reply-to-mothership-religious-refugees/

Online news website Coconuts wrote about Humanist Society’s statement expressing ‘concern’ over the meaning of Christmas.

Last week, the National Council of Churches (NCCS) have expressed deep concern that the Orchard Road Christmas celebrations are all about Disney properties rather than the Christian meaning of the season itself.

Now, Humanist Society Singapore (HSS) is deeply concerned about the NCCS’s concern through a parodic letter of concern to all Singaporeans, deconstructing the very nature of Christmas to its pre-Christian meaning. It’s by no means an attack on the NCCS, but a droll message of unity that calls for everyone to celebrate the season any way they choose to — in an ethical, humanist manner of course.

In case you’re not up to speed, the NCCS aren’t that happy that Orchard Road’s Christmas light-up has become super commercialized, especially so for this year in the Singapore Tourism Board’s collaboration with the House of Mouse. “The original meaning of Christmas has been effectively buried under the thick layer of this extensive and sophisticated brand promotion exercise,” noted Reverend Dr. Ngoei Foong Nghian, the general secretary of NCCS.

Finding the funny side of the complaint, HSS expressed their own concern by providing a history lesson of sorts about the “deeper meaning” of Christmas. “Do not monopolize December for yourself, NCCS,” the caption accompanying the letter urged on the HSS website.

“We are concerned that the light-up, with a heavy leaning towards emphasis one religion, may detract the historical significance of the days surrounding every December,” wrote the HSS executive community in jest.

“Since Earth stabilized its wobble through the help of its oversized satellite – the moon, and maintaining a 23.5° tilt off the elliptical path around the Sun, the northern hemisphere’s been observing these shortest days of every year since time immemorial. Druids, Pagans, Phoenicians, Egyptians, Arabians, Babylonians, Sumerians, Akkadians, Persians, Indians, East-Asians etc have been observing the rebirth of the winter sun, coining it Winter Solstice, to Saturnalia, to 冬至 (‘winter has arrived’).

In pre-Christian Rome, Saturnalia involved gift giving and the associated role reversal between servants and masters; and other parts of Europe, Yule time and god Odin (雷公 Thor’s father) were celebrated at this same season. The character Santa Klaus was Sinterklaas in Europe, and uncannily based on or imbued with qualities from Odin and Old Man Winter.”

HSS, being a group for local humanists, atheists, agnostics, skeptics and generally non-religious but ethical folks here, would of course be presumed to be anti-religion, but what it noted about Christmas does have some historical truth. The annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ has pagan origins, with December 25 being the date chose to appropriate festivities by the Romans in honor of the Sun god Sol Invictus. Here, have a nicely animated explanation of Christmas’ unchristian origins.

But HSS is not having a little fun without a point. The message they’re driving is that Singaporeans should celebrate the winter solstice anyway they want to, be it through Christian-appropriate ways or Disney-sanctioned decor.

“All we ask is we all cut down on wastage, reuse wrapping paper, reduce plastics, recycle the old and used, re-gift unwanted gifts; think of, and help the needy and downtrodden; use less sugar in Yule-log cakes, puddings and egg nogs, eat less meat, and refrain from driving when drinking.”

Wise words that we all can abide to. Happy Festivus, everyone.