 |
***
This is a personal sharing by Mdm Norhaiyah Mahmood, President of the Humanist Society (Singapore).
Dr. Lee Wei Ling, a prominent Singaporean neurologist and the daughter of Singapore’s first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, passed away on 09 Oct 2024. Her many accomplishments in life and her dedication to helping others are remembered by many.
Not many are aware that she was also one of the very few public figures in Singapore who is openly atheist. We recall Dr. Lee’s thoughtful column from 31 March 2013 in The Sunday Times, titled An Atheist ‘Sent by God’.
In this piece, she shared the story of helping a patient, R, who had been exploited and faced legal troubles. Through the efforts of a psychiatrist and a law firm offering pro bono services, Dr. Lee helped reduce R’s sentence from jail time to a fine.
R expressed deep gratitude, calling her “a person sent by God” and gifting her a clay tablet with an inspiring message. In Dr Lee’s own words:
“I continue to take solace in this story, most especially at Easter. In this cynical world, there are still people who want to do what is right, even if doing so will not profit them personally, as my psychiatrist friend and the lawyers who defended R pro bono show. This gives me hope that we can develop into a compassionate society no matter what our religion, or whether or not we believe in God.”
Dr Lee Wei Ling
Her column can be read in these two blog entries:
- https://heresthenews.blogspot.com/2013/04/an-atheist-by-god.html
- https://ifonlysingaporeans.blogspot.com/2013/04/an-atheist-sent-by-god.html
When Dr Lee’s passing was announced, her family requested no flowers, and all donations were directed to a list of charities that were close to her heart.
 |
***
This brings us to some thoughts about non-religious funerals. In many non-religious funerals, the deceased (even famous personalities) are remembered without specific labels.
In death, the non-religious often don’t emphasize their non-religiosity, nor do they feel the need to. There were no specifically non-religious “verses” pasted on obituary notices for comfort or blessing. If the living chooses, they will be remembered for the person they were, their impact on society, and how they made others feel.
However, one unintended consequence of being silent about non-religiosity is that few people know how non-religious individuals live their values, beyond personal testimonies, leaving much of the broader narrative unfilled. This narrative, unfilled, could be filled by various misconceptions, such as the non-religious being immoral and uncharitable.
We were surprised that Dr. Lee chose to be open about her atheism many years ago. After all, she is a prominent public figure with two Prime Ministers in her immediate family. And while one fifth of the country is non-religious, a huge majority are still religious.
For individuals who face challenges being openly atheist, due to opposition from conservative family members and community, her openness on the national broadsheet was a breath of fresh air.
We are also happy that in her passing, the family has encouraged donations to a list of charities. This is generous and meaningful.
