On 21 June 2020, Archbishop William Goh of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore delivered an online sermon titled “Fear God or Fear Man.” The sermon was followed by a written sermon published on the website. As of 1 July, the online sermon has attracted over 5,500 views on Facebook and 5,100 views on Youtube. Given the widespread viewership, the Humanist Society (Singapore), or HSS for short, would like to respond to some of the points delivered.
Archbishop Goh addresses the issue of fear, a fundamental human emotion that likely arose because it conferred an evolutionary advantage to an ancestral species. He further called upon his flock to look to their faith to overcome fear.
It is natural for humans to seek solace and comfort in a community, whether religious or secular. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is a particularly scary one. Jobs have been threatened or lost entirely. Families and loved ones have been separated due to the quarantine. Plans for the year are now up in the air.
Nonetheless, we must remain rational and compassionate, especially during these sensitive times. Given this, we would like to address some points made by Archbishop Goh.
1) On removing God from society
Archbishop Goh said:
All the atheistic philosophers speak of the death of God as the way to gain our freedom. According to them, so long as we fear God, we cannot be ourselves. We cannot do what we want and what we like because we fear offending Him. God is a joy-killer. Therefore, the way to remove all fears is to remove God from society. This is what secularism and atheism seek to do.
While there are many definitions of secularism around the world, secularism is not anti-religious in Singapore’s context. Last October, Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Law, Mr K Shanmugam, explained in Parliament that Secularism in Singapore is unique:
It is not like secularism in some other countries. The example I spoke about in April, in this House, was France. There, the state will not intervene in religious matters, even, for example, if an act or speech offends other religions. We take a different position. I explained this in some detail, in my Parliamentary Statement in April before this House.
The Government does not privilege any religious group. But we also do not allow any religious group to be attacked or insulted. We actively encourage interfaith dialogues and activities to foster mutual understanding, respect. At the same time, we keep to the position that no religious group should influence Government policy and decision-making.
We support Singapore’s secularism model, where all religions are treated equally and where no religious group influences Government policy and decision-making.
Many individuals turn to faith for support and strength. We believe that every individual has a right to practice their faith privately. Also, those who do not follow a faith tradition (atheists, agnostics, freethinkers etc.) have long relied on secular ethics, moral principles, philosophies, and universal values for sources of strength. Their moral compasses should be respected too and not dismissed as immoral, weak, or wicked.
2) On immorality without God
Archbishop Goh argues:
Without God, there is no morality, there is no truth, there is no judgment, there is no hell and there is no fear of eternal death. Without God, therefore, we can be truly free and be happy, do whatever we like, enjoy our life, and all pleasures without guilt because there is no judgment and no eternal death.
Further down the sermon, he adds:
Without God, we have lost all our freedom. Now instead of fearing God, we fear death.
The Archbishop then warns that those who fear death will fear fellowmen and become selfish, or even engage in criminal acts such as theft, robbery, and murder.
Multiple studies have shown that many countries with high proportions of non-religious people fare well in crime rates, prosperity, equality, freedom, democracy, women’s rights, human rights, educational attainment, and life expectancy. Countries with high proportions of non-religious people and low crime rates include Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Czech Republic, Estonia, Japan, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Germany, South Korea, New Zealand, and Australia.
We are not saying that non-religiosity per se will cause a drop in crimes. Good public education, vigorous law enforcement, and many other factors are necessary.
However, non-religiosity itself does not increase the propensity to commit crimes. Many human beings, both religious and non-religious, are law-abiding and capable of being good for goodness sake.
3) On selfishness and hedonism as a result of atheism
Archbishop Goh suggested that selfishness and hedonism develop from atheism. In his words:
In fact, without God, we have lost all our freedom. Now instead of fearing God, we fear death. This is because death means the end of everything. All that we worked for, all the wealth that we have accumulated, all our hard work and achievements, and all our possessions will have to be left behind when we die. This explains why we are in a hurry to enjoy as much as we can in this life, undertake all kinds of adventures, and indulge in all kinds of sensual enjoyments, sex and the pleasures of life. So why should we care about tomorrow, about the future of humanity, the future of our family and our children, society, and the future of this earth?
Many atheists and other non-religious people, including many members of the Humanist Society, lead fulfilling, moral lives without religion. Many humanists worldwide champion social causes. We care about our family, our children, society, the future of humanity, and this earth. We believe in leaving the world a better place than when we found it.
Some of the most prominent humanitarian organisations today are based on universal values shared by religious and non-religious people, who work together to deliver aid to the needy, regardless of race and religion. Examples include Doctors without Borders, United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Conclusion
The Catholic Church believes that people can turn to different religions in search of the same questions that make us human. We ask the Church also to see that people can turn away from religion for the same fundamental answers.
Over the years, we have worked with our friends in interfaith groups like the IRO and Explorations into Faith (EiF), and have demonstrated that faith and non-faith are compatible in a functioning society. We hope that religious and non-religious individuals can develop a reciprocal respect for each others’ right to choose our own beliefs and philosophies.
Founded ten years ago, the Humanist Society dedicates itself to clarifying misconceptions of the non-religious and establishing a better understanding between religious communities and freethinkers in Singapore.
We hope that we have explained some of the misgivings and misunderstandings of atheism, secularism, and humanism. We invite the Catholic community and the public at large to speak to our representatives, should they have further questions about the Humanist Society and what we stand for.
Executive Committee
Humanist Society (Singapore)
