A Chinese Buddhist temple, a Christian church and a Sathya Sai Baba Centre stand side by side along Moulmein Road in Singapore, the world’s most religiously diverse nation, according to a 2014 analysis by the Pew Research Center.
The Southeast Asian city state has enjoyed inter-religious harmony for decades, thanks to efforts by religious leaders, the government and other sectors in society. The Inter-Religious Organisation, Singapore, was formed in 1949 by religious leaders to foster such harmony. In 1990, the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act was enacted to provide for powers to maintain inter-religious harmony.
The Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Taoist, Sikh and Zoroastrian faiths are among the many present in the city state of 5.45 million people.
According to Singapore government statistics, of residents aged 15 years and older in 2020, 31.1 percent identified as Buddhists, 8.8 percent as Taoists, 18.9 percent as Christians, 15.6 percent as Muslims and 5 percent as Hindus. Followers of other religions made up 0.6 percent while those with no religious affiliation made up 20 percent.
Catholics currently make up 6.6 percent of the population.
The religious buildings seen in the photo are (from left): Kuang Chee Tng Temple, Moulmein Church of Christ and Sathya Sai Baba Centre.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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