SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s wife Ho Ching is making waves online after she shared an excerpt from the controversial 1927 book ‘Why I Am Not a Christian’ by British philosopher Bertrand Russell, on Facebook this week.
Dubbed an “anti-Christianity” book in some quarters, Russell’s book critiques and challenges the fundamental beliefs and teachings of Christianity, raising serious questions about the existence of God, the validity of religious claims, and the morality of Christian teachings.
In the book, Russell argues that many of the central tenets of Christianity, such as the idea of a personal God, are unsupported by evidence and are therefore irrational. The respected intellectual also argues that many religious teachings, such as the doctrine of original sin, are harmful and promote a negative view of humanity.
On Tuesday (7 Mar), Mdm Ho shared a post on the official Bertrand Russell Facebook page on her own page. The post contained an excerpt from his contentious book, which asserted that the Christian religion, as organized in its Churches, has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world.
The excerpt also covered Russell’s belief that religion has been used to justify cruelty and hinder moral progress, as periods of intense religion have been associated with greater cruelty and worse social conditions. He also contended that every bit of progress in humane feeling, criminal law, and moral progress has been consistently opposed by organized religions, in the same passage that was shared by the Prime Minister’s wife.
The post has raised eyebrows online. Some on online forums expressed surprise that the Prime Minister’s wife shared such a post as her husband has publicly stood for the opposite.
At the Jubilee Day of Prayer in 2015 – an event where over 50,000 Christians gathered to pray together – PM Lee said that the Government considers taking one’s faith seriously “a good thing.” He added that faith “has given us right values, it has given us a moral compass, and it has not stopped us from coming together as one people.”
His appearance at the mass prayer event came months before the 2015 general election, which the ruling party swept with 69.86% of the popular vote – its best results since 2001.
The Prime Minister’s wife’s post, although it was posted without comment, has drawn the ire of some Christians. Some netizens opposed Russell’s views in the comments section of her post while some asked her what the point of her post was.
