SINGAPORE: Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s wife Ho Ching is making waves online after she shared yet another post by an anti-religion Facebook group, just over a year after she shared an excerpt from a controversial book against Christianity in March 2023.
In the latest case, Mdm Ho shared a post by the group ‘Faith is Mental Illness’ on Facebook. The post states, “Dear religious people, don’t worry. When atheists become the majority (and it will happen sooner than you think) we will treat you far better than you have historically treated us when you were the majority.”
Mdm Ho’s Facebook share, although it was posted without comment, has raised eyebrows online. Some on online forums expressed surprise that the Senior Minister’s wife shared such a post as her husband has publicly stood for the opposite, advocating for respect for the many religions in Singapore.
One concerned Singaporean, Facebook user Farouq Osman, pointed out: “Hi Mdm Ho Ching. Not sure the intention of your post. It can be quite hurtful to religious Singaporeans.”
Another Facebook user, Gideon Teo, reminded: “Please repeat after me. We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people. Regardless of race, language or religion.”
Several individuals expressed concerns that the high-profile Mdm Ho may be accused of hurting religious Singaporeans with her share, while others called her “attention-seeking” for sharing such a post publicly.
Facebook user Lena Ang quipped, “Thumbs up for you, you have offended all religious people!” while another commenter, Tan Yeey Poh Kheng, advised: “Perhaps, better to keep such opinions to yourself and stay silent for your own good and to stay out of trouble.”
Some even tagged Mr Lee, current Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, and other ministers in the comments section to flag that Mdm Ho is stirring up “religious conflict”.
Others argued that the post she shared was one-sided and inaccurate as it conveniently ignores historical events in which atheists have oppressed others. Poet Gwee Li Sui, who was among these critics, wrote in a comment: “errr that’s not what French Revolution and Communist Revolution show me.”
This is not the first time Mdm Ho has shared a post that has been deemed “anti-religious,” on her Facebook page, Last March, she shared an excerpt from the controversial 1927 book ‘Why I Am Not a Christian’ by British philosopher Bertrand Russell.
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.
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 Senior Minister’s wife.
TISG/