Religion in Singapore
[3] The most followed religion in Singapore is Buddhism, with a plurality of 31.1% of the resident population identifying themselves as adherents at the most recent decennial census in 2020.
People with no religious affiliation (atheist, agnostic or other irreligious life stances) form the second largest group at 20% of the population.
[citation needed] However, some religions or denominations are officially banned by the government, as they are deemed as cults, such as Jehovah's Witnesses and the Unification Church, although their followers practised in secrecy in the 2010s.
[citation needed] Additionally, South Bridge Street, a major road through the old Chinatown, houses the Sri Mariamman Temple and the Masjid Jamae Mosque, which served Chulia Muslims from India's Coromandel Coast.
[citation needed] The variety of religions is a direct reflection of the diversity of races: The Chinese are mainly Buddhists, Taoists, Christian, Muslim or irreligious.
Besides codified Taoism—which in some places, like Taiwan, is mostly represented by the Zhengyi order—Taoism in Singapore also includes a wide variety of Chinese folk religious traditions and various other religions.
Many were interned during the Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II, and a number subsequently emigrated to Australia, England, the United States, and Israel.
Founded by spiritualist and medium Lekhraj Kripalani, originally a follower of the Vaishnavite Vallabhacharya sect, the movement is known for the prominent role played by celibate women in it, and purports to teach an ancient form of meditation known as Raja Yoga.
The group has since distanced itself from its Hindu roots, preferring to use the language of New Age and personal growth movements to draw students.
Followers believe in an imminent "End of the World" situation that is slated to happen before 2036[25] but in more recent teachings, leaders have downplayed many of the apocalyptic prophecies of the destruction of the planet revealed earlier.
In January 2001, 15 Falun Gong practitioners, mostly Chinese nationals, were charged with illegal assembly after organising an unauthorised vigil at a park in memory of fellow believers they say died in police custody in China.
Foreign ISKCON monks as well as Srila Prabhupada, founder of the movement, were barred by wary government authorities from entering Singapore, and all attempts by followers to officially register the society failed.
[31][32] The Mata Amritanandamayi Math is a new Hindu movement established in 1981 by Indian guru Mātā Amritānandamayī Devī, popularly referred to by her followers as "Amma", or by the media as the "hugging saint".
Singapore was the destination of her first trip out of India in 1987 and since then, she has made frequent visits to the city-state, often attracting tens of thousands to darshan events in recent years.
[33][34] On 4 April 2021 at the 191st Annual General Conference, Church President Russell M. Nelson announced plans to construct a temple in Singapore.
A schism in Japan in 1991 saw the excommunication of Soka Gakkai out of Nichiren Shōshū, following which the respective branches in Singapore also parted ways.
The sect has been denounced in China as a cult and today propagates its teachings through an online TV station called Supreme Master Television.
The movement's history in Singapore goes back to the early 1970s, when a handful of Singaporeans began making trips to India to visit Sai Baba.
In 1975, the Sri Satha Sai Society, Singapore was registered, and in 1988, a S$613,500 purchase was made for a 8,000 square foot freehold site at 133 Moulmein Road.
[37] Shinnyo-en is a Japanese Buddhist order founded in 1936 by Shinjō Itō and his wife Tomoji in the tradition of the Daigo branch of Shingon Buddhism.
The group was formally registered in Singapore in 1994 and claims some 1,800 members who observe rituals and ceremonies at a temple at Jalan Kechot.
[41] They often revolve around "male spirit-mediums, called dang-ki" who "are subject to involuntary possession by one or more spirits" that the medium ultimately wants to happen.
"[41] Some dang-ki believe in a spirit who "shakes the Heavens [and] comes from the west riding on a tiger and a dragon, bearing a holy seal".
Central to the movement is a specific form of silent, mantra meditation that is practised for 15–20 minutes twice per day and is taught by certified teachers through a standard course of instruction, which costs a fee that varies by country.
Members of the True Jesus Church Singapore meet in four worship venues: Adam Road, Sembawang, Serangoon and Telok Kurau.
The movement runs clinics providing free general practitioner, traditional Chinese medicine and dental services to elderly residents and low-income households in Redhill and Khatib.
[4] The Singapore non-religious community itself is very diverse, with many calling themselves atheists, agnostics, free thinkers, humanists, secularists, theists or sceptics.
[53] In February 2020, Singapore began a probe into the unregistered local chapter of the Korean new religious movement Shincheonji Church of Jesus.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said the group had earlier tried, and failed, to register a company under the name of Heavenly Culture, World Peace and Restoration of Light.
[55] In 2011, Wikileaks published diplomatic cables which attributed controversial comments regarding Islam to Lee Kuan Yew, the Minister Mentor of Singapore's government.
