01 February 2019
Interreligious Relations (IRR) Issue 1 – Interreligious Marriage: Perspectives from the Singaporean Context in Relation to Interreligious Dialogue
Abstract:
This paper explores the phenomenon of interreligious marriage in Singapore, based upon a literature review and interviews with religious leaders and laypeople. The distinct nature of the Singapore context is noted, as well as the limits of the mainstream discussion which focuses upon the Abrahamic traditions in a Western context. The distinctive patterns of six different traditions are discussed (Buddhism, Catholic Christian, Daoist and Chinese Folk Religion, Hindu, Islamic, and Protestant Christian), as well as issues drawn from these patterns. The paper is primarily devoted to presenting an empirical overview from the interviews, and enters conceptual issues mainly in showing how the Singaporean (or South East Asian) contexts disrupts the standard Western-centric assumptions in the literature. Areas for further research are noted.
Abstract:
This paper explores the phenomenon of interreligious marriage in Singapore, based upon a literature review and interviews with religious leaders and laypeople. The distinct nature of the Singapore context is noted, as well as the limits of the mainstream discussion which focuses upon the Abrahamic traditions in a Western context. The distinctive patterns of six different traditions are discussed (Buddhism, Catholic Christian, Daoist and Chinese Folk Religion, Hindu, Islamic, and Protestant Christian), as well as issues drawn from these patterns. The paper is primarily devoted to presenting an empirical overview from the interviews, and enters conceptual issues mainly in showing how the Singaporean (or South East Asian) contexts disrupts the standard Western-centric assumptions in the literature. Areas for further research are noted.
